Hasya Bytes

Laugh And Live Longer

Bible: ‘A merry heart hath a cheerful countenance,’ and

‘doeth good like a medicine.’

Aristotle: ‘Laughter is the bodily exercise precious to health.’

Now doctors and psychologists in USA and UK are studying the

medical benefits of laughter on the human body and have

confirmed that laughter is really the best medicine.

Action Plan for Welcoming Hasya Into Your Life

• Watch films and television features that make you laugh. 
• Be with cheerful people. Avoid the Cassandras and the Agony Uncles. Avoid toxic people.
• Read and share jokes on the internet.
• Smile.  Do not smother a laugh.
• Play with babies, make them giggle.

·          Buy balloons for toddlers.

• Listen to laughter in a school playground.

Laughter is a natural pain-killer

Laughter increases the levels of endorphins in our bodies, which are natural pain-killers.  Norman Cousins, an American journalist who wrote Anatomy of an Illness was suffering from an incurable disease of the spine.  Laughter therapy helped him when no pain-killer could.  Endorphins released as a result of laughter may help in reducing the intensity of pain in those suffering from arthritis, spondylitis and muscular spasms of the body.  Many women have also reported a reduced frequency of migraine and tension headaches. Norman cousins recovered from what is usually a fatal disease

He who laughs frequently is less likely to suffer from heart attacks.  ‘A light answer turneth away wrath,’ says a proverb.  An anger hijack can be stopped by a joke.

Laughter is certainly the best medicine.

Laughter controls high blood pressure and heart disease

There are a number of causes for high blood pressure and heart disease like heredity, obesity, smoking and excessive intake of saturated fats.  But stress is one of the main factors.  Laughter definitely helps control blood pressure by reducing the release of stress-related hormones and bringing relaxation.

In experiments it has been proved that there is a drop of 10-20 mm in blood pressure after participating for ten minutes in a laughter session.  It does not mean that those who are taking 2-3 tablets for blood pressure every day will be completely cured.  Maybe, you will require two tablets if you are taking three, or if you are a borderline high blood pressure patient, you may not require any medication after some time.  It takes years to develop high blood pressure.  It cannot be reversed in a few days or a month.  But definitely laughter will exercise some control and arrest further progress of the disease.

If you are at high risk of developing heart disease, laughter could be the best preventive medicine.  Those who are suffering from heart disease and have stabilised on medication will find that laughter improves the blood circulation and oxygen supply to the heart muscles.  Due to improvement of blood circulation there are less chances of forming a clot.  Those who have had heart attacks or have undergone bypass surgery can also participate in laughter therapy.

Hasya (Laughter) Rasa

The greatest of all miracles is health. Every day our bodies are attacked by millions of microbes, viruses and bacteria.  The body is able to repulse these invaders and protect itself.  This mechanism is called the immune response.  The body’s immune response is enhanced by laughter.

Laughter is like internal jogging.  It fills your mindspace with positive emotions.  Emotionally it is relaxing, reducing harmful muscle tension.  Endorphins and serotonin flow into the blood, resulting in a peaceful happy state of mind.  A good bout of laughter also reduces the levels of stress hormones epinephrine and cortisol. 

Action Plan for Welcoming Sringara Into Your Life

Let love come in:

You need to invite those who love you and those whom you love to enter your life.  You may have friends whom you have no time to meet, children who know you only through orders you issue to study well, keep their rooms neat, or cut their hair.

Give love space and time: 

Love needs both quality and quantity time. One cannot replace the other.  Leisurely spaces allow love to take roots and grow.  Love does not need an itinerary, or be totally programmed according to your convenience.  It flourishes in idleness, in long companionable silences, in tears and in stumbling.  Sharing is its life breath. 

Celebrate Love

Celebrate anniversaries. Be generous with affirmations ‘What I really like about you is ….’ Create occasions to show verbally, tonally, and non-verbally that you care.

Family get-togethers affirm the bonds of blood and celebrate them.  Launching a family e-bulletin is a celebration of together news.  Everyone needs  ‘Oh’!  moments;  they heal the heart with good chemicals and peace.

Sringara (Love) Rasa

Love is a great healing rasa. Giving and receiving it energizes and expand your inner self. 

There are many types of love ranging from ‘vatsalya’ or mother’s love, to ‘meithri’ the love of friends (according to the Greeks, the highest love is ‘platonic’ love―the pure love between friends),  love of the nation, and the universal love and reverence one feels for all living creatures.

Plant the seeds of love in your mindspace, give it space to grow and celebrate it.