Laughter Yoga – A Game Changer In My Life

Sukumar Satpathy

Tiffany, CLYT: Laughter Yoga has been an empowering game changer in my life. From abuse and suffering, to freedom and abundance, my life was a disaster. I had neglected myself until nearly losing connection with several aspects of me, entirely. My physical health was a mess, my emotional stability in a constant quiver, and my state of peace was dynamically extreme. Laughter Yoga healed me physically, mentally and emotionally and helped me recover from the distress and pain.

Physically I had gained 30 pounds in just under six months; letting my personal yoga and meditation practice fall to the wayside. My reproductive system was essentially dormant, (I had been officially diagnosed with amenorrhea at 27 and PCOD at 29, having only two menstrual cycles in four years). My sleep cycle was erratic and most days, nocturnal, and my energy levels while awake were short-lived; usually depleting within a few hours. The negative stress was so fierce I developed eczema on both of my ear lobes causing painful sores, not to mention super embarrassing.

I hid most of this very well from my outside world with a smile on my face, but internally I was really scared. I didn’t recognize my reflection in the mirror and my chest hurt so bad that sometimes I would cringe in fear of having a heart attack or stroke. I was asking myself several negative questions like: Am I in menopause already? What if I can’t have babies (when I’m ready)? Why does my body look and feel like this? Do I have cancer? Do I have diabetes? Am I dying? Is this my life now? And many more. I was aware of the many complex emotional and mental factors of such but as for healing myself, I was at a major halt.

With Laughter Yoga, I found myself smiling with ease for the first time in a long time. My energy level was boosted, which left me feeling much happier and lighter. After just 16 hours of consistent Laughter Yoga, I started my period, which was a major healing breakthrough. It was a huge release from the past. I made a commitment to do Laughter Yoga Alone, every day, for 30 days, which helped to lower my stress levels from high to nearly none at all. Even as I kept up my laughter practice, I had some tests done that determined the cysts on my ovaries were dramatically shrinking in size and dissolving. My joints were moving easily and pain-free for the first time in months, and my flexibility was better than ever. Chest pains had totally gone, and by the end of seven months of regular Laughter Yoga, I had lost 35 pounds, without any dieting!

Laughter Yoga transformed my tears into laughter as it is a great tool for cathartic emotional release. I felt a sense of lightness in my heart with the amazing change in the physical symptoms I experienced. Emotionally, I was feeling more in tune with myself and very active in communication with my mind. It helped me to surrender my anger and fear and provided a feeling more joy. It was like meeting my inner child in a new way, for the first time in my life. I was no longer afraid of the freedom I craved and was at complete peace with myself and my surroundings.