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The Malaysian Insider :: Features

India’s giggling guru says laugh yourself to good health

Posted: 02 Dec 2012 07:13 AM PST

Indian 'guru of giggling" Madan Kataria speaks during an interview after a session of a 'laughter club' in Greater Noida on the outskirts of New Delhi on August 25, 2012. — Reuters pic

NEW DELHI, Dec 2 — India's "guru of giggling" Madan Kataria, who has got thousands of people guffawing globally in pursuit of better health, has an unexpected confession -- he hasn't got a very good sense of humour.

"But you don't require one to laugh," chortles Kataria, founder of "Laughter Yoga", a movement that has attracted fans worldwide including celebrities Oprah Winfrey and Goldie Hawn.

Kataria — who travels constantly spreading his "laugh with no reason" gospel — has been hired by multinationals from computer giant Hewlett-Packard to automaker Volvo to hold team-building laughter sessions.

Now he is setting up a "Laughter University" in the southern city of Bangalore on land donated by a building contractor and US$250,000 (RM760,000) from an anonymous tycoon.

"In three months we will start building and by the end of 2013 we will be up and running. We want to build a worldwide community headquarters of laughter yoga," he said.

Kataria envisions holding laughter sessions and conferences at the centre and setting up an alternative medicine unit to expand medical knowledge about the beneficial health effects of laughter.

Studies already suggest laughter releases feel-good endorphins, the brain chemicals that are linked with a sense of wellbeing.

"Laughing is the healthiest thing you can do — it's the best medicine," said the towering, bald 58-year-old, whose movement has inspired thousands of "Laughter Clubs" in India and around the world from Beirut to Dublin.

Kataria also holds laughter sessions in schools, prisons, hospitals and retirement homes, and a few years ago testified before a US Senate committee that laughter yoga could help the country cut healthcare costs.

A qualified doctor, he hit upon medical literature advocating laughter as a stress-buster and remedy for other ailments. In 1995 he decided to "field-test" his findings before setting up the first of his clubs.

Medical benefits

Kataria started with four strangers in a Mumbai park. They stood in a circle and "laughed like hyenas," he recalled. Numbers soon swelled to around 50.

They recounted jokes but realised they didn't have enough gags — then he found that the body was unable to distinguish between fake and genuine laughter with both producing the same "happy, healing chemistry".

"Anyway, fake laughter turns into real laughter after a few moments. Try it," he said.

He persuaded his group to laugh with him for one minute with no reason. It stretched into 10 minutes as the laughter turned infectious -- and the Laughter Yoga movement was born.

"Laughter is more about social connection and bonding than something being funny," Amit Sood, a doctor at the Mayo Clinic in the United States, told AFP.

"Studies show all kinds of benefits from laughter from better immunity and coping skills, lower stress, better relationships to improved digestion," he said.

Many Indian parks now host sessions every morning with peals of laughter ringing out from people standing in groups.

"It relaxes me. If I laugh in the morning, the rest of the day goes well," said Lisa Singh, 39, one regular "laugher" in New Delhi.

Kataria, who runs his non-profit Laughter Yoga Institute with a dozen employees from his Mumbai home, says one needs a full 15-to-20 minutes of giggling daily to reap the full benefits.

Researchers believe it may be the use of abdominal muscles in laughing that triggers the release of endorphins — a phenomenon also associated with exercise, such as running.

"It's not enough to just watch a funny movie because you just laugh a few seconds at a funny line — you need to laugh for a stretch to get the rewards," Kataria said.

Big ambitions

Kataria was the youngest of 14 children from a poor farming family in the state of Punjab. Six siblings died as medical help was too far away and his mother set her heart on him becoming a doctor.

She sold her gold bangles so he could go to medical school. He qualified as a physician but was more drawn to acting and admits he was a "bit of a showman".

"My family was rather disappointed — but now they have seen how big Laughter Yoga has become, they're proud," he said.

His talent to engage people came across at a recent financial analysts' team-building session in New Delhi.

He stretched his arms out and led off with his signature "tee-hee, ho, ho" that finally gave way to unrestrained bellows.

There were a few nervous titters, then within minutes the room was engulfed by laughter and some people were wiping away tears.

"Laughter is contagious — like yawning," said Kataria who intersperses the merriment with deep breathing yoga exercises and stretching.

"We need to laugh to help us deal with life, which can be very difficult," he said, briefly sounding serious.

"When you laugh you're joyful — you're living in the moment." — AFP-Relaxnews

Luxury villa or nuclear silo? The best bunkers for riding out the Mayan ‘apocalypse’

Posted: 02 Dec 2012 12:58 AM PST

Luxury villa or nuclear silo? The best bunkers for riding out the Mayan 'apocalypse'

A man walks inside the Pionen high-security computer storage facility of Swedish Bahnhof , one of the companies to host WikiLeaks servers on December 9, 2010 in Stockholm, Sweden. — AFP pic

NEW YORK, Dec 2 — According to some people's interpretation of the Maya calendar and beliefs about Mayan spirituality the world is due to end on December 21, 2012. For those who don't feel like taking their chances this December, a selection of some of the coolest, most comfortable, "apocalypse proof" bunkers selected from around the world can be found below.

Villa Vals - Vals, Switzerland
This luxurious villa is buried deep in the Swiss mountainside and comes complete with all the mod cons one would need for riding out the Mayan apocalypse. The underground villa has enough room for ten people and boasts luxuries and distractions such as king-sized beds, a fully equipped library and a TV room. The bunker runs on hydroelectric power generated by the Zerveila reservoir. The bunker was selected by Flavorwire as one of the best places to be should the world actually come to an end on December 21.
http://www.villavals.ch/

The Adirondack Missile Silo - upstate New York
Hidden beneath a cozy log cabin in the Adirondacks, this former Cold War missile silo could provide those seeking a safe place for the end of the world with everything needed to survive past December 21. The underground former missile silo boasts a 2,000 pound steel blast door, a re-furbished multi-storey living space and enormously thick concrete walls and a recently fitted bathroom, should things get a little hairy there is even an escape hatch. The bunker was chosen by The Daily Mail as one of the best bunkers for surviving doomsday.

Pionen high-security computer storage - Stockholm, Sweden
This former Cold War bunker turned computer storage facility and home of Wikileaks servers is buried under 100 feet of solid Swiss granite and includes designer furniture, solar lighting and even a waterfall. Though gaining access to the highly secure nuclear shelter could prove rather difficult, it is perhaps the perfect place to put your feet up while the world comes to an end. The facility was named on the abovetopsecret forum as one of the top places to ride out a doomsday scenario.

The Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler bunker - Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, Germany
This vast bunker complex in Germany was designed to protect the country's government in the event of a nuclear war and could support up to 3,000 people for around 30 days. The bunker was recently partially restored to some of its former glory and has dedicated areas for hospitals and radiation decontamination rooms. The former Cold War bolthole was named as one of the best bunkers for December 21 by Viola.bz.

Greenbrier bunker, West Virginia, USA
This Eisenhower-era bunker was only declassified in 1992 and has since been renovated and used for data storage. Currently visitors can tour only a small part of the nuclear hideout, though in the event of an apocalypse touring restrictions are unlikely to take priority. The shelter is designed to hold over 1,100 people, features decontamination chambers and space for a clinic. In its heyday it even boasted a cafeteria, a laboratory and its own power supply. The bunker was chosen as one of the best places to survive the apocalypse by apocalypse-centric site doomsdayjesters.com.
http://www.greenbrier.com

Beijing Underground City, Beijing, China
Also known as Dixia Cheng, this complex network of tunnels stretches beneath the Chinese capital and was built during the 1970s in anticipation of a nuclear war. In total the tunnels that form Beijing's underground city cover around 85km and at one point were accessible via over 90 entrances hidden in shops around the city. At the height of tensions, the complex boasted restaurants, clinics, schools, theaters and even an ice skating rink. The enormous scale of the development makes it ideal for waiting out the end of the world in what could essentially be an underground functioning city. The site was chosen by survivalist website Urbanprepping.com as one of the best places for waiting out the end of the world.

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

Ahad, 2 Disember 2012