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Written by SuperHypersonic
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Thursday, 03 July 2008 10:30 |
Laughter: the spark of the soul
I once heard somewhere that the freedom of any people can be judged by the volume of their laughter.
It is an interesting thought and more so if you happen to pass by jogger's park or local community park around the city of Mumbai. As the people seem truly free and you hear the uproar of their unbound laughter in the air.
No it is not the a side effect or a mass wave. It is just a community club called the laughter club. It is a belief practiced as Laughter Yoga or simply practicing different pitches of laughter among a group of people. I have always marveled at this eclectic bunch of people when I drove to college and how easily they laughed to the count of one, two ,three!
We all know that a good laugh does wonders for the soul, and some scientific research out there confirms that laughter actually has a positive effect on the body and spirit, reducing stress and anxiety while enhancing creativity. A Dr Madan Kataria, from Mumbai, took this idea further and developed a method of "laugh gymnastics" (often called laugh yoga or laugh exercises) which are now diligently followed in India's 800 laughter clubs (mostly in Mumbai) And few months back, I happened to come across this phenomenon in Sweden !!
Yes, this laughter exercise has reached and fascinated people of Kungstradgarden.So,if you make your way to Kungstradgarden on a Saturday and see a load of people laughing, don't worry, they aren't laughing at you. They're laughing to get happy and healthy, and will welcome you if you want to join in.
The Laughter Club or Skrattklubben as they call it locally, meet in Stockholm's Kungstradgarden near the statue of Karl XII each Saturday to stretch their vocal chords and work-out the stomach muscles. Over an hour or so, they are taken through a series of technical laughing exercises devised by Kataria - just make sure you don't burst into a straight face when you do them.
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Adventure Travel
WHITE WATER RAFTING
River rafting in the dazzling white waters of the Himalayan Rivers is the best in the world, with great rapids that challenge the body, invigorate the mind and the spirit. There are many river-rafting regions here which suit both professionals as well as amateur rafters.
The magic behind white water rafting is the extreme and never-ending thrills in the untamed rivers.
It’s that inexplicable feeling of incredible peace found in the act of flowing with the astounding current of the river.
One of the most magnificent white water rafting experiences one can have
would be on River Beas.
The Beas River, one of the four major Himachal Rivers, rises from Rohtang Pass and flows through the Kully valley. Beas has, right from Manali till Jhiri, close to Bajaura in Kullu district, become a favorite among the river rafting lovers. On this 20 kms stretch, there... Adventure Travel Read More... |
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Faces
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAfZb5-s8LwPhil Soltanoff is the director of 'Mad Dog' theatre company. He is also executive director and co-founder (along with performing artist Hanne Tierney) of Five Myles, the OBIE-award winning alternative performance/exhibition space in Brooklyn, NY. In 1996 Phil Soltanoff premiered "TO Whom it may concern" which was featured in The Belgrade International Theatre Festival 1997.He was nominated for a 2007 Moliere Award for his creation and direction of "More or less infinity".His other directing credits include "Hybrid #17", "Suite for... Read More... |
{smoothgallery folder=images/chhau}"To the beat of Mridang and Drums,With magnificient masks,they twist,they turn.Through graceful moves and elegant prance,They invoke the Lord's cosmic dance."Duniya Gol Hai is very happy to present the "India For Duniya"(India for the World) series.Through these articles,we'll introduce you to various art forms, places, traditions and cultures of India that aren't widely known but deserve to be known.There is so much in the vast diversity of India that one can talk about and since I love this beautiful... Read More... |
She is a fantastic actor. She has a degree in mathematics and she is an ex-Miss India. She is tech-savvy and an avid reader. But there is so much more to Gul Panag then that .Like did you know Gul is just two flights away from acquiring a Solo License for Paragliding? Read on to discover more about this well-informed, avid traveller. Aditi (SuperHypersonic) met Gul Panag in Mumbai and the two talked about travelling and more in this hour... Read More... |
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Mind travel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eE7-6fQ9_48 Years ago I heard the song "Drops of Jupiter" by Train, and it instantly stood out as a unique song. The song went on to win Grammy awards. But it is the song's lyrics that made it so outstanding in my memory.It remains one of my favorites.And the reason is not any award but the unusual lyrics.They paint such a... Mind Travel Read More...
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Places
 Many visitors to Bali come to the island for its waters,beaches , stunning sunrises & sunsets but besides all of that, Bali is also a land where the old and new has merged so beautifully.In the face of constant exposure to modernization & foreign influences, the Balinese still faithfully cling to their culture & traditions, some more so. There is also a preservation of... Places Read More... |
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Soul Travel
{smoothgallery folder=images/marine} The cool sea breeze,spectacular Marine Drive(Mumbai,India) and a display of pictures underlining a deep concern for our planet earth.... doesn't that sound perfect?
An exhibition titled "Earth from Above" has been put up on Marine Drive that has fantastic aerial photographs of Yann Arthus-Bertrand's travels had been put up in that perfect scenario.The photo exhibit is a part of the Bonjour India Festival.Born 1946 in France,Yann has become globally famous as a nature photographer.During his career he... Soul Travel Read More... |
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Laughter therapy, as they call, is now close to 15 years old probably...I remember quite clearly the first time I saw this...At Johnson & Johnson garden (close to my place)...I was all of 12/13 and the entire thing looked weird to say the least...But then as time went by, I realised how helpful the whole thing is...
Thanks to my courage
As usual, good one SH!