Thursday, February 10, 2011

Laughing Yoga Got My Attention!

Today would have been my Dads 77th birthday.
When I woke this morning I was a little sad,
because I always talked to him on his birthday.
He was always so happy when we called.
Today would be the second year that he is gone.
Today my sadness was gone once I watched the above video.
Yoga Laughter....I could not imagine what it was, although I did think if anyone watched me doing Yoga,
well there that would be reason enough to have a good laugh, and that is no joke.
So I watched the video and I immediately started to laugh.
I loved it, My Dad had a good sense of humor and I could see him chuckling along with this.
He might have one eyebrow raised but he would be laughing.
.............
The funny thing is that I have Narcolepsy with Severe Cataplexy.
Cataplexy is triggered by strong emotions,
one of them being laughter.
Cataplexy is a loss of muscle control from the dropping of your head
to complete loss of Muscle Control which is what I had.
So every time I would laugh I would fall over and just lay there,
and if I continued to think about what had caused me to laugh well the longer I would lay there.
It was scary at first because I did not know what was wrong with me.
Thankfully I was diagnosed quickly by a neurologist and it has
taken almost eight years with medication to have what I call
a Normal Life....whatever that is.....
A friend of mine asked if you had a choice and had to choose to Never Laugh Again
for your illness to be gone would you want that.
Absolutely not,
I can not imagine a life with no laughter,
As a matter of fact I have been known for my sense of humor.
So I choose to stay just how I am, 
getting plenty of rest so that the Cataplexy
happens the least amount possible.
When there is a group of family or friends together,
the more Cataplexy I have.
Sometimes I lay there thinking, for lord sakes talk about something serious,
so I can sit up again. On the phone, my Mom always says are you still there
or did you laugh, then she goes are you there, are you there,
and I think stop because this is insane, your making me laugh inside.
........
Laughter has kept my spirit strong, and the reason for me blogging,
I wanted to make others aware of what Cataplexy is.....
So knowing that if I was at this class or at a laughing yoga class,
probably would not be the best situation for me,
I can laugh here at home and watch sitting down 
so that I don't hurt myself.
I say the best medicine for any illness
is Laughter. I know some days are hard, and you think you
will never smile or laugh again
I think Laughing Yoga would help us all.
I think it would be fun to have your own Laughing Yoga Support Group.
I will see if I can get my husband in on this when he gets home from work.
I have remarried, I forgot to state that in my last post.
His most endearing feature,
is his ability to laugh  and make me laugh.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this.
I am going to make it a part of my daily routine,
after all I do love John Cleese.
May you have your Best Day Ever.

14 comments:

  1. HI CINNER LOL

    One of my Dad's saying was , "We have more fun than people"!! Whenever Skipp and I are laughing, having fun which i quite often, one of us will say "What would my Dad say?" :-) So ya, laughter is the best relief - and I ewnjoyed the video. I will email you about something I cannot write on here- k? Love you, and keep laughing. :-)
    Gail
    peace and laughter "hey"

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  2. Hi, Cinner!

    I had never heard of such a thing! What an interesting afflection...

    Pearl

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  3. Hi Cinner

    My mom and her friend took a laughing yoga class and they had a blast.

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  4. Laughter has done so much healing in my life, so I completely understand what you are saying. Keep laughing my friend...:-)Hugs

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  5. Hi, new follower. I'm sorry for your loss of your dad... I lost my dad almost 19 years ago :(
    I couldn't imagine doing laughing yoga , but it could be something fun to try!

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  6. I may not laugh all the time, but I can try to smile as much as possible.

    Smiles to you, Cinner.

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  7. Oh I do hear you. There's nothing I hate doing more than throwing up - so much so that I haven't done it since I was eight years old. I've suffered through horrible nausea for days because my brain will not let it happen and give me relief.

    I would still laugh if it made me throw up every time.

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  8. A glad and merry heart makes for a rich and blessing filled life!!
    Keep on laughing...I know I am!!
    Hugs
    SueAnn

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  9. i am glad that it hasnt put you off laughter. hugs to you.

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  10. Hi Cinner,
    I am so sorry about the loss of your dad and I sure hope that the yoga video brought joy at this time and helped you remember his laughter.

    Wishing you a beautiful day and I want to thank you for this post...it was so heartfelt and I am sure has touched many people.
    XO

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  11. Your dad would love that though you were sad and missing him, that you took time out to find laughter in your day. Allowing the sadness to fade. Especially since he had a great sense of humor.

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  12. I was able to take a Laughter Yoga class at the center where I do meditation each Monday night. It was sooooo fun and man, what a work out ! My core muscles were very sore the next few days, but sore in that heavenly way from being used for just what they were made for !
    Laghter is so very, very good for us ! I do often do it through tears when things are bad too !
    I am so glad that you are able to laugh safely now that you know how to manage your illness!
    I love John Cleese too!
    Here's to laughing out loud, lovely One ! Happy Friday !

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  13. I heard about this disease for the first time.

    Keep smiling. :)

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  14. this video is a hoot. I love it when my get into uncontrollable laughing with a good friend or my dgt. It feels sooo good. Happy Valentines..hope it's filled with love and laughter.

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