2/18 Meeting Report

This is one of the speeches.

“Laughter is the best medicine”

Hoho-Hahaha, Hoho-Hahaha, Hoho-Hahaha!!
I am not going out of my mind.
What am I doing? I am laughing.
Do you know “Laughter Yoga”?
That is one of the exercises to improve your health, which is booming lately.
“Ho-ho, Hahaha” is the very first step of the practice for Laughing Yoga.

Ladies and gentleman, and contest chair!
Today I would like to talk about laughter.
Because I badly need that now.

When did you laugh hardest in your life?
In what kind of situation was that?

I, myself, still remember two situations I laughed very hard.

One situation went like this;
When I was a primary school student, I joined a Buddhist memorial service
for my relative.
The presiding priest was reading sutras on a chair at the front.
And the ceremony went on in a very solemn atmosphere.
In the middle of his recitation, he moved his bottom a little on the chair.
And we heard a sound.
Actually it might not have been a real fart, it might be a squeaking sound of his chair,
but I felt it was very funny and started to giggle.
My mother stared at me putting her finger on her lips.
I tried hard, but I could not stop giggling.
The giggle transmitted to my sister sitting next to me and then to a gentleman next to her,
and so on. The giggle spread.
Terrible but unforgettable laughter.

Another one was like this.
I was watching a TV show, where Shiro Suzuki made the MC.
It was a quiz show where all the panelists were very old about 80years old or older..
As you may know Mr. Suzuki is a very very serious looking TV announcer,
who looks he would never say a joke.
When he asked one of the panelists like “What is the secret for you to keep young”,
the old lady answered.
“Every morning I have one banana.”
Mr. Suzuki cut into there.
“Oh. You have a piece of banana for breakfast, don’t you?”
The old lady said,
“No, I have one banana size poop every morning.”

I am very sorry for the indecent stories.

Anyway laughter goes a long way.
Many good things are said about laughter.

Laughter is good for your physical health;
1. Laughter relaxes your whole body.
The effect to your muscle lasts 45 minutes after the laughter.
2. Laughter strengthen your immune system and improve your resistance to disease
3. Laughter burns as much calory as walking.
4.Laughter is proved to be effective for the patients of cancers or heart sicknesses to
live longer.

Laughter is good for your mental health;
1.Laughter helps to release of endorphins, which is called feel-happy substance in brain.
2.Laughter stops anger, anxiety, sadness or pain.
3.Laughter changes your perspectives and creates psychological distance to the
problems you face.

Laughter is good for relationships with people;
1.Laughter keeps friendship and relationship fresh and exciting.
2.Laughter heals resentments and disagreements.

Now then, how can you make laughter, when you are very depressed and only by yourself.

Easiest way to laugh people is to tickle.
But, strange enough, even if you tickle yourself at your most sensitive place like
your armpit for example, you cannot be ticklish at all.

Watch funny TV shows, movies, you-tubes? .

If you find these are not very effective, here you are, “Laughing Yoga”.
It a simulated laughter. Start to chant like “Ho-ho-ha-ha-ha,Ho-ho-ha-ha-ha!”.
Never mind if it is not funny. Just keep chanting. Deep breathing makes you healthier.
And sometimes you can get real laughter.

And when you have someone to share laughter, try to find as funny people as you can.

Before finishing my speech, I have some confession to make.
Recently I have been very low in my spirits. And I cannot keep motivation to learn
speech and English in Toasmmasters because I cannot see much improvement.
I was considering to find a different way.
But now I have come to the idea that ICF is not the place only to learn speech
and English but it is the place where I can share laughters with you all.
It is the place where I can keep myself healthy.

So everyone let me laugh on to the next term and the next of that, too.
Now, please join me in chanting “Ho-ho-ha-ha-ha. OK? Ho-ho-hahaha!,

Contest chair!