What is Laughter Yoga?
“Laughter Yoga” was developed in 1995 by Dr. Madhuri Kataria, a physician from India who was responsible for launching the first laughter club. Laughter is simulated as a body exercise in group through yogic breathing, with eye contact and playfulness that turns into real and contagious laughter. It is the belief that laughter, whether real or pretend, has benefits that can enhance one’s wellbeing. Today, there are more than 6,000 laughter clubs in 60 countries.
Potential benefits:
Boost the immune system
Endorphins
Lowers blood pressure
Recent research on mentally ill and the elderly
Alleviate some of the daily distress experienced by seriously mentally ill
Distraction, physical release, connection
Sample Exercises
• Warm up: hands on cheeks (“ha ha ha”), hands over mouth (“he he he”), hands over belly (“ho ho ho”)
• Vowel laugh: laugh through the letters of the vowels
• Greeting Laughter: Greet everybody the way you normally greet (e.g. shake hands, Namaste, bow) and replace words with laughter.
• Cell Phone Laughter: Hold an imaginary but entertaining cell phone to your ear and laugh.
• Hearty Laughter: spread your arms up above your head as you inhale deep (“hold it, hold it”), look up and laugh heartily as you fold arms down to toes.
• Think Of A Socially Awkward Situation And Laugh At It (e.g. shoe laces untied, shaving cream behind your ears…)
• Argument Laughter: voice your discontent in laughter sounds only. You can be as passionate as you’d like and point fingers if you want, just don’t hit (or even threaten to hit) anything or anybody.
• Skiing laughter: ski down a slope and then laugh loudly as you make a big jump over
• Electric Shock Laughter: Imagine that everything and everybody you touch gives you a shock of static electricity. Jump backward and laugh each time it happens (make it happen a lot).
• I Don’t Know Why I Am Laughing: laugh (fake is perfectly fine) and shrug your shoulders and make a big smile as you look at yourself in a mirror or anybody else who might be there and try to convey the message with your eyes and body language “I absolutely don’t know why I am laughing”.
• Milkshake: Pretend to pour a milkshake from one cup to another and then drink it back and laugh
• Pain Laughter: lean forward and put your hand on your lower back, or some other injured area, then laugh as you explain it to others
• Conductor Laughter: Imagine you are a conductor. Direct an imaginary orchestra with enthusiastic arm movements as you sing any song of your choice in laughter sounds only e.g. (ho ho ho) or “ha ha ha”.
• Do A Dance: Break a move, whether it’s the lawnmower or sprinkler. Dance and laugh.
• Laughter Pill: take some laughter pills! Each pill has a unique effect and makes you laugh and jerk in a peculiar way for just a few seconds. Try another one as soon as the effects wear off.
• Lion laughter: stick your tongue out, mouth wide open and hands up like claws and challenge your peers
• Ants in the pants: run around the room as if you really have ants in your pants
Laughter Yoga – Try It Out!
