Give your ‘inner weirdo’ an outing
Joined Auckland’s Ponsonby Laughter Club for a morning of giggles.
Stephen Heard
Laughing hysterically for no reason whatsoever in public may be considered completely bonkers; intersperse it with slow elongated breathes and it’s called laughing yoga. Still requiring an appearance from your inner weirdo, the technique is an effective way to reduce stress and release endorphins.
The basics
Laughter yoga was invented by Mumbai doctor Madan Kataria in 1995 after his medical research established a range of benefits from simply laughing, even if the emotion was put into effect for no reason.
The practice combines 30 minutes of child-like exercises with sections of deep breathing and 15 minutes of light meditation to bring attendees back to earth. The intention is that the group’s laughter will soon be outrageously contagious and become real.
Giving it a bash
We’re told that laughing yoga is not actually yoga. There will be no stretching or salutations to the sun. Namaste has no place here.
The yoga element comes from long breathes interspersed throughout the class and the closing meditation, or shavasana to yogis. The spiritual side comes from connecting people in the class and forming a community.
The activities are a good way to lose your inhibitions. Standing in a circle like a therapy group, we learn one of the foundation techniques ‘‘ho ho, ha ha ha’’, clapping in the same rhythm. The act is repeated after actions to rein in class members for the breathing section – drawn out inhalation and laughing exhalation into a forward bend position.
The first 30 minutes is made up of playful activities – European greetings (three air kisses with a bout of laughter), rowing a boat backwards with hilarious results, an imitation three-legged race with another class member, pretending to lift a giant set of weights and shaking like a blender.
Natural laughter comes easy, though as the ridiculousness wears off the real stuff is replaced with fake bellowing. Further actions include swallowing laughing pills, laughing like chickens, meerkats, ants, then shy, evil, fake, and as a screaming 5-year-old.
For the final, warm down section of the class we get comfortable on bean bags for free laughter, should you have anything left in the tank, and the meditation element. The class ended with proclamations that ‘‘we are the happiest people in the world’’. In that moment, we were.
Why you should try it
According to Kataria’s research, our bodies cannot tell the difference between real and simulated laughter. His studies also show that sustained hearty belly laughter has a range of benefits on our mental and physical health, including improved cardiovascular health and blood pressure.
The release of endorphins can be effective as a ‘‘natural high’’ to heighten moods and increase pain resistance. And laughing yoga is a good defence against stress and depression.
Risk rating
The aerobic workout element of laughing yoga is extremely low impact. It shouldn’t result in strain and class members are encouraged to sit down if they feel any discomfort or pain.
Any surprises
While many would be quick to mock laughing yoga, you should at least try it first. It’s as much about getting something out of your system as it is about the community.
For more information
Visit laughteryoga.org.nz. Also, watch a video of our laughter yoga session at stuff.co.nz.