What's so funny?

Trying something new and different is always good for the soul. I did just that a while ago, I attended the annual Mental Wealth Festival organised by City Lit. What a fantastic event, I highly recommend it!

I signed up to a number of workshops, one of which was Laughter yoga. Apart from being sent a YouTube video some time ago of a man laughing to himself hysterically I’d never really heard much about it so wasn’t sure what to expect.

When I got there the floor had been arranged with a number of cushions in a circle and we were invited to sit on one and get comfortable. I hadn’t really dressed for the occasion; nonetheless I was able to sit cross-legged on a cushion.

The instructor, Eva was very welcoming and started by giving us an introduction and background to laughter yoga. This included where it originated, how it helps etc. Eva was fabulous, very knowledgeable, experienced and passionate about the subject, which shone through in the workshop.

From the introduction I was surprised to learn that based on scientific fact the body cannot differentiate between real and fake laughter, they both produce the same physiological and psychological benefits! I was about to learn how this was possible.

During the workshop we did a number of exercises, which I found quite uncomfortable to start with because I was ‘fake’ laughing and felt silly so I focused more on how I must look to others and watching the rest of the group.

However, something changed as the workshop went on, I became totally engrossed in the experience and was now laughing from the gut, to the point where my stomach muscles and my cheeks felt it! Somehow through the exercises I felt like a child again, I wasn’t conscious anymore of what I looked like and was genuinely enjoying the moments of letting go without monitoring my actions.

What was fascinating was that the laughter became uncontrollable and contagious, I couldn’t look at another member of the group without laughing and I felt really connected to them, who were strangers to me thirty minutes or so previously.

I particularly liked the exercise on silent laughter, laughing without a sound. Immediately I thought, what a great tool to use in times when things get busy, stressful and difficult, what a simple way to lift my spirits – nobody needed to see me, I could pop in to the ladies and silently laugh to myself, exaggerating it through my body.

At the end of the class we talked about how we found the experience and how we felt physically. I shared that I felt a sense of happiness and calm and my body felt really relaxed after getting over my initial feelings of embarrassment.

I highly recommend laughter yoga, such a lovely way to feel good!

Why not give it a go? You can find a club near you through the Laughter Yoga University