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positive pointers<br />
With a mix of periods of laughing,<br />
stretching, and breathing, Dr Kataria<br />
masterfully switched the tone between<br />
peaceful quietness and jubilant laughter<br />
A perk of going virtual, the<br />
Laughter Club attracts people<br />
from all over the world, and<br />
as the host welcomes the<br />
‘international family’ to the<br />
call, I see ‘hellos’ from Italy,<br />
Japan, Spain, Brazil, Portugal,<br />
Germany, Israel, Uruguay, and<br />
Hull. The first part of the session<br />
was hosted by laughter yogi<br />
Vinayak Shastri, who took a<br />
moment to remind us that we’re<br />
all small children, that the child<br />
is still within us, that we have<br />
suppressed that child, but in<br />
Laughter Club we’ll allow that<br />
child to come out once again.<br />
This leads us seamlessly into two<br />
minutes of freeform ‘silly time’ –<br />
and, let me tell you, the attendees<br />
of the Laughter Club understood<br />
the brief. As my Zoom window<br />
jumps from person to person,<br />
I watch, half in bewilderment<br />
and half in awe, as people blow<br />
raspberries, pull funny faces, and<br />
make all kinds of odd noises with<br />
not a single punch pulled. At this<br />
point, I did try to access my own<br />
inner child – but because, as a<br />
child, I was painfully shy, serious,<br />
and usually found on the sidelines<br />
of the action, I didn’t find much<br />
help there. That said, who could<br />
resist letting out a chuckle as an<br />
adult man gleefully flies across<br />
your screen making aeroplane<br />
noises? It was all very, very<br />
silly – though, of course, that’s<br />
completely the point.<br />
But the benefits of laughter<br />
yoga are no joke. On a physical<br />
level, laughter increases our<br />
intake of oxygen, stimulating<br />
our heart, lungs, and muscles.<br />
From there, it increases the<br />
endorphins (feel-good chemicals)<br />
that are released by the brain,<br />
soothing our stress response<br />
and even decreasing our blood<br />
pressure. It’s these endorphins<br />
that leave us feeling happy and<br />
calm after a good laugh – add<br />
some friendly company into the<br />
mix and you’ve got yourself a<br />
recipe for a good time.<br />
About 20 minutes into the<br />
session, it was time for the<br />
main attraction, as Dr Madan<br />
Kataria came on the call to<br />
guide us through the next<br />
stage. With a mix of periods of<br />
laughing, stretching, clapping,<br />
and breathing, Dr Kataria<br />
masterfully switched the tone<br />
between peaceful quietness<br />
and jubilant laughter, and soon<br />
– without really realising it – I<br />
found myself laughing along<br />
without having to try. Over the<br />
course of the session, I shed that<br />
self-conscious layer that was<br />
stopping me from letting go at<br />
the start. I was laughing from<br />
my belly, and feeling the warmth<br />
spreading through my body,<br />
mixed with deep, healing breaths<br />
and stretches as I embraced this<br />
hour of silliness and solace in<br />
the middle of a standard, busy<br />
workday.<br />
The session ended with a<br />
dance party to Pharrell Williams’<br />
‘Happy’ (no prizes for guessing<br />
that song), and as I watched the<br />
images of people from all over<br />
the world freely dancing while<br />
grinning ear-to-ear – one man<br />
even taking a break to wipe<br />
the tears from his eyes – I got<br />
it. I got the power of letting go<br />
of the behaviours you may not<br />
have even realised were holding<br />
you down, to let all the silliness<br />
bubble up to the surface, to shed<br />
seriousness and sensibleness,<br />
and to just have fun. That<br />
evening, I felt lighter, playful,<br />
and relaxed. And the best part? A<br />
good laugh doesn’t cost a thing.<br />
Fancy giving laughter yoga a go?<br />
Join free, virtual classes every day<br />
at laughteryoga.org<br />
<strong>happiful</strong>.com | September <strong>2021</strong> | 53