happiful september 2021

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