I saw this laughter yoga class advertised on the Phillipsburg Library's website when I was registering for a printing class. I had no idea what it was, but I figured it was laughing and doing yoga. Makes sense, right? I guess I should have googled it before I registered. But that is so not me. In fact, I forgot all about it until the computer dinged. I had it set for an hour ahead, so I actually dropped everything and went to the class.
I didn't need a yoga mat—there really wasn't any yoga involved — except yoga breathing.
There was an intro to what it is and how it was developed twenty-five years ago. It's a global movement for health, happiness and world peace. That's asking a lot from laughter. It's supposed to reduce stress, burn calories, increase heart and lung function, and ward off loneliness and depression.
Then we were given a series of prompts to laugh at. They call them "exercises". You basically laugh for 20 minutes straight. When each exercise is over you clap and go "ho ho he he" three times. There is also breaths between exercises. And you need them.
Sample scenarios — laughing during a cell phone call, laughing happy birthday song, laughing picking flowers, laughing pulling the lawn mower chain and then mowing the lawn. Basic improve exercises but with laughter instead of words.
It's not yoga and it's not traditional exercise. Don't get me wrong, I actually broke a sweat. Clearly the body doesn't care if you are real laughing or fake laughing (me). Though there was one guy in our group that had infectious laughter. You almost had to laugh with him.
Would I call it a workout? No. Would regular practice reduce stress? Probably. I felt really good when I left there. This particular "club" meets Saturdays at 11 at the Perfect Christmas Tree Farm in P'burg. Maybe I'll stop by when I'm in the 'hood.
image: https://laughteryoga.org/laughter-yoga-with-bristol-laughter-club/
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