Ha ha, hee hee, snort, lol, chuckle, giggle… it can only be laughter yoga! 😆😁🤣😅😂

Also known as laughter therapy or hasna yoga, laughter yoga is one of the more interesting techniques aimed at improving mental wellbeing.

This practice arose in India in the mid 1990s, and remains popular today with a reported 20,000 social laughter clubs across more than 110 countries.

In this article, I’m taking a closer look at the origins and benefits of laughter yoga, as well as how to do it. 🧘

What is laughter yoga?

Laughter yoga is simply the act of deliberately laughing to feel happier.

You are simulating laughing to gain the psychological and physiological benefits – essentially faking it until you make it.

During laughter yoga you will simulate genuine laughter, while performing chanting, clapping, and breathing techniques to prepare the lungs for laughter.

While gentle stretching is also a feature, there are no big full-body movements as you may find in vinyasa flow or bikram yoga. So, if you don’t like downward dog, you are safe! 🙌

Instead, the focus is simply on laughing and breathing to promote wellness, reduce stress, and enhance overall well-being.

Why would anyone do laughing yoga?

Laughing feels good. Duh.

Whether it’s with friends and family, or even alone while watching a funny movie, laughing can ease negative feelings.

Have a good laugh and life suddenly seems more positive. 😃

Yet sometimes things just aren’t funny enough to laugh at. That episode of Impractical Jokers just didn’t hit your funny bone.

Perhaps you are in such a negative state of mind that genuine laughter feels impossible.

This is why deliberately laughing for the sake of it can be so effective.

The idea is that by learning to laugh on cue and not relying on external sources, you can better deal with stressful situations.

What are the origins of laughter yoga?

Despite the origins of yoga dating back over 5,000 years, laughter yoga is a much newer movement.

Laughter meditations and therapies have reportedly been around for decades, although the first laughter yoga class can be traced back to 1995. The setting: a public park in Mumbai, India.

The small group was led by Dr Madan Kataria, who is credited with creating the movement and is the author of the aptly named book, Laughter Yoga.

While the group first told jokes to make each other laugh, eventually the jokes turned negative. At this point, Dr Kataria asked the group to act out laughing for the sake of it.

Apparently, the group’s forced laughter soon turned into natural laugher, which lasted for ten minutes.

The benefits of laughter yoga

Laughter therapy has stuck around for the last 30 years because… well, because it works.

A meta-analysis from 2020 suggests that laughter yoga has “positive effects on physical function and psychosocial outcomes in older adults”. It states that laughter therapy can be used as a nursing intervention for promoting health in older adults.

Laughter both releases endorphins and reduces the stress hormone cortisol, bringing a greater sense of ease, which was the conclusion of this study from 2020.

Meanwhile, laughter also lowers both systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels – as shown in a 2008 study.

Aside from this, laughing together with others can be an excellent social bonding tool, while it has also been show to increase pain tolerance.

So, if you are feeling sad and suffering from a bad back, then a good laugh is probably the best remedy!

Silliness aside, you can now probably understand how laughter therapy can be a great remedy for depression and anxiety.

How to practice laughter therapy

You’ve probably already guessed, but I am not a qualified laughter yoga therapist. The best way to experience laughter yoga is undoubtedly to attend a class in your area.

Search ‘laughter yoga near me’ in a search engine and you’ll find something worthwhile.

However, it’s quite simple to get started with laughter therapy if you want to have a quick go. You can try it now.

1. Prepare a space. Find a quiet space where you can move freely without distractions or obstacles.
2. Warm-up with breathing. Take a few slow and deep breaths, in through your nose and out through your mouth.
3. Perform clapping and chanting. Start by clapping or gently tapping your body while chanting an uplifting phrase, such as “Ho ho, ha ha ha”. Engage both body and mind with a rhythmic pattern.
4. Perform laughter exercises. Simulate laughter by recalling funny memories, imagining humorous scenarios, or simply laughing for the sake of laughter.
5. Embrace playfulness. Allow yourself to be playful and spontaneous, experimenting with different movements and facial expressions to stimulate genuine laughter.
6. Relaxation. After a sufficient period of laughter exercises, gradually transition into a state of relaxation. Take slow, deep breaths and allow your body and mind to settle.

By now you should be able to enjoy and savour the feelings of calmness and wellbeing that laughter has brought to you.

The final word on laughter yoga

The verdict is that laughing yoga is an excellent tool to have in your arsenal when you are feeling low.

Truthfully, when you are feeling negative, you may not feel like laughing – but it turns out that this is the best time to do it.

Give laughter yoga a try and let me know how you get on. Good luck!