Laughter yoga against stress: 3 exercises for in between

Laughter yoga is not primarily about postures or meditation – it is actually about laughter. We will show you how laughter yoga works using three exercises.

Laughter Yoga was developed in 1995 by the Indian doctor Madan Kataria in Mumbai. So it’s a very new style of yoga, but it’s becoming increasingly popular: there are now several thousand laughter yoga centers around the world – places where people laugh together.

Unlike other yoga styles, laughter yoga does not involve demanding postures or long meditations. Instead, it’s primarily about laughing in isolation. There are also some aspects of traditional yoga forms in laughter yoga. We will explain to you how laughter yoga works, what goals and effects it has and three exercises that you can do yourself at home.

How does laughter yoga work?

In laughter yoga, too Hasya Yoga called, there is one thing above all on the program: laughter. First of all, this will at the motor level triggered. That means: unlike jokes or comedy, no cognitive stimulation is used to laugh. Instead, the participants intentionally begin to laugh until the initially artificial laugh comes in natural laughter passes over – true to that Laughter yoga motto “Fake it until you make it” (freely translated: “Fake it until it becomes real”).

The participants in the Laughter Yoga course infect each other until they reach a state of childish playfulness. In the typical laughter yoga exercises, a lot is therefore practiced in groups and interacting with eye contact and playful exercises.

This is how a laughter yoga class works

In courses, a laughter yoga class often starts with a few Loosening and stretching exercises such as Breathing exercises (Pranayama), which relax your body and mind and prepare you for a long laugh.

Then some exercises follow, all of which have one goal: laugh, laugh, laugh. Typical laughter yoga exercises include Clapping and breathing exercises as well as pantomime element. Some of the exercises are used in laughter yoga Hop and dance connected. In addition, laughter yoga is often used as well sung, played or spoken gibberish.

So you see: Laughter yoga is anything but a strict meditation practice. Instead, the yoga style invites you to fool around, have fun and feel like a kid again.

At the end of a laughter yoga class there are often some physical exercises (Asanas), Breathing exercises or one guided meditation. Depending on the studio and teacher, these elements may be completely omitted. A laughter yoga unit usually lasts between 20 to 60 minutes.

tip: By the way, there are also online courses for laughter yoga.

Three simple laughter yoga exercises

Instead of attending an (online) course, you can also try these three exercises yourself at home with laughter yoga.

1. Hoho-haha-laugh

Stand up and start clapping. Repeat the syllables “hoho” and “haha”. If you are doing the exercise with someone else, look the other person in the eye.

2. Pick the flower

Imagine you are picking a flower. Smell the imaginary flower and take a deep breath. Instead of exhaling normally, you laugh at the breath.

3. The Book of Smiles

Fold your hands in front of your chest. Open it in front of you like a book. Imagine that it says on the side that you should smile. Smile and close your hands or the book again.

Tip: Another mini laughter yoga exercise is to smile at yourself every time you look in the mirror.

Goals and effects of laughter yoga

In laughter yoga, participants should laugh heartily and freely for no reason. They forget everyday worries in a playful way. According to the inventor of laughter yoga, the body cannot distinguish whether laughter is real or played – but the positive effects are the same. This is intended to mean both laughter yoga Beneficial on a physiological, as well as on a mental and emotional level Act.

Laughter yoga should include:

• reduce stress and work against fear,
• Relieve pain and tension,
• general well-being and Bad mood improve,
• strengthen the cardiovascular system,
• strengthen the oxygen supply and
• Improve empathy and social contact skills.

In the meantime there are also scientific studies on laughter yoga and its effects – especially as a therapy option stress, Anxiety and depression. There are, among others, the following research results and studies on laughter yoga:

• A study of 38 male medical care students has shown that regular laughter yoga can improve general health as well as sleep disorders, inner restlessness and depression can help.
• A randomized controlled study with 50 older depressed women, 2010 came to the conclusion that laughter yoga can help with depression and improve mental health. The results also show that laughter yoga in this study was just as effective as group therapy for coping with depression in the control group!
• Laughter yoga can also be effective against stress. One comes to this conclusion study from 2014 with 37 cancer patients who were about to undergo chemotherapy treatment.
• Another study from 2019 comes to the conclusion that laughter yoga can improve the quality of life of breast cancer patients.

Who is Laughter Yoga suitable for?

Unlike in Ashtanga yoga, Jivamukti Yoga or Hatha yoga there are no demanding physical exercises in laughter yoga. Therefore, this yoga style is also suitable for people who are physically restricted due to injuries or old age.

Laughter yoga is offered in old people’s homes for senior citizens, in schools for children or in hospitals for patients and mothers. But laughter yoga is also becoming increasingly popular in companies and universities. You can also do laughter yoga with the above exercises at home alone.

Since the lungs, airways, diaphragm and abdominal muscles are heavily used, laughter yoga is not suitable for some diseases and complaints. These include angina pectoris, stool and urinary incontinence, aneurysm, glaucoma, fractured ribs, herniated diaphragm, extremely high blood pressure, herniated disc and epilepsy. If in doubt, you should seek medical advice and speak to a yoga teacher before you start laughing yoga.

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