The Power of Laughter
“The most wasted of days is one without laughter.”
- E. E. Cummings
The work I do helps people reduce stress. It helps me reduce stress!!
My work — BodyIntelligence — is founded in the Alexander Technique.
You learn how to interrupt your stress responses in any given moment so you feel more at ease in yourself. This has all sorts of benefits. It means you can move more freely and with better posture, experience less pain, feel more confident, and much more.
It involves mind AND body.
It is often deeply, transformative work, and I don’t know what I’d do without it.
Alexander Technique is now over 120 years old. One of the first-generation master teachers of the work — Marjorie Barstow (1899–1995) — is known to have said,
“Learn to laugh at yourselves: you always move better with a smile.”
I am not lucky enough to have worked with her myself, but I certainly have observed this to be true in both myself and my clients.
And, it turns out, smiling and laughter are proven stress busters.*
In May 2017 I did a weekend training to become a “Laughter Yoga Leader.” It’s probably not a coincidence that this was during a very challenging, indeed stressful, time for me managing the care of my ailing parents in England long-distance.
Laughter Yoga was probably the most fun training I have ever done.
I was first introduced to Laughter Yoga a few years earlier by my friend Miriam Grace — a psychotherapist in the UK, with whom I’ve run workshops in the past combining our expertise on the mind and body. I was struck by how such a simple idea could be so effective — and how compatible with Alexander Technique it seemed to be.
When I discovered a Laughter Yoga training close to where I live, I jumped at the chance.
Laughter Yoga isn’t yoga poses. It’s “laughter exercises” — where you laugh for no reason. It’s not based on jokes or comedy, or even being happy. During a Laugher Yoga session, you initiate laughter as an exercise in a group but with eye contact and childlike playfulness. You may start out faking it, but it soon turns into real and contagious laughter!
It’s fun, and surprisingly, can be quite a workout, too!!
The concept of Laughter Yoga is based on the scientific fact that your body does not differentiate between fake and real laughter if done with willingness. You get the same benefits to your health and well-being, including your mood, either way!
Since I did the training, however, I haven’t done anything with it.
Until now!
Recently though, thanks to a series of coincidences and the enthusiasm of a friend and client, I, along with three other trained Laughter Yoga leaders, have started a weekly Laughter Yoga group here in Wilmington, Delaware.
These “Laughter Clubs” are free to all. It is part of the concept that it is a community offering.
If you’d like to give it a try, you can find Laughter Clubs all around the world here: laughteryoga.org/finder/find-club. (And if you happen to be in the Wilmington area, you can find the the information on our local group here: https://www.meetup.com/Wilmington-DE-Area-Laughter-Yoga-Meetup-Group/)
Laughter Yoga is fun. It lifts your spirits. It relieves stress. It’s a whole mind-body experience.
I think body intelligence includes laughter, too!
Won’t you join me by including a little more laughter in your life, too?
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*You can find a few links to studies done on laughter and Laugher Yoga at: laughteryogawithalexa.com/science/
Note: This is an updated version of a blog, first published at https://bodyintelligence.me/laugh-more-stress-less/.
