Judith Walker - Laughter Yoga - Edinburgh u3a
- I trained as a laughter yoga teacher and leader in 2011 at UnitedMind, London, which is the original Laughter Yoga Training Company in the UK and since then, I have led various laughter yoga groups, including one for Edinburgh u3a. I also give talks and presentations about laughter yoga and wrote an article about laughter yoga for u3a ‘Sources’ magazine (June 2015)
- They say that 'laughter is the best medicine' - but we can’t always find a reason to laugh. Laughter yoga, however, is laughter that requires no reason. Who doesn’t love a laugh? It’s a pleasure and a privilege to lead laughter yoga sessions and I never tire of teaching it. They say, ‘What you practise is what you become' and although I’m a natural introvert it has made me a much more cheerful, smiling person
- Laughter yoga is a great way of enhancing health and wellbeing while having fun and through laughter yoga, I’ve made a lot of lovely friends. I’ve found that regularly spending an hour laughing with people tends to make them into friends, and I know I can laugh with them even if I’m depressed or unhappy
- Suitable for almost everyone, Laughter Yoga is a combination of yoga deep breathing techniques and playful laughter exercises. There are no jokes, no comedy and no humour - and you don't have to feel like laughing when you start.
- Laughter yoga is worldwide. It has been introduced into schools, hospitals, care homes, prisons and the military. The business world is also interested. Hewlett-Packard, Emirates Airlines, Volvo, and Glaxo Pharmaceuticals have all provided laughter sessions to promote good staff relations and help reduce workplace stress.
NEVER PRACTISED LAUGHTER YOGA?
- Be prepared to give it a try! (It’s difficult to explain what it is to someone who has not experienced it) - You might find you love it and it’s suitable for almost everyone.
- You can make it quite energetic, or you can do it from a chair, or a hospital bed. Anyone can laugh!
- Of course, it’s better to practise laughter yoga together with other people where you can shake hands, make eye contact and give high fives. But there are some advantages of sessions online. If you are hesitant about entering a room full of strangers and laughing for no reason you will find laughing online less intimidating.
- It’s possible to laugh alone - You’ll learn about this if you join a laughter yoga class.