by Christine Riney, AWC Hamburg
Laughter is a wonderful thing, whether you do it on your own or with others. What could be more positive than a good belly laugh? If you like to laugh, want to feel more positive, and enjoy a little kookiness, then you should try Laughter Yoga.
What is Laughter Yoga?
Laughter Yoga is a modern exercise involving prolonged voluntary laughter. Basically laughing for no reason at all. It sounds a little strange, and it is. But it is based on the belief that laughter, whether real or manufactured, provides similar physiological and psychological benefits. The practice is believed to not only increase happiness, but also to strengthen the immune system, reduce pain and lower stress.
The yoga part comes into play when you combine the laught
And there you have it – Laughter Yoga.
The Laughter Gurus
Laughter Yoga was popularized by family physician Madan Kataria, who wrote about his experience in his book Laugh For No Reason. According to Dr. Kataria, “There are more than 20,000 free Laughter Yoga clubs in 110 countries. It is also being practiced in Senior Centers, age care facilities, schools and colleges, companies, corporations, factories, physically and mentally challenged, police and prisons.” The Laughter Guru’s website states that the main benefit of Laughter Yoga is the release of endorphins, which are natural pain killers that can help those suffering from arthritis, spondylitis, chronic migraine headaches, chronic pains, fibromyalgia, autoimmune and chronic inflammatory diseases.
FAWCO is lucky enough to have our very own guru. Celeste Brown is a certified Laughter Yoga Trainer. Celeste is from AWC The Hague and is a FAWCO Counselor. Over the course of four weeks in April/May, Celeste generously donated her laughing skills through a series of Let’s Laugh classes for FAWCO members. As these took place during the various lockdowns, they were, of course, held over Zoom. A challenging environment, but it allowed people from various continents, countries and time zones to join together and laugh.
Celeste invited us to:
*Enter the world of “laughter without a reason.”
*Bring laughter’s recognized health benefits into our lives.
*Move out of our comfort zones a bit.
*Allow ourselves space to be playful, a bit zany and silly.
Here’s how attendees felt at the end of a session. 
In the video below, Celeste Brown talks about Laugh Yoga and what it means to her – and why we should all laugh more for our health and well-being. Celeste’s Laugh Yoga is every Tuesday afternoon from 16:00-16:30. Sign up for the mailing list to receive the weekly newsletter and zoom code by sending a message to .
Below is a video of a FAWCO's Laugh Yoga Session led by Celeste during lockdown.
Resources:
https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6641178&t=1592308034053
https://www.yogajournal.com/lifestyle/laughter-cure
Happier in 5 Minutes, Ted Talk, Ida Abdalkhani https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HJG63EXCmw