How Laughter Yoga Works

A Laughter Yoga session consists of a series of simple and gentle exercises that are easier to practice in a group.

While a lot of creative input is left to the person leading the session, there is a reference structure that most people follow:

1. We clap in rhythm while chanting "ho ho, ha ha ha"
2. We breathe deeply
3. We laugh

There is no typical length to a laughter session. Some last 10 minutes due to time constraints. Some last 45 minutes or more. Our personal experience is that 30 minutes for the main part of the session (standing up) is a good duration for healthy adults (less for seniors).

The pace and content of any session is adapted to suit the needs and requirements of the group participating. Gentle physical movements are sometimes built in.

If time and location allow, the last part of a laughter yoga session is called "laughter meditation" and usually lasts about 5 to 10 minutes. This is where the group members sit on the floor (or on a chair if the latter is not possible) in silence for a few minutes, and simulate laughing one last time until a deep and natural laughter starts flowing like a fountain (seeing is believing!). No words are spoken. Sitting allows the diaphragm to relax as the muscles of the lower body relax their grip on to it and makes this process extremely easy (the diaphragm is the muscle you use to laugh - the looser it is, the more you will laugh).

Below is a more in-depth description of each particular steps of this amazing method.

Consider attending a training with us to deepen your understanding of Laughter Yoga and how it can help you and those you work with and care for. You'll be surprised at how many doors this will open for you. Here are a few things people have said after training with us:

1. Clap in rhythm while chanting
"ho ho, ha ha ha"

This is different from regular clapping. Here you keep your palms in front of you facing one another, and aim to have full contact - fingers hit opposite fingers. This warm-up exercise stimulates acupressure points on the palms and improves blood circulation in the whole body. It helps to bring about a sense of well-being and builds energy levels.

Basic Movement

Chant Ho Ho, Ha Ha Ha in rhythm as you clap (slow slow, fast fast fast), swinging your hands back and forth from left to right. Let the sound seemingly come from the navel, so as to feel the movement of abdominal muscles.

Put on a smile while chanting Ho Ho Ha Ha Ha, keep moving and meeting different people and maintain eye contact. Smooth movements and enthusiastic clapping will help to build up good energy levels.

Variations

Chant Ho-Ho, Ha-Ha-Ha while rhythmically clapping your hands to someone else's hands. It is a safe and fun way to “break the ice”. A common way to do this would be to face a person, look him or her in the eye, clap 1-2 (ho ho) each on your own, and then 1-2-3 (ha ha ha) together. Seniors and people with poor coordination may find this rhythm difficult. If so, reverse it: first you clap together 1-2 (ho ho) and then on your own 1-2-3 (ha ha ha).

Clap your hands 1-2 (ho ho) and then tap your chest (or abdomen, or thigh) 1-2-3 (ha ha ha). You can of course try the same thing in the reverse order (chest first 1-2, then hands 1-2-3). In time, play with this variation by tapping the right side of your body with your left hand, and the left side of your body with your right hand. Play further by first tapping your opposite shoulders (ho ho), then your hands twice (ha ha) then your opposite thighs once (ha). First slow, then faster, then as fast as you can. This is so playful that it invariably triggers a lot of laughter.

Clap in your hands 1-2 (ho ho) and then swing your hips from left to right 1-2-3 (cha cha cha) as if you were dancing the cha cha.

2. Breathing

This exercise helps to bring about both physical and mental relaxation. It provides a break and helps avoid exertion and tiredness.

Basic Movement

Breathe in as long as you lift your arms up (it does not matter how far up you go), and breathe out as long as your arms are going down (link your breath with your movements: one breath, one move). Whether your movement is fast or slow, small or large is up to you. You can breathe through your mouth or through your nose. The goal is to consciously deepen your breath while staying within your comfortable range of motion.

Whether you breathe through the mouth or through the nose is not important at this point. Do what is comfortable for you.

It is very common for people to bend forward in this exercise as they breathe out in order to release lower tension. Do so gently. No new pain!

Variations

Smile as you breathe and breathe as you smile.

Laugh once you have reached the end of your exhalation to completely empty your lungs.

Synchronize the movement of one of your joints as you breathe and smile. E.g. lift your shoulders as you breathe and smile, relax, repeat.

3. Laugh

The library of Laughter Exercises is virtually infinite. This is where your creative input gets unleashed. There are 3 types of laughter exercises.

Yogic Laughter Techniques

These are developed from different yoga postures for physical well-being. The most famous yogic laughter techniques first devised by Dr. Kataria include:

• Gradient laughter: start with bringing a smile on your face, then slowly add gentle giggles and further increase the intensity of your laughter. Eventually burst into a hearty laughter and slowly and gradually let it slow down and stop.
• Hearty laughter: spread your arms up, pointed to the sky and with head tilted a little back or with chin raised. You are now in position: laugh heartily at the heavens above. Visualize and try to feel your laughter coming straight from your heart. Arms can be brought down as needed.
• Lion laughter: extend your tongue fully while keeping your eyes wide open, stretch your hands out as if they were the claws of a lion and laugh from your abdomen.

Playful Laughter Techniques

This is the everlasting favorite category of many. Laughter comes with playfulness and playfulness comes with laughter. The more one plays, the more one gets disconnected from his or her intellect / left brain / rational mind. No mind = no inhibitions, no fear, no ego = more playfulness = more laughter. Examples of playful laughter techniques include:

• Airwave Laughter: spread your fingers, put your thumbs on your forehead and scan your immediate environment for laughter airwaves.
• Driving Laughter: drive an imaginary car and laugh (with 2 hands first, then putting one hand over eyes)
• Engine Laughter: start your laughter engine in 4 laughs. Put your imaginary key into the ignition (e.g. your belly button) and then crank it with a powerful HA!, then HA! HA!, then HA! HA! HA!, then aaaaaaaaa HA HA HA HA HA etc.

Value-based Laughter Techniques

These are exercises where we put ourselves into imaginary real-life challenging situations and replace the usual negative response with a positive one. This helps us develop a more positive attitude in daily life. For example, the argument laughter teaches us that we can argue with others and yet not feel nor express anger or negativity; appreciation laughter reminds us of how important it is to appreciate others in order to build a strong and harmonious relationship. Some of the value-based laughter techniques include:

• Argument Laughter: this is your chance to express your feelings. Argue with everybody and everything you see. You can point fingers, gesticulate as wildly as you want. The only two rules are 1) you must laugh and smile the whole time and 2) you can't touch. Try arguing in gibberish for a change (speak a language that has no meaning whatsoever).
• Celebration Laughter: get everyone in the group to come close together and then tell them a secret (I personally prefer completely insignificant statements, for example, “today is Monday ”) and then give high fives and jump around celebrating as if that was the best news you had ever heard.
• Greeting Laughter: greet one another in as many cultural styles as you want and laugh instead of talking (shake hands, bow forward, keep your distances, do an army salute, etc.)

Part 2: The Laughter Meditation

If time allows and the space is conducive to it, we strongly suggest you try this. It is the most pleasurable part of the laughter session. By now the diaphragm (the muscle you use when you laugh) has been so stimulated that it is seriously starting to take a life of its own.

Sit down (on the floor is best, and on a chair is fully acceptable), and first spend a few seconds to a few minutes in complete silence and stillness. Then fake laughter one last time for a full minute or so.

By sitting down the diaphragm gets freed from muscular restrictions by surrounding muscles. This in turn open the door for its full expression. Free-flow, uproarious, belly-rippling laughter (all for no reason whatsoever) is right behind the corner…

Laughter Yoga is not a substitute for proper medical consultation for physical, mental and psychological illnesses and may not be suitable for everyone. It is contra-indicated for people suffering from uncontrolled high blood pressure, heart disease, epilepsy, any kind of hernia, severe backache and major psychiatric disorders. This list is for guidance only and is not meant to be exhaustive. If in doubt, do not try it, and consult your trained medical professional for guidance. Anyone already undergoing physician-prescribed therapy should seek the advice of his or her doctor before reducing the dosage or stopping such treatment. Even a normal person experiencing discomfort while laughing, must discontinue immediately and seek expert medical help. Please use your common sense: no strain, no new pain.

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