Terminalcoffee discussion

This article on Laughter Yoga was in the local paper yesterday and I'm curious if anyone's ever heard of Laughter Yoga or tried it before?

When laughter really is the best medicine

The concept is simple and interesting: laugh your way to health. Reading about Laughter Yoga, they claim it boosts ones immune system and reduces stress and even helps with managing arthritis pain. I know it's not a totally new concept because of this book: Anatomy of an Illness as Perceived by the Patient

I'd like to try Laughter Yoga and I even found a local group near me that meets once a week on Wednesday evenings. But here's my problem: I'm a pretty introverted person and I'm not much of a public laugher or a loud laugher. I'm really not much of a vocal laugher at all. I don't chortle or giggle. I'm more of the type of person who smiles and laughs quietly to himself so I don't know if I could do something like this. I know I could fake it, but then this part of the article sort of freaked me out: "A typical session starts with participants standing in a circle, each greeted with laughter as they introduce themselves." Groups are bad enough, groups of strangers are worse than bad, and introducing myself to a group of strangers is bad to the point that I generally try and avoid being a part of them. So if it isn't bad enough introducing myself to a group of strangers and thinking about what I think they're thinking about me, in Laughter Yoga it looks like I have to listen to them laugh at me after I've introduced myself? I don't know.

So, has anyone ever heard of Laughter Yoga?

Michael, I hadn't heard of it either, but I have the same inhibitions you do--I can laugh with a group of friends, I can laugh to and at myself, but I don't think I could do laughter yoga in front of a group of people.

This sounds like torture to me. Forced laughter? With strangers? Yikes!
Can't I just watch Dodgeball or something?

I'd so worry about farting during laughter yoga.

Also, how in the hell are you supposed to make yourself laugh on cue?

Jackie "the Librarian" wrote: "This sounds like torture to me. Forced laughter? With strangers? Yikes!
Can't I just watch Dodgeball or something?"

See, that made me laugh forealdough, and isn't that all the laughing yoga I need?

Y'all are my laughter yoga.

There's no down side to laughing. What could make a yoga laughter class even better? Maybe a big fart?

On my way into work this morning I saw a billboard advertising "Yoga for hangovers."

I wonder if the act of laughing is something that you can exercise like muscles? That the more you do it, the easier it becomes to do?

Farting is the least of my problems when I am given over to a case of the giggles!!

Ha!

Its just money-making fads, laughter is for free, All I need to do is watch some sit-coms or funny videos on Youtube.

I talk to my neighbor, Melinda, and we can usually find something to laugh about, even when times are bad. I love that about her, and I'm always thankful for a good laugh.

Partner yoga.

There are times when I'd like someone to stand in the small of my back, but not a gross dude in bikini underwear. No.

He is definitely gross. He also shaves his entire body except for the back of his head. Ewww.

*vomits *

There is a person who apparently passed out in the background.

That looks like one of those puzzles with interlocking wood and metal pieces that they give you when you're 9 to find out if you're a genius or not a genius.

This wasn't exactly laughter yoga, but my neighbor was telling me a story yesterday about her husband, and I got tickled every time she said "sock drawer." The more she said it, the more I laughed, until she was laughing too. Not as sophisticated as laughter yoga, but still therapeutic.

Hmm.

What if they started laughing then fell on their heads.

Then they would be crying.

Yup. That's what it looks like.

'Tain't nothin' special.

But did it make you laugh?

Ew!

evie wrote: "But did it make you laugh?"

Yes.