Tuesday 6 September 2011

Positive Thinking on Steroids: Laughter In The Park

By Anne Bellamy, Author of Using The Law of Attraction To Help The Universe Help You



This past weekend, I attended my first Laughter Yoga class.  It's something that I'd heard about ages ago, and have always been curious about.

I was slightly worried as it was held outside, in a public park, for all to see.  I wondered if I would feel foolish, or embarassed.  But, being a firm believer in being silly, I dismissed my concerns and headed out to the park. 

It was a beautiful day, possibly the last one London will see in a while.  I could see a group of people gathered in one corner of the park, under at tree, talking.  I  immediately knew which one was the instructor.  She had the biggest smile.  She had the most positive energy.  She simply glowed. I thought to myself "I want to look like that!" and eagerly headed over.

After a brief introduction, we got stuck in!  Lots of funny noises, role plays, and other laughter techniques ensued. 

Did you know that the body can't distinguish between real and fake laughter? 

Pretty soon, what started out as "fake" laughter, became genuine laughter.  It's contagious and I found myself giving in completely to the desire to laugh my friggin' head off.

Here I was, standing in a park in central London with 15 strangers, having a ball.  This doesn't happen very often, does it? (When I find myself in unusual circumstances like this, I like to take a moment and contemplate it.) 

The session ended with all of us lying down on a giant tarpaulin, on our back, staring out at the giant tree above, laughing, laughing, laughing.  Just laughing.  For a good 10 minutes. 

At the end, we just sat there in a circle and smiled.  Warmth, positivity, happiness and relief.  It felt so damn good!

Have you ever been to laughter yoga? Would you consider taking a class? 

ps. for a brief history of the origin of laughter yoga click here.  It's spread....just like laughter should.