A giddy group of people meeting in Lexington may have observers wondering what’s so funny. As WEKU’s Cheri Lawson reports, a unique form of yoga taught since the 1990’s has made its way to Central Kentucky.
On a recent Monday evening, about a dozen people gathered at a Lexington holistic health center for a class designed to relieve stress by laughing for no apparent reason.
It may sound kind of crazy but this “Laughter Yoga” class is actually very therapeutic, according to certified instructor, Jaime Brown. ”You don’t need jokes, you don’t need a sense of humor, you don’t even have to think things are funny to be able to get laughter in Laughter Yoga,” says Brown. “So we kind of mimic behavior in a way and that turns into a laughter exercise. It gets your heart going, gets your blood going and it gives you the ability to laugh for no reason.”
She says the benefits can include a strengthened immune system and lower blood pressure, “When you start to laugh your body will release Serotonin, your body will release endorphins and these are all your feel good chemicals.”
The technique was developed in the early 1990’s by Madan Kataria, a medical doctor in India. You won’t see people doing typical yoga postures like down dog or child’s pose while they’re laughing. The yoga part, Brown says, is deep breathing and stretching.
Brown says no flexibility or sense of humor are required. She says the laughter and movement bring the body and mind together in a way many people have never experienced.
On this night Brown’s leading the group through playful exercises like clapping and chanting and pretending to ride a roller coaster or “laugh like a villain” and laugh at their electric bills.
Lexington resident Tiffany Duncan came to the class for help through her grief.,” My fiancé passed away last year. So that’s been really really hard on me,” explains Duncan. “It’s grief. It’s a lot of work and a lot of energy and you know it;s tiring. And right now I feel very light and I don’t feel pain. So this is different. This is nice.”
Letting go and being playful was a challenge for 42-year-old Russ Turpin . His typical form of stress relief is sitting on the couch watching Netflix. Turpin was in a rush to get to the class but, by the end, his body was changed. ”It’s pretty loose,” he says. “I can feel it down through my back through my arms, through my legs. I am feeling more relaxed. I was running through the door an hour ago. And now, my spirit’s lifted a little bit.”
University of Kentucky psychiatrist Dr. Teresa Gevedon sees the value in a good belly laugh even though she says studies done on the health benefits of laughter may be hard to replicate .
Gevedon says laughter invokes a lot of physiologic and psychological responses that are positive. She knows from personal and professional experience that you do feel better when you laugh.
Laughter Yoga is now in 105 countries with thousands of clubs around the world. Jaime Brown who works as a researcher in the psychology department at the University of Kentucky believes her class is the only one of its kind in Lexington.
After an hour of laughing Instructor Brown leads a meditation. Everyone relaxes with a smile.
