Plenty of people put on their yoga clothing and get stuck into classes up and down the UK, and in many other countries around the world. However, relatively few individuals combine these sessions with laughter.
However, one woman may be set to change this. Sue MacLusky is seeking to establish a ‘laughter yoga’ club in Kidderminster, local paper the Kidderminster Shuttle reports. The enthusiast already runs such classes in Stourbridge and has received requests to set up a new club in the Worcestershire town.
The theory behind the sessions is that individuals wearing their yoga clothes start off by pretending to laugh, which acts as an aerobic exercise and soon find they are in hysterics. Because laughing releases endorphins, this can have the effect of giving people the so-called ‘feel good factor’.
According to Ms MacLusky, who is a trained laughter therapist, this is the perfect way to boost people’s moods. She stated: “This is not a comedy club it is based on something called laughter yoga. We use breathing techniques, laughing for no reason. An hour of laughter is better exercise than an hour on the running machine.”
Meanwhile, one of those who dons her yoga clothing and gets stuck into these unusual classes is Diane Allen. Commenting on her experiences, the 61-year-old said: “I have already started recommending it to people. It is so good to spend an hour laughing and releasing all your worries and frustrations.”
According to the Kidderminster Shuttle, laughter therapy was developed by an Indian doctor named Madan Kataria, who was looking for a way to make people feel happier after he became tired of writing people prescriptions.
Indeed, depression and anxiety-related problems have been rising among consumers in many countries around the world and so the demand for new therapies is particularly high these days.