World Laughter Day

Today is World Laughter Day! Make sure you get a huge dose of the best medicine today and every day.

While the International Comedy Festival is in full swing in Auckland for those who need a giggle, in the South Island, Laughter Yoga is where it’s at. Hannah Airey, Laughter Coach, Trainer and facilitator of Laughter Wellness, will be leading a laughter yoga session at the South Island’s first Laughter Club in St Albans, Christchurch.

“Wipe all images of giggling in the ‘lotus position’ or laughing whilst in ‘downward facing dog’! Laughter yoga is about coming together in a group and laughing for no reason at all. No jokes, comedy or even humour is involved – actually you can be in a really bad mood and I can guarantee that you will walk out of the room with a smile on your face,” says Hannah.

“Everyone knows how to laugh, they just sometimes forget to do it for no reason. All too often laughter is dependent on humour, which is different for everyone.

“The health benefits are numerous, the biggest of all is releasing endorphins and serotonin into the bloodstream, which is what is missing when we experience anxiety and/or depression. When we are stressed, we go into the fight and flight response releasing adrenaline and cortisol into the bloodstream, and there’s a lack of oxygen flow to the brain because we shallow breathe, this causes us to not be able to think clearly,” she says. “When we laugh we breathe deeply into our diaphragm and it stops the release of stress hormones. It’s the body’s natural antidote to stress.”

Ms Airey regularly takes laughter sessions for recovering alcoholics and drug addicts in residential programmes. “Many times I have been told that these workshops have changed the lives of the participants, so much so they have been able to take charge and change the direction of where they were heading, where the other option was probably one that was darker than most of us have ever experienced.”

Ms Airey is a regular facilitator at Mental Health Advocacy Peer Support, where she holds workshops for people dealing with high anxiety.

Other than support groups, Hannah Airey also facilitates workshops for many other groups ranging from businesses to early childcare centres, conferences to prisons.

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