How to do Laughter Yoga: Laughter Yoga Steps

Unlike a lot of workout and yoga activities, Laughter Yoga is more of a group practice than an individual one. In one of my laughter sessions I guide the group through a set of activities to encourage them to let go of their inhibitions and laugh freely.  Since Covid 19 I’ve been doing sessions online and I’m really pleased to say there has been no issues with people getting all of the benefits of Laughter Yoga remotely. However, I understand that some people may feel uncomfortable laughing in groups so I thought I’d share some tips on how to do Laughter Yoga at home.

Step 1: Warming Up

Start by stimulating your acupressure points through a hearty clapping session. Keep your palm fully open and try for a full hand to hand contact. To further elevate the energy levels, keep increasing the clapping speed. You can also move your hands up and down and sway them from side to side for full-body warm-up.  

Step 2: Chant

While you are gearing up for the yoga session through the clapping activity, you can start by a simple and light chant that prepares you and your vocal cords for the laughter riot that is to come. Go for a normal ‘HO, HO, HO, HA-HA-HA’. Now, as you level up and put in more energy, try to ensure that the chanting sounds are coming from your belly. This will stimulate the diaphragmatic breathing and help you with good, loud laughter later.  

Step 3: Deep Breathing 

Before you start your Laughter Yoga session you can begin with detoxifying your lungs. Simple deep breathing exercises will prepare your body for the activities to come and bring physical and mental relaxation simultaneously.  Pull in a deep breath until your lungs are full, then hold for a beat, before exhaling. Repeat this exercise until you feel nice and relaxed.

Step 4: Relax And Let Go

Adopting child-like behaviours is the best way to ensure that you have a great and beneficial laughter yoga session. During my sessions my main job is helping people lose their inhibitions. If you want to know how to do laughter yoga at home then it can be as easy as relaxing and not caring about anything but the moment. Forget about what anybody thinks and pretend you’re the only person in the world. When you finally let go you’ll feel a sense of enormous well-being.

Step 5: Laughter Time

Once you are all set with the warm and all prepared, it is time to go for a hearty laughter session. And while there is no right or wrong way to laugh, here are a few Laughter yoga exercises that you can try for optimum results:

Cell Phone Laughter: Hold an imaginary cell phone to your ear and laugh.

Gradient Laughter: Fake a smile; giggle, then laugh slowly and gradually increase in tempo and volume.

Hearty Laughter: Spread your arms up, look up and laugh heartily as you direct your laughter to come straight from your heart.

No Money Laughter: Laugh as turn your pockets inside out looking for money that isn’t there.

Mental floss laugh: Imagine that you have wrapped a thread of dental floss between your fingers. Now imagine threading the floss between your ears to clear out the ‘stinking thinking’ that can build up, like dental plaque, in the mind. Jiggle it around, to and fro, while laughing. Then throw the ‘floss’ and the worries away.

That’s just a few of the many exercises that Laughing Yoga involves. Hopefully this advice lets you know how to do Laughter Yoga at home.