Laughter yoga is a widespread movement combined with breathing exercises. It brings joy and overall calmness, which helps you handle everyday stressors. Laughter yoga classes have increased, and places like Cornwall are no exception. Cornwall has several laughing yoga clubs that provide beginner, intermediate and advanced level sessions to accommodate all participants. Some laughter yoga coaches merge the classes and offer exercises suitable for all, while others choose to keep them separate. This blog highlights the laughing yoga classes in Cornwall and how to do them.
All about laughing yoga classes
Laughter yoga is slightly different from traditional yoga. If you’ve never been to any yoga class, the poses may seem strange, and your body may not be as flexible as others. You may find the poses challenging to execute on the first trial, but it gets easier with time. A standard laughter yoga class lasts about an hour—however, some last between 30 and 45 minutes, especially for the beginner level.
Learn the 6 ways Laughter can improve Children's Wellbeing
An outline of the laughter yoga class in Cornwall
For beginners, the sessions are quite different from those of regular participants. A lot of introduction goes on; to familiarise themselves with each other. Also, the trainer introduces the history and philosophies of laughter yoga and how to perform and handle breathing and laughing techniques.
You may note that one laughter yoga class isn’t the same as the other. This is a typical move among coaches to break the monotony that would cause boredom or reduced attendance by the participants. Some sessions are longer as they have more steps, while others are pretty short. Most advanced classes are short, not because the laughter yoga stages are less but because the trainer has combined some to save time.
Welcoming the group
The coach’s first step is to welcome everyone, whether they are first-timers or regular members. The coach does it warm and friendly, especially for beginners, as it influences their decision to come again. At the start of each class, an introduction is necessary to help the individuals bond and create a laughter yoga family. The laughter yoga leader explains everything about laughing yoga if it’s a novice class. On the other hand, he moves straight to the workout if the class level is experienced.
The warmup
The warmup stage is crucial. The light movements help relax the muscles, which would otherwise be painful if you went straight into the laughter yoga workout due to their stiffness or tightness.
Learn the 6 ways Laughter can improve Children's Wellbeing
Breathing exercises
They come immediately after warmup to allow mental and physical relaxation. Yoga practice is a mind and body activity that needs you to be as calm and relaxed as possible. The breathing session is broken down into bits, allowing you to clap or chant.
Childish play
The coach introduces happy phrases, making the stage pretty playful. Chanting is also there per the trainer’s command since there must be rhythm or coordination in the process. The coach decides or involves the members in choosing which chant to begin and finish with.
Meditation and laughing
Not all laughter yoga classes include this stage. First-time laughter yoga participants may find it challenging to achieve random laughter. However, after a couple of sessions, they can do it, and the coach fixes this stage in the yoga class. The intermediate and advanced members have episodes of laughter followed by meditation to complete the session.
In sum,
Laughter yoga classes are pretty straightforward and similar to most yoga clubs. But, trainers may tweak them here and there to fit their clients. Beginner classes have fewer stages than advanced ones, and the exercises are less intense. Despite the differences, these classes are a source of joy and relaxation that help shift your mind’s focus from daily stress. Also, they offer the perfect light body exercises, good if you dislike regular gym workouts.
