The serious side of silliness: laughing yoga lifting spirits on the Surf Coast

LOSING your giggle might be more serious than it sounds, but a Surf Coast class is proving you can laugh your way back to better mental health.

Laughing yoga, says mental health educator and facilitator Jules Haddock, is less about poses and more about “laughter for health”.

“The yoga actually comes from the whole concept of the breath work involved with laughing,” she said.

“When you laugh with a friend and go, ‘Stop laughing, it hurts’ you’ve actually got rid of so much stale oxygen out of your lungs.”

The classes, funded by a Torquay Community Enterprise grant and hosted by Torquay Neighbourhood House and The Sands, include laughter sequences, movement and mindful breathing.

The next session will be held on 1 April at The Sands in Torquay from 9.15am to 10am.

Haddock said when people are anxious, they often do not realise they are shallow breathing, and laughter can gently bring them back to deeper breaths.

 

“If you sustain a fake laugh, your brain actually thinks it’s real,” she said. “It can’t differentiate.

“Your brain starts to activate the reward system. Dopamine, endorphins, oxytocin, serotonin all increase.”

Clinical psychologist and Deakin University lecturer Melissa O’Shea said laughing yoga combines the physical benefits of breathing exercises with something that brings about joy.

“Laughter isn’t just something you experience in your face,” she said. “Laughter promotes the physical activation of the whole body as well as emotional benefits.

“Laughter reconnects us with something from childhood.

“As we get older, we often contain our expression of joy, and that’s why [adults] laugh less than children.”

Social connection is central to Haddock’s sessions, where people often start laughing simply by watching others.

“We have mirror neurons, so when you look at someone who’s doing a fake laugh, a real laugh starts to happen,” she said.

“They don’t even know what they’re laughing at. They’re just laughing at the laughter.”

Participants are also encouraged to stay for a coffee afterwards, creating space to connect beyond the session.

Most people have been very willing to get into the spirit of the classes, Haddock said, and it has helped anyone who has lost their giggle “let the inner child out”.

For more information, contact Jules Haddock via [email protected] or follow The Anxious Bird on Facebook for upcoming session dates.