Laughter yoga
One of our members, Zeenat https://www.instagram.com/zeelol_yoga/ has been running our weekly laughter yoga sessions on Mondays, via Zoom. We spoke to her about why she loves Laughter Yoga and how it can benefit us all:
'Laughter Yoga is a playful way to lift our spirits. It's an instant '"pick me up" and mood enhancer.
Laughing for 15 minutes a day on a regular basis can be beneficial to our health and social circles. It can be done anywhere, be it in the shower, garden, or whilst washing the dishes.
There are times when I just don't feel like laughing because I'm too stressed or not feeling well. I give myself a nudge to do one of my favourite 'just laugh' exercises. Sometimes it can be a struggle as my mind says 'what are you doing?', but I ignore that voice and just laugh- 'ha ha ha ha ha', and after a few mins I feel energised and uplifted. I know Laughter Yoga may not be a magic cure, but it has been found to be a useful tool for managing stress, boosting our immune system, reducing isolation, improving concentration and memory, connecting us to others and generally improving our mental health. It's fun, simple, very effective and very contagious.
I have thoroughly enjoyed delivering my sessions in the community. It's such a joy to hear how they have inspired others to play and laugh with one another. Sometimes when attendees bump into me outside the sessions, they can't always remember my name, they look at me and laugh and I laugh and we just start laughing. What a wonderful feeling that laughter has connected us.
As we are in lockdown at the moment, I have been delivering my weekly sessions with families and young children on Zoom and posting videos on Instagram, so that the laughter can continue and my familiar face can be of some comfort. These are hard times, so it is especially important that we look after ourselves and our loved ones and one of the tools we can use is called..... 'LAUGHTER': its free, available anytime, anywhere and is within us all.
I am looking forward to going back to running my sessions in person, but in the meantime I am enjoying delivering them online and keeping families engaged with laughter, mindfulness and meditation. I have also incorporated healthy Indian cooking into my sessions which inspires and teaches new skills, new cultures and the benefits of healthy eating. I teach people about different Indian spices, their cultural heritage and their health benefits in a playful way, by incorporating laughter, singing and dancing. Our food tastes much better if we cook when we are in a good mood, creates a better vibe in the kitchen and also helps us to learn, because the mind is refreshed.
My mission is to spread the laughter and joy worldwide.'
If you have children under 5 and would like to join Zeenat's weekly Laughter Yoga sessions with your children every Monday at 11am, call or text Helen on 07701 365 551 to sign up or click the Zoom link below to register:
https://us04web.zoom.us/meeting/register/u5AlcO-gpzgs5zScBN2XLBvka_LKBDypUQ
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.