Marion, Sam, Fif and Hamish "Make 'emlaugh" in the Calgary Herald

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Marion Jorgensen, Sam Kaura, Fif Fernandes and Hamish Boyd were featured in the Neighbours section of the Calgary Herald on July 30, 2009.

Read the story in the online Calgary Herald

Make 'emlaugh

People practice 'Laughter Yoga'

By Alex Frazer-Harrison, For the Calgary Herald Neighbours July 30, 2009

Sometimes, you just have to laugh--but those who practice Laughter Yoga don't need an excuse to break into a guffaw. The idea of getting together with a few companions and doing a "baboon laugh" or a "lion laugh" might sound a bit silly at first. Fif Fernandes and Hamish Boyd, who teach Laughter Yoga, wouldn't disagree with you. The freedom to be silly is one of the empowering aspects of the art, they say. But there's serious purpose behind the giggles. "Laughter Yoga is a series of exercises intended to bring more oxygen into your lungs --to give your internal organs a massage," explains Boyd. "Scientific research suggests it lowers blood pressure and dumps depression." Fernandes, who has a medical and theatre background and works as a therapeutic clown at Alberta Childrens' Hospital, says Laughter Yoga encourages deep breathing as well as feelings of wellbeing and inner peace. Since 1995, Laughter Yoga has spread to 60 countries. A growing number of people age 50-plus have been introduced to it locally, often through one of Fernandes and Boyd's presentations at local festivals and seniors centres. "Little did I think a year ago that I'd be laughing myself silly," says Marion Jorgensen, 73, who was introduced to Laughter Yoga by Fernandes and couldn't wait to share it with her sister, who lives in a seniors residence. "When you laugh, you feel so much better," says Jorgensen. "Hamish and Fif have been in a lot of seniors' places to do this and it's been very helpful to the old folks. What's better: sitting and watching the shadows go by, or laughing?" Boyd, who is also an actor with a play in this year's Calgary Fringe Festival, says when Dr. Madan Kataria and his wife, Madhuri, originated Laughter Yoga, it started with a few friends sharing jokes in a park in Mumbai (formerly Bombay), India. "He had written a paper on the positive benefits of laughter," says Boyd. "He thought he should go out and try it." The idea of telling jokes grew stale after awhile--and that's when Kataria had his eureka moment. "He realized you don't need a reason to laugh," says Boyd. "You can fake laughter and your body can't tell the difference--and you get the same physical benefits." Among the benefits is the deep breathing that's encouraged by a good belly-laugh. Boyd and Fernandes say much of the air in our lungs is "stale," and that breathing deep and expelling this stale air has been known to help fight off illness. "What Laughter Yoga does is it allows you to laugh at everything and anything," says Fernandes, who was trained as a Laughter Yoga teacher by Kataria, himself. "You reprogram your brain and your body so all of life is much lighter." Benefits have been seen in active 50s to less-mobile people into their 90s living in extended care, says Fernandes. "For those in their 50s and 60s who are still working, it's a total de-stressor," she says. Sam Kaura is a certified meditation teacher who became interested in Laughter Yoga and found it compliments other meditations. "Fif and Hamish told me about the history of Laughter Yoga and it made sense," he says. "It detoxifies the body. When you laugh, you're doing deep breathing and the stale oxygen in your lungs comes out. "I don't see any person who can't be helped by Laughter Meditation or Laughter Yoga. They say laughter is the best medicine." Kaura was so impressed by Laughter Yoga that he is collaborating with Fernandes on a book to be called The ABCs of Laughing Meditation and Yoga. "We're hoping it'll be like a primer--a little bit of a fun, humorous, look at Laughter Yoga and Meditation," says Fernandes. "The hope is that it'll demystify some of it, and that people will come together and do this. It's about harmonizing your body, spirit and mind." Jorgensen says Laughter Yoga is easy to learn and do. "It makes me feel good--you can do it anywhere," she says. "It's a lot of fun and you feel better after all of this." Fernandes and Boyd regularly give Laughter Yoga presentations in seniors residences such as The Renoir. The impact on older residents can be profound. Boyd recalls one woman who had suffered a stroke. She began Laughter Yoga with limited movement of her hands and the quietest of whispered laughs. Within a few months, he says, she was able to lift her hands and clap--a marked improvement in mobility. Another participant found Laughter Yoga helped lower her blood pressure, says Boyd. Fernandes says one of the joys of teaching Laughter Yoga has been her ability to teach seniors how to be Laughter Yoga leaders. "We've had people in their 70s, their 60s and quite a few in their 50s become leaders," she says. Once one becomes a leader, one is qualified to start a Laughter Yoga club, says Fernandes. "One of my goals is to have leaders who can speak different languages and who can go into seniors' homes and be able to share Laughter Yoga in their mother tongue," she says. "I'd like to train more people in their 70s so they can come together and work within their particular groups." There is only one danger with Laughter Yoga. Laughter really is contagious. "The people you see laughing the hardest aren't always the ones you'd expect," says Fernandes. During a laughter session, "we'll laugh anywhere from 10-15 minutes and it's really contagious --people will be rolling on the floor, and some people have a hard time stopping, because so much tension is built up," she says. But after 30 minutes of laughing, "you're ready for the whole day," says Kaura. This fall, Fernandes and Boyd will be offering regular Laughter Sessions at places such as the Confederation Park 55-Plus Activity Centre, Deer Run Community Centre, Ogden 50-Plus Activity Centre, plus sessions at the Glenbow Museum and Calgary Public Library.

© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald

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