Laughter yoga
Learn to breathe better in a welcoming environment
How to get there
Rue Royale 37, 6530 Cerfontaine
Leave your preconceptions at the door – this activity is not about forcing you to laugh. Instead, it’s about learning how to breathe correctly, with a tool available to us all: laughter. If you happen to start laughing, all the better.
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Practical workshops between Namur and Charleroi
The idea may obviously seem strange: meeting with strangers to spend an hour laughing. However, after reading lots of articles about the benefits of laughter, it's worth giving the experience a try. Just once to get an idea.
To do so, place your trust in Anne Bolle, a certified laughter yoga instructor. She organises workshops in the region. You should be aware that the activity really is for everyone: there are as many young people as there are older participants. You just need to go in relaxed and ready to join in.
A workshop about letting go and fighting stress
After an hour of yoga or sports, you feel good, as you would after any exercise. The same is true here.
Don't worry – you don't have to laugh from the moment you get there. First, you do some breathing exercises, in particular ‘ah ah’ and ‘oh oh’. The idea is to wake up your body by clapping your hands and making a sound with your breath. You gradually get into the swing of things through the various activities.
The first time you have to fake a laugh, it can feel a little uncomfortable. However, with a group of people around you all laughing in unison, you quickly realise that laughter is contagious. You let go and you laugh.
At first, you have to force it a little (that’s OK – the brain does not distinguish between natural and forced laughter), but, as time goes by, real laughter comes out without you expecting it. In fact, just forgetting about how you look and letting yourself laugh allows you to take a step back from day-to-day life and reduce stress.
Why should you try laughter yoga?
In the end, after an hour of laughter yoga, you feel boosted, like you sometimes do after letting out a hysterical laugh for no reason. There are no contortions here either: laughter is really an incredible tool for the body.
If you dig a little deeper into the concept, you'll learn that laughing helps circulation, improves sleep, boosts the immune system and much more. The body benefits from laughing.