Laughter Yoga

Curiosity finally got the better of me and I headed  into a balmy, relaxed  Dublin city, on Sunday afternoon, for this

After a 'Miles of smiles' welcome from energetic and contagiously beaming leaders, Sharyn and Niall,

 twenty five of us launched into an hour of funny walks (a la Monty Python), pulling faces, skipping, lying on the floor with our feet in the air throwing a tantrum, vowel laughter ( ''A-A-A', 'E-E-E' 'O-O-O' ) and frequently throwing our arms in the air going "Yay."
 The main principle is that laughter is as effective when it's fake as when it's real - the same physical and emotional benefits occur. And if you didn't know, guffaws burn calories, lower blood pressure and improve creativity and memory.
 As I joined the circle of participants, my main worry was whether my feet smelled -we had removed our shoes to take part. Also, the concept of faking a wide smile at a stranger, clapping them on the back with a loud cackle or pulling a face while staring into their eyes did initially bring on a bit of   "I feel like a bit of a berk."

Those niggles melted away as the business of laughing loudly for an hour produced a high and as we finished up, Sharyn gave some exercises, or 'Free laughs' which can be practised at home in front of the mirror.

So, I'm off now to pull some faces and laugh out loud -O-O-O-E-E-E-A-A-A