Laughter Yoga

In my Anishinabe culture our first two medicines are considered tears and laughter. We are born and then we cry. Four or five months later we laugh. Both are very important healing medicine. I first heard the song from Timbuk 3 at least 10 years ago, maybe more.

I started laughter yoga as I didn't always have my favorite laughter family and friends there when living and working in the city and especially not while working in government. Sarah is a woman I laugh with regularly on Facebook live. She can’t hear me or see me and that is just the way it is set up. It is really quite often, as since the pandemic I go on as much as I can.

It used to be a couple of times a month I would attend laughter yoga with friends. You see it really is a medicine to help me keep the anxiety, and panic away. I do this with an occasional 4 x 4 breathing practice. And, I will especially laugh to stay out of depression in this time of isolation, and misinformation.

I don't need near as much in a normal time as I have plenty of people to laugh with in my usual everyday life. People are not laughing as much as they are all too serious right now. Some have lost loved ones or it is an anniversary of a loved one's death. I know about that as my brother died in March of 2021, and the holidays and my birthday have been difficult in the past.

Once a week, on Monday morning, Sarah laughs with a group of people on the phone. What a way to start the week in a good way. It really does make a difference for me. There are laughs that make you chuckle, there are laughs that make you wonder, who has that laugh, and there are people that forget to mute themselves when their dog is barking or their child is screaming. It’s all fun and worth my time about once a month!

Sarah isn’t always funny, but who is, and she doesn’t have to be, as laughing for 10 minutes is what I prefer, so I and others that follow her like to be able to laugh for ten minutes straight and she is on for a total of 20 minutes each day. Now, you know I would like to keep up with that schedule but it doesn’t always work out like that. She tapes them though, so I could find time but usually don’t if I am not there when she is live!

She and the others out there laughing each time I’m on is an incentive to keep up and it cost less than a dime. Well nothing really, unless you send a tip and I do. It is worth it for me that she keeps up what she is doing. So, once in a while I do just that. I don’t get any lip for giving a tip from anyone at my house, or for laughing with Sarah, I just get “oh that again.”

Yes again and again and again. Amen. Laugh on credit. Smile-ups, laughter breaths, elevator laughing when the doors close there is hysterical laughter, quiet when the doors are open. Then there is giggle juice, no alcohol involved! More and more joy as promised by her today. Climbing the laughter ladder to joy. Oh boy! Ready, okay. And one more time is a common phrase from Sarah.

National mason jar day sounds about right. There is a day for everything right? Get out a Jar to put all the stress in and fill that up, then put the cover on tight. Bring that jar out and take just one thing out at a time and spend the time in laughter and once that one problem is solved, set that pretend slip of paper under the laughter jar. No more stress about that one!

We end with gratitude laughter, sending out love to everyone we have in our lives to be grateful for. As we laugh, we make the heart symbol to send out to everyone. I have other favorites, and I think you get the gist. It is not for everyone. But even just practicing the smile-ups ten times in front of the mirror in the morning will help you to have a better day. I promise.

Well, some medications will get in the way, for some people! Tears and laughter are two medicines that our brain uses to heal. I like Two Medicines by Timbuk 3. I hope you gave it a listen. It is on Youtube if you are interested!