Laughter for Life

MIND AND BODY WELLNESS

PREPARED BY KATHERINE KELSCH
PREPARED FOR DELAN JENSEN AND JULIE PUGMIRE
HEALTH 1242-001
4/16/2016

I picked Laughter Yoga out of the class catalog seemingly at random. I needed another
class and I thought that a health class would probably be a good idea. For some reason the title
just leaped out at me. I thought that there would be yoga poses and then sometimes a little bit of
laughing. I found out as time went on that the class was fewer yoga poses and more yogic
breathing and laughter, but I was really glad because I have fibromyalgia and spend a lot of time
in pain. I might not have been able to do a regular yoga class, but I can do laughter exercises and
get a lot of benefit from them. We learned that laughter helps the body and mind in many ways
such as sending out natural opiates for pain relief and reversing damage done by stress so that
through continuing Laughter Yoga throughout my life I can have a lifetime of physical and
mental help.
A lot of time in Laughter Yoga is spent learning to play and laugh. We learned a few
different games at the beginning of class while we waited for the class to trickle in at eight a.m.
We played dum, dum, smart, smart, smart, tensies, ooga booga look, sevens, untie the knot, and
walking through the hula hoops. Laughter Yoga is very inclusive so that the group felt friendly
and a lot more social than other classes I have had in the past. In Laughter Yoga I learned about
stress, the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, and how to use the five senses to
self-soothe to keep from getting stressed. I learned that I can laugh alone, or with a group so I
will be able to continue practicing Laughter Yoga when this class is over.
I always looked forward to class on Monday morning because I knew it would be a good
start to my week. I had CSIS 1020 which was stressful for me since I didnt know much about
computers at all. Laughter Yoga helped to get rid of stress in my life. I could feel the muscle
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tension dissolving out of my back and neck after a session of laughing. Laughter helps pain go
away a lot as well, so I would feel physically better and more able to handle a week of stress,
school, and house work after just an hour and a half of class. According to a handout given in
class, the Mayo Clinic says typical stress symptoms include:

A negative state of mind with a cynical, sarcastic and critical outlook

lack of motivation
irritability and lack of patience
lack of energy
lack of satisfaction with ones own life and personal achievements
disillusionment
the feeling of facing insurmountable barriers
lack of productivity and efficiency
self-medication using food, alcohol, and drugs to feel better or not to feel at all
changes in sleep and appetite habit
headaches, neck, and lower back pain
loss of the ability to experience joy

This list has a lot of items that describe me. I am often irritable and critical. I have been
diagnosed with depression before based on lack of motivation and changes in sleep and appetite
patterns. It looks as though being very stressed out can get you diagnosed as being depressed.
The handout says that laughter switches back on the body systems like the circulatory, digestive,
sexual and immune systems that stress switches off. Learning ability, creativity, teamwork,
productivity, efficiency and motivation are stifled by stress, worry, fear, and emotional problems,
but laughter boosts and strengthens these attributes. The body actually releases endorphins,
reduces stress-related hormones and chemical levels and creates a positive state of mind in
response to laughter. These benefits are short and long-term.
Another of the handouts expounds on the stress response and teaches that the body is in
the sympathetic state when your body experiences stress and the parasympathetic state when the
body recovers and relaxes. I wrote about an experience in my Journal when I was trying to
perform an action in Excel that I knew how to do and I kept trying over and over to do the proper
action but I just couldnt do it. My body went into the sympathetic state to the point that I could
hardly move because I had gotten so upset. I got kind of frozen with a dry mouth and my heart
beating really fast. It wasnt until my husband came over and told me that it wasnt my fault, but
that the track mouse on the computer sometimes didnt work correctly that I started to calm
down. He said the program that was teaching me Excel was harder than the real program, and
then I could feel my heart rate slowing. This table shows the bodys reactions in the different
states.
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Parasympathetic Nervous System

Constriction of pupils
Stimulation of secretion of saliva
Decreases the heart rate, thus, causing a drop in the blood
pressure
Constricts the bronchi, thus, decreasing the diameter of airway
Stimulates activity of digestive system, like stimulation of
peristalsis
Stimulates gallbladder secretions
Contracts urinary bladder
Relaxes rectum

Sympathetic Nervous System

Dilation of pupils
Inhibition of secretion of saliva
Increases the heart rate, thus, causing an increase in the blood
pressure
Dilates the bronchi, thus, increasing the diameter of airway
Inhibits activity of the digestive system, like inhibition of peristalsis
Decreases gallbladder secretions
Relaxes urinary bladder
Contracts rectum

The two parts of our nervous system work together, they are complementary in nature
rather than being antagonistic. Laughter can bring us more quickly out of the fight, flight or
freeze response to the system that recovers and is able to relax and renew our bodies. People
who spend too much time of their lives in the stress response are actually wearing out their
adrenal gland system and will not have the adrenalin hormones that they need should a real
emergency occur. That is why practicing laughter is so important, because your body actually
reverses the hormones levels of the stress hormone response and you become balanced.
Another way to gain some balance in your daily life is to learn to do self-soothing
activities that engage the five senses of the body. We spent a week learning about this and
journaling which activities we chose to do.
I chose to look at a shelf that I had decorated for summer. There was a beautiful conch
shell with a pink color, a lovely picture of my daughter Katrina who has reddish blond hair and
green eyes, two large shells with mother-of-pearl inside and a rough outer texture, and a vase
with silk apple blossoms. There is a long list of things you can do with vision to self-soothe.
Some of my favorites are going to a ballet, watching a candle flame, looking at nature, and fixing
your fingernails to look pretty.
For the sense of smell I got up early one morning and opened the window when it was
raining. I have always loved the smell of rain, but I dont know what Im really smelling, if it is
the water on the cement or what that familiar smell entails. Other ways to enjoy smells are to use
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scented candles, bake breads or goodies, smell roses, and my favorite lately is to use essential
oils, which can actually have healing properties beyond just their smell.
With hearing I listened to my daughter Rachel play Clair De Lune while she was
practicing for her piano lessons. What is really amazing is that I can also listen to Katrina,
Diana, or Sarah my other daughters play the piano for my enjoyment with sound. Nature sounds
are particularly soothing, and even white noise is relaxing to the soul. You have to be careful
with some music because it can actually bring on the sympathetic state if it is too aggressive.
For taste I had a chilled York peppermint patty. I really love the taste of chocolate and
mint combined. That is why I also love Breyers mint chocolate chip ice cream. You can also
have a good meal that is something you wouldnt normally spend the money for like wild caught
salmon, and eat one thing mindfully, really tasting and enjoying it. You could have some herbal
tea that is delicious and relaxing.
For touch I had my husband chill my arm which is very gently running your fingers up
and down in a tickling sensation. You can chill someones back too, which is easier than giving a
massage but still very relaxing. People can benefit from petting a cat or dog, which is why pets
are used in hospital programs to help patients. Brush your hair for a long time, soak your feet or
put new sheets on the bed, all these things can make you feel better.
I am so happy that I looked through the class catalog in the health section and thought
that Laughter Yoga sounded fun. It is so important to me now that it doesnt seem like it could
have been arbitrary. I have learned a great deal this semester about how laughter can help your
mind and body be healthier. Not only does laughter help you deal with stress in your life, your
body actually benefits from the hormones of the stress response being reversed and your body
goes more quickly into the rest and relax parasympathetic state. I learned how to do activities
that will keep me from going into stress a lot less as I soothe myself through the five senses to
enjoy the beautiful world. I have practiced laughing at home alone. I have also gone to Laughter
Club which is taught in the community by Julie Pugmire and Delan Jensen. I plan to do these
activities as well as continue doing Laughter Yoga at home with my children, which I have done
a couple of times with great results. I am going to be much healthier and happier because of the
skills that I have learned in Laughter Yoga in the Spring 2016 Semester.

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