Jane McGowan meets two mistresses of mirth who are bringing a new brand of wellbeing to Woking
Move over mindfulness, there’s a new therapy in town – and it’s one designed to turn that frown upside down.
Joking aside, Laughter Yoga workshops are the latest trend to hit the wellbeing circuit and while it may sound a little off the wall, it would seem there is a good reason that people often espouse the theory, ‘If you don’t laugh, you’ll cry’.
Rowena Wood and Jo-Dee Walmsley (pictured above) are two exponents of the art and have recently launched their Laughter Club – a series of workshops running in Woking, encouraging people to reconnect with the lighter side of life.
“I found out about laughter therapy during my treatment for cancer,” says Rowena. “I did all the medical stuff and I was prepared for the pain and upheaval that went with that. What I wasn’t prepared for was my mood, which changed completely. I became soangry with everything and I was feeling really down.
“Then I just happened to be watching the Robin Williams’ movie Patch Adams and it really changed my life. Its whole premise is about bringing laughter back into your life, and I knew that’s what I desperately needed to do.”
An acquaintance recommended Laughter Yoga and Rowena decided to give it a go. She couldn’t believe just how positive it made her feel – even inspiring her to become a practitioner herself.
She quickly found a use for her new-found joy in her role as a volunteer at the Harry Edwards Healing Sanctuary in Shere and she hasn’t looked back. A little later she joined forces with energiser, speaker and happiness coach Jo-Dee, who had long been practicing the art of Laughter Yoga under its founder Dr Madan Kataria, dubbed the ‘Guru of Giggling’.
Jo-Dee herself had discovered the benefits of laughter therapy during a particularly tough time in her life, following her marriage break-up.
“I knew I wanted to leave the abusive and aggressive aspects of my life behind,” she explains. “But I was unsure about the future. I remembered seeing the film Amadeus, which was full of laughter and I recalled how watching that movie made me feel. I Googled ‘laughter’ and Dr Kataria’s Laughter Yoga page came up. Amazingly he was in Johannesburg [where I was based] and I got in touch.”
It wasn’t long before Jo-Dee was feeling the benefits of laughter and as she says, “It changed my relationship with my ex, it changed my relationship with my kids and all because I changed my frame of mind. Laughter changes the way you see life. You respond to it rather than react to it.”
Jo-Dee went on to become one of the foremost exponents on Laughter Yoga and has travelled the globe telling everyone from teenagers to CEOs about the benefits of letting laughter into your life.
The Woking Laughter Club sessions, which take place at Christ Church in Jubilee Square, will combine unconditional laughter with yogic breathing (Pranayama). Laughter is initially simulated as a physical exercise while maintaining eye contact with others in the group and promoting childlike playfulness. As you would expect, it quickly becomes natural and grows ever more infectious as the class goes on.
Jo-Dee says the body doesn’t differentiate between actual laughter and fake laughter, thus giving you the benefits of laughter where endorphins are stimulated and more oxygen is circulated around your body.
“After the laughter we encourage people to embrace other things such as gratitude and how to focus on the positives and be more creative,” says Jo-Dee.
“There are so many people out there with mental health issues or who are just feeling low,” adds Rowena. “The New Year is a great time reassess things. We show you how to laugh and relax through gentle exercise. You don’t have to get into all kinds of positions and you don’t have to wear Lycra.”
- The Laughter Club takes place at Christ Church on January 8 and on the following first Monday of each month. For details, visit: simplylaughter.com
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