Chapters (10)

Laughter Yoga

Mayo Clinic · 4:36

In this practice

Key teachings

Receiving therapeutic benefits of laughter
Combining playful laughter exercises with deep breathing and gentle movement
Utilizing affirmations for added benefit
The power of intentional laughter to improve well-being

Ideal for

Cancer patients and survivors
Caregivers and loved ones
Individuals seeking stress relief and emotional support
Anyone looking for a gentle, mood-boosting activity

Lesson

Instructions

Join Amy Kuth, M.A., a Certified Laughter Yoga Teacher and Patient Educator at Mayo Clinic, for a mini laughter yoga session! Laughter yoga combines playful laughter exercises, deep breathing, and gentle movement to receive the therapeutic benefits of laughter. This unique practice has many benefits for coping with cancer and is making a positive impact on the lives of cancer patients.

0:00 Introduction 0:20 Warm Up 0:46 Laughter Yoga Affirmation 1:01 Basic Laughter Yoga Breath 1:28 Shoulder Breathing 1:46 Start Your Laughter Engines 2:30 Hip Breathing 2:53 Laughter Sneeze 3:23 Ear Breathing 3:45 Milkshake Laughter

At the Mayo Clinic Stephen and Barbara Slaggie Family Cancer Education Center, we believe in putting the needs of the patient first. Our holistic approach focuses on removing nonclinical barriers to care and providing comprehensive education and support. Our videos explore various aspects of cancer care, including prevention, risks, screening, diagnosis, treatment, survivorship, and end-of-life care. Join us as we delve into these crucial topics, offering guidance and encouragement. Whether you're a patient, caregiver, or loved one, our videos are designed to inform and support you throughout your cancer journey.

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Steps

Playful laughter exercises
Deep breathing techniques
Gentle movement
Laughter Yoga Affirmation
Basic Laughter Yoga Breath
Shoulder Breathing
Start Your Laughter Engines
Hip Breathing
Laughter Sneeze
Ear Breathing
Milkshake Laughter

Benefits

Coping with cancer and its challenges
Stress reduction and emotional release
Improved mood and positive outlook
Increased oxygen intake
Enhances social connection (even virtually)

Transcript

[Music] laughter Yoga is a great way to receive the many health benefits of laughter in laughter Yoga you purposely make yourself laugh using playful exercises to initiate the laughter breathing exercises and affirmations are also mixed in for added benefit let's begin bring your hands on your belly now repeat after me ha ha haa haa ha H ho ho ho ho ho ho he he he he now repeat this playful affirmation very good very good yay very good very good yay we're going to repeat that affirmation after each laughter exercise we do let's bring our feet shoulder width apart inhale bring your arms all the way up towards the ceiling and as you exhale let out a loud laugh let's do that again inhaling up and laughing down very good very good [Applause] yay now let's breathe with our shoulders inhale bring your shoulders up exhale relax the shoulders down one more time inhaling up exhaling down good next we're really going to get our laughter engine started I want you to find your imaginary key to your laughter engine hold it in your hand now stick it into the side of your belly where laughter comes from takes us a little bit to get our laughter engine started so we're going to turn the key four times the first three times you're going to let out a big ha and the fourth time you're going to let out a roaring laugh ready go ha ha ha let's do that one more time ready ha ha ha very good very good yay now bring your hands to your hips we're going to breathe with our hips inhale bring your hips forward exhale bring those hips around in a circle now let's go the other direction inhale exhale nice job next we're going to do a laughter sneeze we're going to pretend like we're building up a really big sneeze and then instead of sneezing we're going to laugh out loud ready go here comes another one very good very good yay now we're going to breathe with our ears bring your right hand up to your right ear inhale through that right ear here exhale through the left inhale through the left exhale through the right now inhale through both and exhale through both good the last laughter exercise we're going to do today is called milkshake laughter we've got all the ingredients of our milkshake ready to go they're in our hands all we have to do is mix the milkshake and drink it it's going to look like this oh o o let's do that together o o one more time oh oh very good very good yay again very good very good yay One Last Time very good very good yay [Music] he

Practice summary

Level: all levels
Duration: 4 minutes
Equipment: NoneComfortable clothingOpen space for standing or seated movement
Target areas: Emotional well beingMental stateRespiratory systemFacial musclesDiaphragm
Energy: balancing

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