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Diary
LAUGHTER CLUB OF PORT MACQUARIE – WHEN THE CHILDREN LEARN TO LAUGH
By Laughter Yoga Teacher, Jackie Curran.
At the Port Macquarie Laughter Club we have often have the pleasure of children of all ages attending the laughter club with their parents. A lovely story was relayed to me by Port Macquarie Laughter Leader, Kay. One of our Laughter club members, Karen, brought her grandchildren to the laughter club while they were staying with her for a holiday. The children enjoyed the exercises at laughter club and after they returned home to their parents, Karen received a call from the children's mother, reporting that when the children returned home after staying with Karen and attending laughter club, their behaviour was very different. The children were no longer fighting with each other and they were practicing the laughter yoga exercises, saying “Very Good,
Very Good YEAH !,” and doing the Ho Ho, Ha Ha Ha clapping, often at home.
The children had started a system where one child would take responsibility for starting a laughter yoga session at home at any time when the other children became upset or angry or started fighting with each other. One of the children would say to the others – “Come on, it’s time to do some laughter yoga,” and would get up and start chanting Ho Ho Ha Ha Ha and clapping and getting the other children to join in the session. It was followed by “Very Good, Very Good Yeah !! “ The children's mother reported this led to a great release of stress and tension within the family and the children were very happy and were behaving much better.
By Laughter Yoga Teacher, Jackie Curran.
At the Port Macquarie Laughter Club we have often have the pleasure of children of all ages attending the laughter club with their parents. A lovely story was relayed to me by Port Macquarie Laughter Leader, Kay. One of our Laughter club members, Karen, brought her grandchildren to the laughter club while they were staying with her for a holiday. The children enjoyed the exercises at laughter club and after they returned home to their parents, Karen received a call from the children's mother, reporting that when the children returned home after staying with Karen and attending laughter club, their behaviour was very different. The children were no longer fighting with each other and they were practicing the laughter yoga exercises, saying “Very Good,
Very Good YEAH !,” and doing the Ho Ho, Ha Ha Ha clapping, often at home.
The children had started a system where one child would take responsibility for starting a laughter yoga session at home at any time when the other children became upset or angry or started fighting with each other. One of the children would say to the others – “Come on, it’s time to do some laughter yoga,” and would get up and start chanting Ho Ho Ha Ha Ha and clapping and getting the other children to join in the session. It was followed by “Very Good, Very Good Yeah !! “ The children's mother reported this led to a great release of stress and tension within the family and the children were very happy and were behaving much better.
When Port Macquarie laughter leader Kay, first came to laughter club she was a bit concerned that her youngest child, Stone, aged three, might disrupt the class. I was very happy to have Stone at our laughter club and I encouraged Kay to bring him, and her other two children, to Laughter Club.
At first Stone was very quiet and did not join in the sessions very much, although he watched us from the sidelines. Kay and Stone were soon regulars at laughter club and often Kay’s other children, Kai and Bianca also came along. Over time, I noticed Stone joining in the session more and becoming more confident, often asking me to do certain laughs and even correcting my techniques !!
When Kay completed the Laughter Yoga Leader training and started taking the laughter club sessions as leader, Stone was one of her best assets. During the sessions, Stone would be the first one to suggest each new laughter exercise. He would run into the centre of the circle calling out “let's do the cold shower laugh,” or “let's throw the laughter ball”. He even helped invent new laughs. His demonstration of the laughter exercises always produced great laughter in the group as he laughed so easily, and his actions were so great !
He was a great reminder of the way children laugh and play and that the goal of laughter yoga is to find our own childlike playfulness. What better way to learn to play like children than to have children laughing and playing with us.
