Facilitation technique Category: Therapeutic Use of Humor

Activity Title: Laughter Yoga

Source: Yazdani, M., Esmaeilzadeh, M., Pahlavanzadeh, S., & Khaledi, F. (2014). The
effect of laughter Yoga on general health among nursing students.Iranian journal of
nursing and midwifery research, 19(1), 36-40.
Equipment: Yoga Mats
Activity Description: When first thinking of the therapeutic use of humor, I was
originally surprised by the amount of helpful health benefits that it has to offer. The
therapeutic use of humor can affect different people in different ways due to its
subjective nature, but for the most part, possible health benefits include reduction in
anxiety, and depression, and improvements in pain thresholds, immune systems, and
learning. Laughter Yoga is an exercise which incorporates breathing, yoga stretching
techniques, as well as laughter. Here, a combination of several exercises can be
performed for sets of 30-45 minutes each. Here laughter is done for no reason, there
doesnt have to be something funny for it to have occurred. In the beginning the laughter
may come forced but after eye contact, and child-like playfulness the client will begin to
notice that the laughter will then come naturally. By laughing more, we are helping our
bodies receive more oxygen to the brain, thus helping us to feel more energetic. And there
have been multiple studies that show that our minds/bodies cannot differentiate the
difference between fake and real laughter, so as long as we find a way to laugh, the
benefits will still come regardless. For this activity, the clients will simply stand in a
circle, and follow the instructors guide to laugh on cue. Note the instructor will probably
not have anything funny to say, but after a couple minutes of forced laughing (combined
with eye contact with others and a child like playfulness mentality) you will begin to see
that the laughter will come up on its own naturally after a while. We will perform this
exercise fro 30-45 minutes. And after it is performed will hopefully notice a positive
change in our bodies, such as an uplifted spirit, or elevated feelings of joy.
Leadership Considerations: Here, a CTRS will function as an instructor. And the main
objective of the instructor will be to help establish and maintain a feeling of a relaxed and
cool environment. Once the clients feel comfortable and judgment free, then they will
feel more comfortable to be silly and laugh around others, hence making the natural
laughter portion come more easily. In addition, it would be helpful for the instructor
themselves to be very easy going and down to earth in nature, for these character traits
also help the client to feel more comfortable, and also helps them to let their guards down
and become that much more interactive within the activity.
Adaptations: Participants with Dyslexia: Clients who display Dyslexic qualities suffer
from reading, spelling, and sentence structuring problems. Those with this disability are
more likely to learn through a hands on approach, but may struggle with concentrating on
the task at hand. In order to help these clients adapted to our activity, it may be possible
to have these clients stand closer to the instructor (just in case they wish to ask/get

additional help). However die to the simple nature of this game, there should be no
reason for the client to get confused about directions because if at nay time they get lost
or confused, all they simply have to do is follow what their peers are doing and laugh
along side of them (Mora-Ripoll, 2010).
Participants with Depression: Clients diagnosed with depression suffer from mental,
physical, and social factors. Factors that can include, low mood, low self-esteem, limited
movement and slow speech, change in weight and appetite and difficulty with family and
forming bonds with other people. For clients with this form of disability especially, I feel
it is most necessary for them to participate in this form of a activity.. Some adaptations
may include, having a physical list of benefits that can come from this activity to display
to client, providing extra time to these clients to assimilate/really get in the whole Yoga
Laughter environment. And lastly perhaps even asking the client beforehand, certain
thins they find funny or enjoy doing, and trying to find a way to get a laugh from there as
well. Also by asking the clients parents or doctors before hand, what subjects/topics that
can possibly trigger there depression state would also be helpful, because this way the
instructor knows before hands what topics to stay away from (Shahidi et al., 2011).
Adaptations References
- Mora-Ripoll, R. (2010). The therapeutic value of laughter in medicine. Altern Ther
Health Med, 16(6), 56-64.
- Shahidi, M., Mojtahed, A., Modabbernia, A., Mojtahed, M., Shafiabady, A., Delavar, A.,
& Honari, H. (2011). Laughter yoga versus group exercise program in elderly depressed
women: a randomized controlled trial.International journal of geriatric psychiatry, 26(3),
322-327.
- Yazdani, M., Esmaeilzadeh, M., Pahlavanzadeh, S., & Khaledi, F. (2014). The effect of
laughter Yoga on general health among nursing students.Iranian journal of nursing and
midwifery research, 19(1), 36-40.