Walking into the yoga studio, I smelled the incense, heard the calming music and thought to myself “ah, I need this.” At the time my head was buzzing with deadlines, tasks, problems to solve, and chores to do. In the past, I had always found going to yoga classes to be a refuge from the stress and demands before me. I needed grounding, stillness, and presence. 

As I rolled out my mat and sat down, I prepared myself to be transformed. And so we began. I diligently followed each direction our instructor gave us and yet through each sun salutation and breathing exercise, my mind continued to buzz with work, schedules, and plans. At times I would catch myself, and instead of gently bringing myself back to the present moment, I barked orders. “Stop it!” “Focus!” “You’re supposed to be zen!” My inner critique and workaholic continued to battle each other leaving little room for peace. As we continued through the session I continued to feel stressed and frustrated. 

Eventually, our instructor directed us to Savasana which signaled we were near the end. “Ok, focus, you got to get zen now!” I commanded myself. I closed my eyes and focused on my breath. I listened intently to my instructor calmly and gently sharing a reading from Rumi. As I engaged in the present moment I heard a faint rumble coming from beside me. It distracted me for only a moment and I came back to my breath. But it continued. “Focus, do not let distractions interrupt this moment.” But the rumble is getting louder and louder and I finally cannot resist and open my eyes to see my neighbour fast asleep and snoring. “Just ignore it. Be present.” I focused my attention back to the instructor. I felt the tension in the room rising as everyone could hear my neighbour’s snoring grow louder and louder. My instructor started to speak louder and louder in order to be heard above the snore. “Focus. Focus. Focus.” I continued to tell myself until I felt the ground beneath me vibrating due to the engine power of her snoring. 

I could no longer resist and allowed myself to acknowledge “this is hilarious!” At that moment a howl of laughter forced its way through my lips. I put my hands over my mouth to try to stop it but it was too powerful to conceal. I looked over and made eye contact with another participant who immediately began to chuckle. Soon the laughter became contagious and everyone was giggling. My neighbour’s friend gently nudged her awake and lovingly let her know what was happening. She looked at us and burst into laughter as well. We continued to joke around as a group and eventually my instructor ended the session and we all giggled out the door. When I got home I felt lighter, more relaxed, and ready to tackle the tasks at hand. As I reflected on my feelings and wondered how this could be. I felt frustrated the entire session and we didn’t even get a proper closing to the class because it became a sleep lab! And then I realized it was the laughter.

They say that “laughter is the best medicine” and although I think penicillin is pretty incredible, there is definitely truth to that. Research has shown that laughter releases endorphins, stimulates organs, promotes social bonds, improves mood, and relieves tension, stress, and pain. Laughter can be an important tool for our mental health as it provides us with perspective. Humour is often about noticing the irony and absurdity of a situation. It acknowledges that circumstances are not one-dimensional. Especially in times of stress, overwhelming thoughts and feelings can tunnel our vision into one perspective: “I can’t do this”, “The world is against me”, “There is no hope.” By allowing ourselves to engage in different perspectives, we can lift some of the weight of a circumstance. 

It is important to note that some things are not funny. Sometimes we are not able to laugh. Sometimes we are not ready to laugh. That’s ok. Honour how you feel and honour your situation. On the other end of the spectrum, sometimes humour is used to trivialize, deflect, or distract. We always need to consider appropriateness and intention. If the intention of the laughter is in some way harmful or malicious, there will be no healing benefits. Research has indicated that joyous laughter vs. taunting laughter vs. tickling laughter activate different parts of the brain. We want joyous laughter.

Humour provides us another lens through which we can see a situation but it does not change the situation itself. I often hear from people experiencing loss “I caught myself having fun but then I felt really guilty because I’m supposed to be mourning.” Placing expectations on how we “should” be feeling adds to the stress and pain we experience. Humour and laughter are natural human experiences. You are human. You deserve relief. You deserve reprieve. You deserve joy. 

So when things start to feel dreary, give it a try. Go watch your favourite comedy, be silly, be around people that make you laugh. Even if it’s just for a moment, give yourself permission to be free.  

References

Manninen, S., Tuominen, L., Dunbar, R. I., Karjalainen, T., Hirvonen, J., Arponen, E., Hari, R., Jääskeläinen, I. P., Sams, M., & Nummenmaa, L. (2017). Social laughter triggers endogenous opioid release in humans. The Journal of Neuroscience, 37(25),6125–6131. 

Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. (2021, July 29). Stress relief from laughter? it's no joke. Mayo Clinic. 

Wildgruber, D., Szameitat, D. P., Ethofer, T., Brück, C., Alter, K., Grodd, W., & Kreifelts, B. (2013). Different types of laughter modulate connectivity within distinct parts of the Laughter Perception Network. PLoS ONE, 8(5). 

Blog Written by Rebecca Ho

Rebecca is a Master of Counselling Clinical Intern and Certified Grief Recovery Specialist® at The Grief and Trauma Healing Centre. 

Rebecca graduated with a Bachelor of Music and a Bachelor of Education from the University of Alberta. She is currently completing her final year of a Master of Counselling from City University of Seattle.⁠
⁠
Rebecca experienced the loss of a close friend by suicide which was painful and isolating and left her with many questions. Through her own journey of healing and recovery, she discovered that we do not have to grieve alone, and healing is possible.⁠
⁠
Rebecca is honoured and committed to working with those who are experiencing difficulties and working with them through their healing process.⁠

Click here to work with Rebecca.