An uncoventional twist to yoga

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Admittedly, I did have some preconceptions going into my first (and likely last) laughing yoga adventure. What I expected to find was a circle of people sitting in a dimly lit studio, who would begin by awkwardly laughing until genuine laughter began to erupt at the ridiculous image of forced hilarity. Not something I would normally seek out to do, but it had potential.

The reality was a series of more or less planned โ€œexercises,โ€ designed to make light of lifeโ€™s formalities. We began by introducing our names and our jobs, then forcibly laughing one by one to break the ice. I am not a convincing actress. My awkward attempt at a โ€œlaughโ€ sounded more like a donkeyโ€™s bray. However, the instructorโ€™s carefree attitude and genuine commitment to the activities provided a good platform from which to base our own imitations.

For some, having an entirely self-assured role model was enough inspiration to stand in a small group in the Uptown Waterloo public square and pretend to be dogs, or to mimic swimming through the air while loudly laughing. Power to those people, seriously. I really do think itโ€™s admirable to have such disregard for the opinions of strangers, and to be completely at ease with acting in such an unconventional manner.

That being said, I am not one of those people. Perhaps what I learned from laughing yoga is that itโ€™s not for the awkward at heart. It seemed to me that it was either the kind of thing you loved from the onset, or something that you did with a forced smile plastered across your face, while secretly glancing around to see if anyone you knew was watching nearby. Yes, yes they were. But thatโ€™s another story.

Although the group was only small, capping out at about eight or nine people, I think itโ€™s fair to say it was a success overall. Those who attended were fully immersed, and seemed to truly enjoy themselves. While I did not personally gain a lot from it, it wouldnโ€™t be fair to say that I found it to be a negative experience, or that I would expect it to be for others. In my opinion, itโ€™s a matter of personality and not necessarily a consequence of a poor attitude or lack of confidence.

For better or worse, itโ€™s not an experience Iโ€™ll soon forget, but for now I think Iโ€™ll stick to episodes of Friends and romantic comedies for a few quick laughs.


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