If Joy is Medicine for the Soul, “Laughter Yoga” Could be the Prescription

If Joy is Medicine for the Soul, “Laughter Yoga” Could be the Prescription

The Arc of Snohomish County welcomed Laughter Ambassador Julie Schreiber to lead a special “My Sib & Me” event, open to all Sibshop families, on Tuesday, March 22nd.

Julie is a Laughter Yoga Teacher, who received her certification in the practice in 2014, when she traveled to Bangalore, India, to train under Dr. Madan Kataria, founder of Laughter Yoga International. Julie also has a Master’s degree in Counseling from Antioch University and is now owner and founder of Connecting the Peaces, LLC, located in Issaquah. Today, Julie teaches Laughter Yoga classes, facilitates trainings and leads workshops for corporate events, nonprofit organizations and schools. (Click here to read the story of how Julie first learned about Laughter Yoga.)

What is “Laughter Yoga,” you ask? Laughter Yoga is an activity that uses laughter as an exercise to achieve health benefits. Different than the type of laughter evoked through humor, Laughter Yoga involves a practice of prolonging the type of loud and deep laughter that emanates from the diaphragm, for no comedic reason at all. You laugh simply to laugh! That laughter may then be combined with Yoga breathing exercises. Laughter Yoga sessions and social clubs, located in countries around the world, provide a safe environment where it is acceptable to laugh loudly and without restraint. (Click here to learn more about Laughter Yoga.)

What are the benefits of Laughter Yoga? Scientific studies show that laughter is beneficial to our health! It brings more oxygen into the blood and reduces stress. It increases endorphins and makes you feel better. It deepens breathing and can strengthen the immune system. Hearty laughter is similar to aerobic exercise. Sounds good, right?!

Learn more about Laughter Yoga with Julie at connectingthepeaces.com, or on her Facebook page: Laughing with Julie.

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Whitney Stohr is a Parent to Parent Coordinator at The Arc of Snohomish County. She is passionate about advocating for medically complex children and children with disabilities and their families. She is a mom and medical caregiver herself, who is energized by working closely with other parent/family caregivers. She lives with her four-year-old son Malachi and husband Jason in Lynnwood. Connect with her on Instagram @rollin.w.spinabifida. Contact: whitney@arcsno.org.