This is a another question we get asked often! Although the session exercises might be almost identical to a ‘Laughter Yoga’ agenda, the focus of ‘Laughter Therapy’ is slightly different. The therapeutic benefits will be explained throughout the session.
For instance, reducing stress cortisol levels – ‘Laughter Therapy’ is a different focus – a systematic review of interventional studies evaluating the impact of spontaneous laughter on cortisol levels published in PLOS ONE in May 2023 found that just one laughter session (9 – 60 mins) can reduce cortisol by 36.7%! This highlights one of the main benefits of laughter therapy – stress reduction. Therefore therapeutic benefits will be explained throughout a session adding a holistic vibe to the end result.
The phrase ‘Laughter Yoga’ was first officially coined in 1995 by Dr Madan Kataria – a family physician from India. He created the term to describe the unique activity of laughter exercises with yogic deep breathing. We like to marry both concepts in our sessions, reinforcing laughter yoga exercises to elucidate the therapeutic benefits. So they go hand in hand!