Much to my delight, I was introduced to laughter yoga during my last yoga class. It was a wonderful, fun break from traditional yoga and created such happiness in the room and in me.

Like I did, you might ask "What is Laughter Yoga?"

Laughter Yoga (Hasya Yoga) is a physically oriented technique that uses a blend of playful, empowering and otherwise "tension-releasing" simple laughter exercises. With gentle yoga-breathing and -stretching exercises, rhythmic clapping and chanting of Ho Ho Ha Ha Ha in unison as simulated laughter turns into real laughter. Laughter Yoga is done as a way to improve health, increase well-being and promote peace in the world through personal transformation.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laughter_Yoga)

As the instructor began to explain laughter yoga and the stress reducing benefits that come with it I started to understand why I was having such fun with my boys and their form of yoga. The DVD was all about laughter first and the yoga poses second.

It suddenly made sense to me and I was excited to participate. I found, though, that I was a lot more self conscious with a group of adults than I was with my kids.

Very few of us had heard of laughter yoga and we were told that even if you don’t feel like laughing, fake it and a real laugh will come. I wasn’t sure about that but within a few minutes we were all laughing, acting like seagull, and having fun with yoga moves interspersed throughout the hour.

At the end of class the instructor gave us some tips that I will share with you.

She said, "In a really stressful situation, when you are angry, or when laughing seems like the last thing that you can do, try a little laughter yoga and see if it changes your internal barometer to happy."

"Breathe in and chant Ho Ho Ha Ha Ha over and over until you begin to smile naturally, feel silly and enjoy the extra oxygen in your body. A few rounds of the chant in your car, the bathroom, or outside can make a huge difference in your attitude."

"If people are around and laughing like a crazy person is not an option then smile, grin from ear to ear and laugh to yourself inside. Think of a funny joke, something that your kids did, or, as a last resort, picture everyone naked, it usually does the trick and you find yourself in lighter spirits."

‘When you get mad at your kids, rather than explode or yell, try to find the humor in the situation, even if it means that you send them to time out while you look; it is better and more rewarding to wait, try to laugh, and gain composure before dishing out punishment."

"Smiling, laughing, and enjoying life can be contagious and stressful situations might just change as your perception of them changes."

She challenged us to smile and laugh at stress, anger, fear, and anxiety for a week and see if our moods, relationships, and overall feelings changed.

I challenge you to do the same, smile, laugh and chant Ho Ho Ha Ha Ha when you feel stressed and see if you too can change your attitude. Realistically, what is the worst that can happen, you feel a little silly, laugh a little more and take yourself a bit less seriously.

Off to make another Mommy Milestone.