ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) – When someone says the word yoga most people think of contorting their bodies into a pretzel, but there’s now a new type of yoga that’s making its way into Albuquerque; laughter yoga.
“Like a Santa laugh, haha,” said Laughter Yoga Teacher Kathleen Chambers.
Whether it’s a loud chuckle or a timid giggle, Chambers says they all work.
Saturday, dozens of people snickered their way to happiness at the Manzano Mesa Multigenerational Center.
“It brightened my day up a little bit better,” said Taylor Herson.
“It was good. I feel very relaxed. It was fun,” said Krista Piper.
They all took part in what’s called laughter yoga which combines interactive laughter exercises with deep breaths and calming movements. The goal is to relieve stress.
“To help them to know even if they are going through stress you can smile and you can laugh,” said Chambers.
Chambers has been practicing the technique for a couple of years. She said it has changed her life.
“My children would say mom it’s OK to smile and I didn’t realize how much I had lost my smiling,” she said.
Now, Chambers has dedicated herself to get other people to grin.
“I would love everyone to learn the blessing of laughter,” she said.
Laughter yoga is practiced in more than 70 countries.
Chambers teaches laughter yoga Saturday mornings at the Manzano Mesa Multigenerational Center.
