Laughter is focus of free yoga session

Four years ago after San Diego wildfires destroyed her home and claimed her dog and 11 of her neighbors, Dee Dudley never thought she would smile again.

"It was such a traumatic time for me. I never thought I would be happy again, but then a doctor gave me a tongue depressor and told me to clench it between my teeth to fake a smile."

The saying is true, laughter is the best medicine, the doctor said. And though she was feeling down, just the simple act of a smile, even faked, would lead to endorphins being released into her bloodstream that would naturally lift her up.

"When we laugh or smile, our bodies release a cocktail of hormones and chemicals that have startling positive effects on our system. Stress is reduced, blood pressure drops, depression is lifted, your immune system is boosted and more," Dudley said.

Now, Dudley is a certified laughter yoga instructor who wants to share the joys of laughter with Yuma residents at a free seminar Friday at the Serenity Yoga Studio, 720 E. 22nd St., from 7 to 8:15 p.m.

"Laughter is gentle exercise. It fills your lungs and body with oxygen, deep-clears your breathing passages and exercises your lungs. This is really important for people who don't get regular aerobic exercise," Dudley said.

But laughter yoga isn't about achieving pretzel-like positions while saying "Ohm."

"It's not that type of yoga," Dudley admitted. "'Yoga,' the word really means the union of mind, body and spirit through breath.

"We engage in simple breathing exercises and childlike play, but the fake laughter in the beginning eventually turns to real laughter. By the end of the hourlong session, everybody feels really good physically, mentally and just overall uplifted."

Laughing also helps tone flabby abdominal muscles, Dudley said.

"Did you know one minute of laughing is equivalent to 10 minutes on a rowing machine? Most people don't."

Laughter exercises almost always lead to real laughter, especially when practiced in a group, Dudley said. She admits that most classes start with fake laughter, but always end in hearty chuckles roaring from inside the room full of students learning the benefits of a good laugh.

"We need to focus more on the good things in the world. If we did, we could all raise the positive vibrations a bit. There's a very spiritual component about raising your vibration levels.

"When you laugh, even when you fake it, it helps you boost up. You're not pretending nothing is wrong, but you know, humans can be happy and sad at the same time. It's about allowing yourself to change the channel in your mind to something good and positive," Dudley said.

"We can choose to live in a good world if we consciously decide to see the beauty in it. It's all about what you focus on."

For more information about Dudley's course, call her at 345-2442. To learn more about laughter yoga, visit www.laughteryoga.org.

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The address of the event was updated on Feb. 1, 2008