Laughter Yoga to cheer up the underprivileged


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“Laughter can significantly benefit your health and mood”.

Hong Kong “Laughter Yoga” Teacher Cécile Thomas made this striking statement as she was attending her first Laughter Yoga class, at a retirement house some years ago. “At first, the participants had no energy, but after a short while, I could see smiles on their faces, and even better, sparkle in their eyes! That’s when I decided to become a Laughter Yoga teacher”. Since then, she’s been extending her activities, providing Laughter Yoga classes to corporates, as team-building or wellness-break activities.

Each day, at its 4 locations in Hong Kong, the French Chamber Foundation runs a series of participatory and tailor-made programs to support underprivileged workers and families in Hong Kong and enable them to live a better life.

“When I heard about the cause of the French Chamber Foundation, I immediately thought that Laughter Yoga could help. These people have a really tough life, they strive to make ends meets as their jobs don’t pay for the rent. For them, having a positive energy is a real challenge.”

Earlier this year, Cécile Thomas organised a training session at the Wan Chai centre for a lucky group of 15, with the help of the social workers. The most important benefit of Laughter Yoga is to improve one’s energy trough breathing, while benefiting from the group’s dynamics. After 40 minutes of “let-go” practices, the participants started to be filled with a quiet and happy feeling. They really enjoyed the experience, it was a great moment of sharing and happiness.

When asked if the language was an issue, Thomas answers “Not at all, people laugh in the same way, whatever their culture, language or origin. Laughter is universal!” A great lesson for everyone!

This first session was a big success, and thanks to the generosity of Cécile Thomas, more sessions will be organised soon.

Make It Work HK