Arts & Entertainment
Laughter Yoga is Good Medicine
Mix laughter with yoga breathing for a fun, casual event at the Brookfield Public Library.
If you participate in the session Wednesday evening at the , you might come away thinking, “Hey! Laughter really is the best medicine.”
Led by Dr. Cindy Solliday-McRoy, a health psychologist and certified Laughter Yoga leader, the approximately one-hour session is free and open to everyone, regardless of age or physical fitness level.
Solliday-McRoy, who likes to be called Dr. Cindy, established Mind-Body Solutions in January with her daughter, Lauren, a licensed massage therapist.
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“We offer alternatives to traditional Western medical approaches,” Solliday-McRoy says.
She became a certified Laughter Yoga leader in 2007. The program has a worldwide fan base, she notes.
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“The old saying probably is true, that laughter is the best medicine,” Solliday-McRoy says. “Laughter is the closest we can get to bliss.”
She also notes the strong scientific support for the positive impact laughing can have on our health. The benefits are many, including boosting our immune systems, promoting healing, relieving stress and helping to clear breathing passages.
“When you laugh, your body produces endorphins,” Solliday-McRoy adds. Endorphins are the so-called feel-good chemicals in our brains.
Don’t be put off by perceptions of yoga as something practiced only by people who are extraordinarily lithe and flexible.
Nina Wagner, Adult Services Librarian at the Brookfield Public Library, attended a Laughter Yoga session last year.
“You can come straight from work, in your high heels if you want, because all you need to be able to do is to sit and to breathe,” Wagner says.
Participants need only bring an open mind to the Laughter Yoga session, Solliday-McRoy says. Perhaps a bottle of water, although the library has a drinking fountain just down the hall from the room where the session will take place.
Although advance registration for the Laughter Yoga session is not required, Wagner suggests doing so because she has noted higher-than-average interest. Contact the Adult Reference Desk at 262-782-4140, option 1, to register.