Laughter benefits students and staff at Peter Hall School

A yogi and a comedian walked into a bar… 

 Since 1995, laughter yoga – an exercise program and wellness tool that combines laughter and yogic breathing – has been gaining in popularity across the globe, according to Laughter Yoga International. Without relying on humour and using various guided activities, laughter yoga provides an opportunity to laugh, inviting in a plethora of physiological and mental benefits. 

 From reducing inhibitions to lowering stress, laughter yoga is for individuals of all abilities. It was this versatility that appealed to Sherilyn Ami, director of Educational Services at Peter Hall School, when assessing whether it would be a helpful practice to offer her students and staff. 

 While attending the Special Care Connect 2023 conference at Champlain College in Saint-Lambert, Ami was surprised to see Wendy Singer leading a 10-minute laughter break. As a certified Laughter Yoga teacher and leader of Montreal’s Laughter FIT club, Singer explained that besides making a person feel good and decreasing stress, laughing is thought to lower blood pressure and enhance the immune system. (Singer is also managing editor of Inspirations.) 

 Laughter yoga was created by Dr. Madan Kataria from Mumbai, India, who incorporated the health benefits of laughter with techniques inspired by his wife Madhuri, a yogi. “Laughter catharsis is a great technique for emotional release and balance,” it says on the Laughter Yoga International site. 

 Ami arranged for a training workshop with Singer in October 2024, after she led a one hour session with the entire school staff back in February. She saw “laughter [as] a unifying language, a universal way of communication to reduce anxiety and stress.” 

 For Fatima Belarbi, teacher at the school’s Ouimet campus, the exercises have helped her class refocus and connect. “It’s a good form of contamination! Laughter yoga makes everyone happy and relaxed,” she stated. 

 She has noticed small but significant improvements among the students, less frequent meltdowns and better emotional management. 

 Robyn Jones, a teacher at the Côte-Vertu campus, experienced similar benefits in her classroom. She has found that activities and chants, such as “ho, ho, ha, ha, ha” help defuse potentially explosive squabbles and restore calmness. “We can’t always reduce stressors, but increasing the positive experiences at school helps build their resilience and therefore their chances for future success,” she said.