Laughter Yoga With The Deaf & Mute

As people are becoming more and more aware of the enormous health benefits of Laughter Yoga and its flexibility as an exercise, it has spread across different fields which include several institutes for the deaf and mute children across the world.

As laughter in Laughter Yoga comes from the body, it is an easy exercise for such children as they only need to make an eye contact to be able to enjoy laughter exercises. The group dynamics is an integral part of a laughter session which helps cultivate childlike playfulness, which is the basis of Laughter Yoga making it easy for anyone to do it. Laughing in a group provides a stimulus, a childlike behavior, which helps children to get over their inhibitions and actually loosen up. A number of playful laughter techniques have been developed by laughter professionals to help children suffering from such disabilities.

A physical impairment can also lead to severe mental trauma and stress which counters wellness. Laughter Yoga is the most powerful tool to manage pain and distress, as it has the ability to elevate the mood state by releasing endorphins, a ‘feel good’ hormone that alleviates pain and provides a feeling of comfort and safety. It has been reported by several institutes and schools for the deaf and mute children, that regular laughter sessions have brought lot of joy and happiness into the lives of such children and has helped them to overcome their depression.

Some common techniques used for such children, includes sign language, warming up exercises to open up their voice - a kind of yodeling like aaaa eeee oooo accompanied by body movements, ho ho ha ha actions and different laughter exercises. This helps the children to express themselves more clearly by altering the pitch and tone of their voice.

It has been proven that there is a lot of positive change in the attitude and behavior of these children. In one instance, a problem child in a school in India, who hardly made an attempt to speak, and whose negative behavior was of concern for the teachers, became more amiable and restrained from destructive behavior after attending the laughter sessions. He even started to speak some words in a nasal tone and his conduct changed entirely. It is amazing how laughter can actually change the lives of people around the world especially those with special needs.