Pass by the Scottish Society Hall in Edgeware Road on a Sunday morning and you may hear lots of laughter. Liz van Halewyn found out more from one of the facilitators, Hannah Airey.
The St Albans Laughter Club began on March 18, 2007 and, until the September earthquake in 2010, met at the St Albans Community Centre on Colombo Street. Since then it has relocated to the Scottish Society Hall on the corner of Edgeware and Caledonian Roads, and runs every Sunday morning at 11am for 45 minutes.
The Laughter Club has four voluntary facilitators who each merge their own individual styles with the same format, which combines gentle stretching with laughter exercises to stimulate real laughter.
The psychological and physiological benefits of laughter are huge, and notably, laughter is well documented as being the body’s natural antidote to stress. During periods of laughter, the brain and body are flooded with oxygen, muscles relax and circulation is increased. As endorphin and serotonin levels rise, blood pressure normalises and the immune system is stimulated, among many other health benefits.
Unless you want to lie on a blanket or yoga mat at the end for relaxation, no special equipment is required for a Laughter Club session, and only a small donation of $2 is requested. There is no need to make a booking or to feel self-conscious the St Albans Laughter Club is attended by men, women and children of all ages. So if you have a little spare time on a Sunday morning do come along for a laugh, you just might be glad you did.
Reprinted from St Albans News July edition
