Slash Coleman (right) leads a laughter yoga class at the Integral Yoga Center of Richmond.
In the latest chapter of his life, author and storyteller Slash Coleman is focusing his energy on making people happy by offering free laughter yoga classes throughout Richmond.
“Laughter on a regular basis brings more positive things into your life, helps us live a more joyful life, a more compassionate life, a more loving life and a more forgiving life,” says Coleman, a certified Laughter Yoga Leader at Laughter Yoga Richmond, which he founded in March 2018.
Laughter also has physical benefits: Ten minutes of deep belly laughing “is like a booster shot for the immune system,” he says.
At a recent 6 p.m. Friday laughter yoga class at the Integral Yoga Center of Richmond, newcomers and regulars fill the room. The newbies are curious to see what laughter yoga is about; those who come frequently want to maintain inner serenity. All hope to experience a positive transformation.
Coleman’s warm welcome and tranquil, kind manner relaxes everyone and connects the crowd.
And then the laughter exercises begin.
There are no jokes involved and no yoga poses. Instead, an enthusiastic Coleman leads the group through simulated laughter: “Ha, ha, ha … ho, ho, ho,” which is simultaneously paired with deep breathing exercises that stretch the diaphragm — that’s the “yoga” part.
The forced laughter quickly turns into contagious, authentic laughter. Hearing others laugh makes people feel genuinely happy, especially as the simple exercises get more complex. Each person connects with everyone else in the group, looking each other in the eye and giving high-fives, all while laughing.
“In laughter yoga, it’s all about building a community,” Coleman says.
“Even if you don’t know somebody, but you laugh with somebody, you feel you know them,” adds attendee Nora Pozzi, director of the Integral Yoga Center. She admires Coleman’s vision to uplift others. “Suddenly you have the joy within yourself, and you share it. That has an impact in your immune system, so you have a healthier life and view of life.”
Eileen Connors gets into the spirit of the class.
Richmonder Nick Martina is a regular attendee. “This is my happy hour that I look forward to at the end of a stressful week,” he says. “Laughter Yoga allows us to tap back into youthful exuberance.”
It’s made a profound difference in his life. “Friday-night Laughter Yoga has helped me purge a lot of buried grief,” he says. “I get a great relief in expelling stress and frustration built up during the week. It has also helped me lose weight and improved my overall physical condition.”
What is happening here is valuable, Pozzi emphasizes. “Kids laugh all the time, but we have lost the gift of laughter.”
And then comes the grand finale: Everyone lies on the floor for a five-minute sustained laughter session.
Endorphins abound. Moods elevate.
“It was a great experience,” says first-timer Tanya Atkins, who shares that she has a lot going on in her personal life. “As soon as all that laughter came out, it was like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Positive energy, positive people — what better place to be?”
Atkins is one of the thousands of people Coleman has helped to use laughter as a way to help navigate life. “Laughter changes the neuroplasticity of the brain,” he says. “If you do this on a regular basis, you will bring more light into your life.”
Coleman received the Laughter Ambassador award at India's Laughter Yoga University this spring.
Laughter yoga may never have made it to Richmond had Coleman not been in the hospital with a collapsed lung. He had been traveling worldwide for many years, for projects including his award-winning storytelling shows; then about four years ago, he found himself bedridden in New York, recovering from surgery. Feeling alone and isolated, he was energized when his doctor mentioned that laughing might help heal his lung.
When he moved back to Richmond in December 2015, Coleman found a laughter yoga class taught by a counselor near Virginia Commonwealth University. “It was amazing,” he recalls. “In the first 10 minutes, I could really feel oxygen push into my body where it had never been pushed before. I could feel my lung healing.” He also felt a sense of genuine connection with the other participants, which he needed at that time.
“I found that laughing for an hour with someone once a week is the equivalent of having coffee with someone an hour every day and sharing intimate stories,” he says.
When the class ended, Coleman decided to become certified based on the standards set by Dr. Madan Kataria, the creator and founder of Laughter Yoga in India, so that he could continue to offer the classes himself.
“I ended up providing sessions for about 8,500 people in our community that year,” Coleman says. Among those he helped include veterans, hospital patients and those recovering from addiction. He also has plans to start a new program, Laughter Warriors, this fall, to help first responders de-stress.
Kataria, who created the worldwide Laughter Yoga movement, was so impressed with the positive impact of Coleman’s generosity that he personally bestowed upon Coleman the Laughter Ambassador award at Laughter Yoga University in Bangalore, India, in April.
Coleman’s example has some of his current students wanting to follow his lead.
“The fact that I’m going to become certified to teach speaks volumes for this," says Mary Elfner, who participates in Coleman’s Friday-evening laughter yoga classes. “It’s good for the body and good for the soul.”
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