While laughter is contagious when you laugh in a group, can you do Laughter Yoga when you’re on your own?

The question was raised the other day as I trained a trio of new laughter yoga leaders. When we train, we are all encouraged to practise for ourselves every day. That daily challenge creates a new habit that beds new neural pathways into our subconscious.

Two of the leaders-in-training came from existing community laughter clubs and could readily turn to others for encouragement and inspiration: the third was taking a new activity to her rural community.

So it’s for her, and the many people who similarly don’t have a physical, in-person, community laughter club near them, that I’m sharing these ideas on how to do laughter exercises alone.

Laughter Yoga is an exercise regimen combining intentional laughter and breathing exercises. It’s not about jokes or humour.

I find laughing first up in the morning sets a great tone for the day.

Some people find it easier to laugh alone in front of the mirror. Try it: it may work for you.

Whenever you laugh alone, open your mouth a bit wider to enable laughter to flow from the belly. The goal is to engage the diaphragm.

If you are self-conscious about people hearing you, turn the volume off or down! It really isn’t about the volume: it’s about the extended out-breath (the physical act of laughing). 

Finally, these exercises can also be done seated. If you’re new to exercise, it’s best to seek medical advice first. Listen to your body: you don’t want to hurt yourself.

The Laughie

Do you have a mobile phone with a camera? Most people do. Try the Laughie. Laugh Intentionally Everyday.

To my mind, the Laughie has been a game-changer. It was originally developed by psychologist Dr Freda Gonot-Schoupinsky as a low-risk, no-cost tool enabling a bit more laughter in the day for better health and wellbeing. Gonot-Schoupinksy’s research participants reported sleeping better, feeling more relaxed and laughing more after just 7 days of following her regimen. Others have gone on to commercialise a great initial idea but you can DIY (I do!).  Here’s how:

• Use the video and ‘selfie’ functions on your phone camera and record yourself laughing for 60 seconds.
• Review that recording twice more during the day, laughing along.
• Maintain as a daily practice with a new recording every day.

Self-directed laughter exercises

I do a sequence of laughter exercises alone at home.

Deep breathe

Raise your arms above your head, inhale and hold your breath for 3-5 seconds. Then slowly bend your body from the waist, let your arms dangle, and sigh out loudly. Repeat a few times, replacing the exhalation for a laugh.

Smiling Shrug

Take a deep slow long breath in through the nose, lifting your shoulders in an exaggerated shrug. Exhale through the mouth with a strong ‘Haaaa’ as the shoulders drop. Repeat a few times, turning the exhalation into a laugh, a little more every time.

Laughter cream

Laughter cream’s action is like tapping therapy, with laughter. Rub your hands together, feel the warmth and then, beginning at the top of your head, tap over your body, gently laughing. Remember – ear lobes, underarms, elbows, backs of knees. Imagine you are applying ‘laughter lotion’ just as you may cover yourself in moisturiser or sun screen. Gently apply extra to parts of the body that feel ‘ouchy’. (Idea: you could do this while having a shower)

Mental floss laugh

 This is another of my daily laughs.

Imagine that you have wrapped a thread of dental floss between your fingers. Now imagine threading the floss between your ears to clear out the ‘stinking thinking’ that can build up, like dental plaque, in the mind. Jiggle it around, to and fro, while laughing. Make it thorough!  Then throw the ‘floss’ and the worries away.

Silent laughter

Keep your mouth wide open and laugh without the sound. Imagine you are in a library or church, where it would be really inappropriate to burst out laughing. Try with your mouth closed too.

Finger play

I’ve been known to do this one when waiting for an appointment (dentist particularly). I tap my pointer finger to my thumb, followed by middle finger, ring finger and pinkie – saying to myself ‘Ho’ with every tap. Then I backtrack, ring finger, middle finger and pointer to thumb ‘Ha,ha,ha’. And repeat. It’s subtly done, the sound in my head – and no other thoughts are happening while I do it, least of all anxiety about potential fillings 😉

On hold on the phone

When I’m on the phone, on hold, hearing “your call is important, you’ve progressed in the queue”, I celebrate by chanting ‘Very Good Very Good YAY’ every time that message plays. It defuses any sense of frustration that could be mounting as I w-a-i-t and w-a-i-t and w-a-i-t!

Caught at red lights in the traffic

Next time you’re driving and stop at a red light, stare at that crimson circle and start to chuckle. Let the mirth flow. Laugh for as long as the traffic light impedes your flow. As soon as the light changes to green, stop laughing, take a deep breath and continue with your journey. You’re giving your full attention to the driving task at hand. Laughing at red lights for an entire journey can leave you feeling relaxed instead of tense and frustrated.

For my rural and remote country friends for whom traffic lights aren’t part of everyday travel, there’s bound to be roadwork or cattle or sheep showing down your journey!

It takes practice and a bit of determination to laugh alone for well-being. It is easier when in company.

The emergence of online laughter clubs during COVID-19 means you no longer need to have a laughter club geographically handy to laugh with others. Just jump online. There are free or low-cost laughter clubs most days of the week, delivered by Australian laughter leaders – and if their offerings don’t work for you, look internationally.

Pop keywords like ‘online laughter clubs’ into your favourite search engine to find out about virtual sessions to boost mood, reduce stress and create connection.

I hope this blog inspires you to laugh for health and wellbeing – even if you are on your own.

(c) 2026

HeatherJoy Campbell is an Australian-based global ambassador of Laughter Yoga International. She’s the lead trainer of ‘laughter leaders’ in Queensland, delivers laughter yoga wellbeing sessions and workshops in workplaces, community centres and aged care, and runs two laughter clubs as givebacks to her community.