Intradialytic Laughter Yoga therapy for haemodialysis patients: A pre-post intervention feasibility study

Trained Laughter Yoga therapists will provide 12 sessions of laughter yoga over a four week period (3 sessions per week). Each session will run for a total of 30 minutes. Firstly breathing and stretching exercises for 10 minutes consisting of: Deep belly breathing; body stretching, arms and legs; gentle neck and shoulder stretches, for example turning the head to the right and left; smiling, for example: think of something pleasant and smile and loosening up the face muscles; throat/chest/belly laugh exercise. This part aims to teach participants how to breathe deeper and more effectively to enhance oxygenation levels; ie from a shallow style of breathing to slower, deeper breathing, with the laughter eventually coming from the core. The second ten minute section will consist of facilitated laughter exercises, in conjunction with chanting ho, ho, ho, ha, ha, ha, and (one hand) clapping or slapping of the thigh (10 minutes) Facilitated laughs in this order include: greeting laugh; handshaking with therapists, and waving to others; Mexican wave; aloha laugh which is synchronized as a group; triathlon laugh (combination of running, swimming, cycling laughs); clock watching laugh; shower laugh; brushing teeth laugh; cup of tea laugh. The final 10 minutes will consist of Laughter Meditation (10 minutes) where participants are guided through a laughter meditation consisting of: body relaxing; smiling and relaxing; giggle; freestyle laughter exercise; breathing and relaxing and ending with application of ‘laughter lotion’. Monitoring of adherence is attended to by documenting which participants undertook full intervention. Thisis straight forward as participants are all attending their usual dialysis sessions.