9 Lessons from 9 Years of Serious Laughter

Nine years ago, I stepped into the world of Laughter Yoga not as someone who had it all figured out, but as someone who desperately needed to find a way through depression. I certainly didn’t imagine that this path would lead me to shake hands with the Head of the Medical Household to HM King Charles III, or that I’d spend my days helping others discover that they don’t need to feel happy to laugh.

As I reflect on these nine years of Serious Laughter, I want to share the lessons that have shaped not just my business but my understanding of what it means to truly make a difference in people’s lives.

1. There Will Always Be Sceptics. It’s My Job to Convert Them Gently

I’ll never forget the workshop where someone said loudly to their colleague, “This is stupid.” My heart sank for a moment, but I’ve learnt that scepticism isn’t rejection – it’s often protection. People put up walls around things they don’t understand, especially when those things ask them to be vulnerable.

By the end of that same session, that very person came up to me and admitted they’d really enjoyed it. They didn’t need me to convince them with words. The experience itself – the shift in how their body felt, the lightness they hadn’t expected – did the converting. My role is to create a safe space and trust the process.

Every time I face a room full of crossed arms and uncertain faces, I remember: I was once sceptical too. I understand that doubt. And that empathy is my greatest tool in gently opening doors.

2. It’s Imperative to Keep Looking at the Hundreds of Testimonials Received from Clients. We Make an Incredible Positive Impact on Lives

On the difficult days – and there are difficult days – I open my testimonials folder. Not out of ego, but out of necessity. When self-doubt whispers that this work doesn’t matter, or when I’m exhausted from giving so much of myself, those words from clients remind me why I do this.

We make an incredible positive impact on lives. Not sometimes. Not occasionally. Consistently. The evidence is there in black and white, in the voices of people who took a chance on something unusual and found relief they didn’t know was possible.

These testimonials are fuel not just feedback. They remind me that even on days when I feel like I’m making no difference at all, somewhere out there someone is sleeping better, laughing a little louder, feeling a little lighter because of this work, reflecting on the memory of a Laughter Yoga session with an inner smile.

3. The Body Doesn’t Know the Difference Between Fake and Real Laughter – And That’s Transformative

This scientific truth is at the heart of everything we do, but it never ceases to amaze me when I see it in action. I once worked with a client who had a persistently low white blood cell count. After practising Laughter Yoga regularly, their levels increased. Their doctor was surprised; I wasn’t.

The same client also shared something unexpected – the practice had helped with sensory issues in the shower, something that had troubled them for years. The body’s response to laughter, even simulated laughter, creates fundamental physiological changes. It reduces stress hormones, boosts immune function, and rewires our nervous system’s response to discomfort.

You don’t need to feel joyful to benefit from laughter. You need to be willing to try. The feelings often follow the physical act, rather than the other way around.

4. Sometimes the Loudest Sceptic Becomes Your Greatest Advocate

That person who declared the workshop “stupid” taught me something invaluable: resistance often masks fear or discomfort with the unfamiliar. When we create space for people to have their scepticism without judgement, something magical can happen.

I’ve learnt not to take initial reactions personally. Instead, I watch for the moment – and there’s nearly always a moment – when someone’s shoulders drop, when a genuine smile breaks through, when they forget to guard themselves and… participate.

Those converts, the ones who arrive with arms folded and leave with testimonials, often become the most passionate advocates. They’ve experienced the transformation firsthand, and that’s more powerful than anything I could ever say.

5. Royal Recognition Reminded Me That This Work Matters, Even When Self-Doubt Creeps In

When the Head of the Medical Household to HM The King shook my hand and asked, “Are you making a crust yet?” I was genuinely taken aback. Here was someone from the highest echelons of healthcare in the country, acknowledging what I do. Not dismissing it. Not questioning its validity. Asking if I was managing to sustain myself doing it.

That moment came at a time when I needed it most. Like many people running their own wellbeing businesses, I sometimes wonder if I’m really making enough of a difference to justify my continued efforts. Imposter syndrome is real, even after years of positive outcomes.

That brief conversation was a reminder that this work is seen, it’s valued, and it’s recognised as legitimate by people whose opinions carry weight in the medical world. It permitted me to take myself and my work seriously, even when others might not.

6. Small Shifts in Adults Create Ripples Through Entire Families

One of my most treasured stories involves a mum who came to Laughter Yoga feeling utterly distraught with her children. She was stuck in a cycle of frustration, as her children were misbehaving, and bedtimes had become a nightly battle that left everyone exhausted and upset.

After attending sessions, something shifted. She began to be more playful with her children. Not forcing it, not performing happiness she didn’t feel, but genuinely engaging with them in a different way. The result? Her children responded. They settled more easily. Bedtimes became less fraught.

She didn’t just change her own experience; she changed the entire dynamic of her household. This is what keeps me going – knowing that when we help one person find a bit more lightness and ease in their body and mind, it doesn’t stop with them. It ripples outward, touching everyone in their orbit.

7. Laughter Yoga Reaches People in Ways Traditional Therapies Sometimes Can’t

I would never suggest Laughter Yoga replaces other forms of support – it doesn’t and it shouldn’t. But I’ve witnessed time and again how it reaches people who might struggle with talking therapies, or who need something additional to their existing support.

There’s something about bypassing the need to articulate pain, to explain trauma, to make sense of depression through words. Laughter Yoga works with the body first. It doesn’t require you to analyse or understand your feelings. It simply invites you to breathe, to move, to make sounds, and to notice what happens.

For some people, especially those who’ve spent years trapped in their heads, this body-first approach is revelatory. It offers a different doorway into wellbeing, and sometimes that’s exactly what someone needs.

8. My Own Journey with Depression Isn’t a Weakness – It’s My Superpower for Connecting with Others

For years, I wondered if I should talk about my depression. Would it undermine people’s confidence in me? Would they think I wasn’t qualified to help them if I’d struggled myself?

The opposite has been true. When I share that I discovered Laughter Yoga through my own struggles, people tend to relax. They see that I genuinely understand scepticism, resistance, and the feeling that nothing will help. I’m not someone preaching from a place of perpetual positivity. I’m someone who’s been in the depths and found a tool that genuinely helped.

My depression gave me empathy, authenticity, and the ability to hold space for others who are struggling. It’s not despite my mental health journey that I can do this work effectively – it’s because of it.

9. Nine Years In, I’m Still Learning That Vulnerability and Joy Can Coexist

Perhaps the most important lesson is one I’m still learning. I used to think that to promote joy and laughter, I needed to have my own life in order, to be consistently happy, and to embody constant positivity.

What I’ve discovered instead is that my vulnerability makes the work more powerful, not less. I can deliver joyful workshops for others even on days when I’m struggling myself. The practice holds me as much as I hold space for others.

Laughter Yoga has taught me that we don’t need to wait until we’re healed, sorted, or “fixed” to experience moments of lightness. Joy isn’t something we earn through suffering or achieve through perfection. It’s something we can access right now, in this body, in this moment, regardless of what else is happening.

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As I look ahead to the next chapter of Serious Laughter, I carry these lessons with me. They’ve shaped how I work, how I connect with clients, and how I understand my own purpose.

To everyone who’s ever taken a chance on something as unusual as Laughter Yoga, who’s walked into a room with scepticism and walked out lighter – thank you. You’ve taught me as much as I’ve shared with you.

Here’s to the next nine years of learning, laughing, and making a difference, one breath at a time.

Sunny Turner is the founder of Serious Laughter and an FHT-accredited Laughter Yoga Teacher, Motivator, and Museum of Happiness Facilitator. She delivers workshops, training courses, and talks across Manchester, Cheshire, North Wales, and throughout the UK.

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