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HappyNess: Inverness at centre of first ever Scottish laughing championships

The event is seeking Scots with infectious giggles to enter the first ever laughing championships.

Natalie Gilray laughing.
Natalie Gilray is asking people with the best laughs to enter her competition. Image: Natalie Gilray.

A search had been launched to find the best laugh in the nation.

Whether it is a little French hee haw, or a laughing your socks off moment, organisers want you to give it your all for a competition that aims to improve the wellbeing of participants.

Inverness-based Laughter Yoga leader Natalie Gilray and expat Duncan Cook, a Laughter Yoga master, are hosting the first ever Laughing Championship on April 30.

The contest is on Zoom, starting at 7pm, and all you need to do to join is enter your laugh into the competition by April 29.

Natalie Gilray, a Happyness advocate from Inverness, mid-laughter.
Natalie Gilray, a happy-Ness advocate from Inverness, is on hunt for Scots with infectious giggles to enter the Scottish Laughing Championship. Image: Natalie Gilray.

Ms Gilray said: “In Scotland, we love to laugh, and we are not afraid to laugh at ourselves – which is perfect, as we are looking for Scots with the most infectious laugh to enter the first ever Scottish Laughing Championship.”

Fun challenges at Scottish Laughing Championship

Contestants will compete in a series of fun laughter challenges.

The last contestant standing – and laughing – will be crowned the Nation’s Laughing Champion.

They will go forward to represent Scotland at The World Laughing Championship on Sunday May 21.

Ms Gilroy, a happy-Ness yoga coach, said the goal of the championship is to “to create more contagious laughter in the world and to elevate the pursuit of joy and happiness.”

She added: “Did you know your body doesn’t know the difference between pretend laughter and real laughter?

“Fake, real – doesn’t matter you are still gaining all those amazing health benefits.

“To enter it is so easy take a film of yourself laughing for one minute. Not everyone finds it easy to laugh on queue.

“Sometimes it is good to think of something funny and just laugh.

“I take a deep breath in first through the nose, and exhale through the mouth and the next time breathe in through the nose and then just laugh. ”

Health benefits of laughter yoga

Laughter yoga is a popular movement across the world.

It uses breathing exercises to cultivate joy, to bring out your inner child, and help practitioners let go of daily life stress.

Laughter yoga has grown from one small group in Mumbai, India to more than 5,000 clubs worldwide.

Advocates claim it relieves stress and reduces your risk of chronic disease, you may wonder whether it really works.

To enter the competition, upload a one-minute video of yourself laughing to the group’s Facebook page.

Contestants must be over 18 and resident in Scotland. Entry will remain open until Saturday April 29.

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