Hi, I'm Trish
I have always been a person who laughs readily. When I was a pupil at school, I was, on more than one occasion, asked to leave the classroom when enjoying a fit of the giggles. I just could not stop laughing.
In 2011, life presented me with a number of challenges which resulted in me finding myself with very few opportunities to laugh. In January 2011, I emigrated from South Africa to New Zealand to be with a man I had met whilst travelling in 2009 and had fallen madly in love with. I arrived in Christchurch one month before the major earthquake which marked the start of a series of quakes and after-shocks which went on for months.
The relationship for which I had left my family, my pets, my friends and my culture back in South Africa fell very short of expectation. As well as coping with the emotional upheaval of emigrating, I was also faced with the trauma of a failed relationship.
I was grateful to have a job, but my employer was a bully and I was badly exploited. However, without NZ residency (my passport was in the NZ Immigration office in Cathedral Square which was badly hit by the February 2011 earthquake), I had no choice but to stay and tolerate it.
It was during these dark times, when I was in tears almost all day and all night, with absolutely no joy in my life, that I was introduced to Laughter Yoga. I am convinced this saved me as, from my very first session, I felt like I had “come home”. For 45 minutes each week, I could be myself – free of inhibitions and able to just laugh. I looked forward to it with eager anticipation each week and loved it so much that, in 2013, I became a Certified Laughter Yoga Leader and, together with a group of other leaders, started a mid-week Laughter Club.
In 2017, I attended a refresher Laughter Yoga Training Course in Auckland.
In 2011, life presented me with a number of challenges which resulted in me finding myself with very few opportunities to laugh. In January 2011, I emigrated from South Africa to New Zealand to be with a man I had met whilst travelling in 2009 and had fallen madly in love with. I arrived in Christchurch one month before the major earthquake which marked the start of a series of quakes and after-shocks which went on for months.
The relationship for which I had left my family, my pets, my friends and my culture back in South Africa fell very short of expectation. As well as coping with the emotional upheaval of emigrating, I was also faced with the trauma of a failed relationship.
I was grateful to have a job, but my employer was a bully and I was badly exploited. However, without NZ residency (my passport was in the NZ Immigration office in Cathedral Square which was badly hit by the February 2011 earthquake), I had no choice but to stay and tolerate it.
It was during these dark times, when I was in tears almost all day and all night, with absolutely no joy in my life, that I was introduced to Laughter Yoga. I am convinced this saved me as, from my very first session, I felt like I had “come home”. For 45 minutes each week, I could be myself – free of inhibitions and able to just laugh. I looked forward to it with eager anticipation each week and loved it so much that, in 2013, I became a Certified Laughter Yoga Leader and, together with a group of other leaders, started a mid-week Laughter Club.
In 2017, I attended a refresher Laughter Yoga Training Course in Auckland.