Chanting ho-ho-ha-ha-ha and fluttering around like snowflakes, Bill and Linda Hamaker were not impersonating Santa Claus, but leading a holiday-themed laughter yoga class.
For the conveniently named Hamakers, laughter is the gift they aim to give this holiday season through their laughter sessions. While the pair give their gift year round, they encourage participants at their Walpole Library classes every second Saturday to give the gift of food, donating a canned good to the Walpole Community Food Pantry as an entrance fee.
Started by Dr. Madan Kataria in 1995, laughter yoga is designed to help its students stay happy and healthy through laughter, whether fake or real. Though the practice does not fall under the typical definition of yoga- and no mats are required- participants believe laughter yoga holds many health benefits, including boosting the immune system, reducing stress and lowers blood pressure. Now, laughter clubs span 75 countries. The Hamakers, who say they brought the practice to the south of Boston, have been practicing for five years now, four of them as certified trainers.
With regular classes in Walpole, Sharon, Franklin and Westwood, Linda Hamaker said laughter is her form of giving, spreading cheer to the students.
"We think giving is very important. We do [laughter yoga] so we can give back to the world," she said.
Bill Hamaker said the laughter yoga classes are a chance to do good, casting somewhat of a karmic net. The good deed trickles down to the participants who benefit from the class, then pay it forward by bringing donations, and so on.
"I am fairly passionate about nature," he said. "[Laughter yoga] is just a general sense of doing something good."
Though this particular class only brought two participants, the Walpole Community Food Pantry Vice President Dianne Sullivan said any donation, large or small, helps.
"It’s all a personal type of deal," Sullivan said. "Some people can donate a little and some can donate more. We appreciate all our donations."
Many people tend to donate to food pantries during the holiday season, ending up in somewhat of a surplus at the Walpole pantry, but Sullivan said pantries need donations year round in order to keep a full stock for customers. Programs like the Hamakers’ laughter yoga, which asks for donations as the entry fee no matter what the season, encourage continuous giving.
Chanting ho-ho-ha-ha-ha and fluttering around like snowflakes, Bill and Linda Hamaker were not impersonating Santa Claus, but leading a holiday-themed laughter yoga class.
For the conveniently named Hamakers, laughter is the gift they aim to give this holiday season through their laughter sessions. While the pair give their gift year round, they encourage participants at their Walpole Library classes every second Saturday to give the gift of food, donating a canned good to the Walpole Community Food Pantry as an entrance fee.
Started by Dr. Madan Kataria in 1995, laughter yoga is designed to help its students stay happy and healthy through laughter, whether fake or real. Though the practice does not fall under the typical definition of yoga- and no mats are required- participants believe laughter yoga holds many health benefits, including boosting the immune system, reducing stress and lowers blood pressure. Now, laughter clubs span 75 countries. The Hamakers, who say they brought the practice to the south of Boston, have been practicing for five years now, four of them as certified trainers.
With regular classes in Walpole, Sharon, Franklin and Westwood, Linda Hamaker said laughter is her form of giving, spreading cheer to the students.
"We think giving is very important. We do [laughter yoga] so we can give back to the world," she said.
Bill Hamaker said the laughter yoga classes are a chance to do good, casting somewhat of a karmic net. The good deed trickles down to the participants who benefit from the class, then pay it forward by bringing donations, and so on.
"I am fairly passionate about nature," he said. "[Laughter yoga] is just a general sense of doing something good."
Though this particular class only brought two participants, the Walpole Community Food Pantry Vice President Dianne Sullivan said any donation, large or small, helps.
"It’s all a personal type of deal," Sullivan said. "Some people can donate a little and some can donate more. We appreciate all our donations."
Many people tend to donate to food pantries during the holiday season, ending up in somewhat of a surplus at the Walpole pantry, but Sullivan said pantries need donations year round in order to keep a full stock for customers. Programs like the Hamakers’ laughter yoga, which asks for donations as the entry fee no matter what the season, encourage continuous giving.
During the holidays, the Hamakers said, people tend to get stressed out. Last Saturday, as a snowstorm approached the area, Linda Hamaker worried attendance would be small. She spilled water on her newly printed flyers. Only two people showed up for the class. Despite the mounting problems, Linda Hamaker put a smile on and, of course, laughed.
"Laughter yoga has taught me to lighten up about life," she said.
During the class, the Hamakers took what might be stressful holiday situations for people, and made them funny. Bill Hamaker could not start his imaginary snow blower, taking many tries of sputtering laughter to get the make-believe machine started. Linda Hamaker touted her imaginary Christmas-card list, laughing about all the cards she had not yet sent out. Walpole resident Fiona Patterson laughed as she became tangled in fake Christmas decorations.
About the many stress-inducing situations one encounters in life, especially at this time of year, Patterson said laughter yoga helps her relax.
"You let everything stress you out first," Patterson said, " rather than taking a step back."
Patterson caught on to the Hamaker’s gift about six months ago, she said.
In addition to the relaxation benefits, Hamaker said she has not been sick in the five years her and her husband have been practicing. She said she has so far dodged the health problems that plague her family at her age, and has reduced her anxiety.
Something she finds very powerful, Linda Hamaker said her and her husband have helped others in the same way she found her self affected. Many with depression find laughter yoga helps heal them, Linda Hamaker said, and has even helped a friend with Multiple Sclerosis relieve their symptoms, something Bill Hamaker said moves his wife to tears.
"Laughter yoga was a gift to the world. When you’re laughing, you can’t do anything else," Linda Hamaker said. "It’s a gift you can give to yourself."
The Walpole Community Food Pantry accepts all non-perishable food items, personal care items like toilet paper and shampoo, and some fresh or frozen items. The most popular donations, Sullivan said, are canned meats and stews.
For more information on the Hamakers’ classes, visit their website at
www.letslaughtoday.com, or call 508-660-2223. Donations to the Walpole Community Food Pantry are accepted at Stop and Shop, Big Y, the Walpole Public Library, and at the Food Pantry at 1303 Washington Street on Thursdays between 9 and 11 a.m. To contact the food pantry, call 508-668-0106.
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