Kellie Bellies stretches your smiling muscles with laughter yoga

Laughter yoga has launched in the Illawarra, with the quirky craze ditching the downward dog and bringing uplifting energy to spread smiles and positivity.

Kellie Pearce just radiates joy.

The IT worker from Figtree, who has earned the nickname ‘Sparkles’, has been a positive person as long as she can remember and has embraced life to the fullest since undergoing an operation for a hole in her heart at just three years old.

“My sister remembers me after my operation out on the dance floor; no-one was going to stop me having fun,” Kellie said. “I think it was just inbuilt in me.

“Sometimes when things happen in your life it becomes a blessing in disguise because you just treat life very differently.”

But despite her infectious exuberance, Kellie started feeling the stress of the daily slog and tried to find a greater purpose and way to give back to her community.

That’s when she discovered laughter yoga.

“When it came up, I thought this is it, this is what I’m meant to do; this is my purpose,” Kellie said.

“I think it is something special, even though it’s a bit left field and might sound a bit crazy, I don’t care. Bring it on. This is what brings me joy and I’m going to bring joy to others.”

After delays with moving to and from the South Coast, a health battle, work and family commitments, a pandemic and just life in general, last September she officially launched Kellie Bellies Laughter.

The classes blend a mix of Kellie’s laughter yoga training, along with skills she has picked up from speech therapy and even a course in manifesting.

And there’s no need for flexibility because the only thing you’ll be stretching is your smile.

“It’s a form of laughing yoga, but there’s no yoga moves whatsoever,” Kellie said.

“It’s like make-believe – you do playful activities. For example, you pretend you have mental floss in your ears or you’re putting face cream on but it’s actually laughter cream and so you laugh.”

She said it was a rare opportunity for adults to embrace joyfulness and escape the pressures of the day-to-day.

“We’re bogged down; we’re stressed; we’ve got to get this done; we’ve got to get that done; we’re not playing; we’re not having fun.”

“Even though we’re fake laughing, it actually turns into real laughter. As soon as someone laughs you know that you want to laugh as well.”

The program is said to not just lift your spirit but also improve your health by reducing anxiety and even helping your nervous and circulatory systems.

“Mainly it is really good for your mental health,” Kellie said.

“And what I’m trying to do is not just have a class, I’m trying to have a community of connection.”

Each 30-minute class starts off with a vocal warm-up and tapping, followed by imaginative playfulness and finishing with meditation.

“They were standing there going, ‘What is this crazy lady going to make us do’ but by the end of it they were very relaxed and happy.

“You don’t need that much time to get some joy in your system.”

After launching last year, Kellie has seen the class slowly grow from word of mouth.

But she hoped that the idea would take off and one day fill an auditorium with participants.

“If I’ve got 100 people doing it and then they go away and are happy, they’re going to spread joy wherever they go as well.

“It’s just spreading happiness and joy; that’s what I want.”

But she’s grateful for every person she can reach.

“It’s just beautiful,” she said. “I’m just blessed that I’m doing this and able to bring joy and laughter to people as well as some health benefits.

“It warms my heart from the bottom all the way to the top, it really does.”

Classes run on Thursday evenings at Dapto Ribbonwood Centre; for more information or to book visit the Kellie Bellies Laughter website.