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Locals Learn About Laughter Yoga and Zentangle

Second Annual Community Health And Wellbeing Information Fair Hailed a Success

There was a whole lot of laughing happening at the second annual Community Health and Wellbeing Information Fair.

During Wednesday's event, locals were introduced to Laughter Yoga, which is a new form of stress relief being offered in Oxford County.

Instructor Gail Kavelman says it's a mixture of breathing, laughing and stretching.

"During a 45 minute class you would be participating in a number of exercises that bring you to laughter like shaking hands and laughing or high-fiving and laughing. It's hard to explain it, it's something people need to see. It's just laughing for the sake of laughing."

Kavelman says she runs a weekly class at the Ingersoll Public Library Tuesday nights at 6:45pm and will be starting a group in November at the Tillsonburg Public Library.

Health Fair participants also learned that all you need is a paper and pen for a state of complete relaxation.

That's the premise behind Zentangle, also known as Yoga for the Brain.

Instructor Brenda Shaver says it's the complete opposite of doodling because you are doing repetitive patterns.

"You're going from step one, two, three, four or five so it helps bring yourself inward, totally bring yourself into a mindfulness state."

Shaver says before she started Zentangle she was going through a rough spot in her life and couldn't sleep but once she started Yoga For the Brain she was fast asleep within a half an hour.

14 area agencies setting up booths at the Wellness Fair .

Community Health Outreach Worker Trevor McClelland says it's part of the National Canadian Health and Wellbeing Week.

"The whole idea is to work better together. Whether it's agencies working together, the community, individuals, it's community health. It's not about being well and absence of disease, it's about community wellbeing and that's what we're here for."

McClelland says more than 60 people attended this year's fair.

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