在圍牆內尋找笑聲——讀《監獄大笑瑜珈》有感

閱讀報告：在圍牆內尋找笑聲——讀 Dr. Kataria 的〈Laughter Yoga for Prisoners〉

拿起 Dr. Kataria 這篇〈Laughter Yoga for Prisoners: Transforming Lives Behind Bars〉的時候，我第一反應是好奇。監獄？大笑瑜珈？這兩個詞擺在一起，總覺得有點違和。監獄給人的印象是嚴肅、壓抑、鐵窗和制服，大笑卻是放鬆、奔放、甚至有點傻氣的。把它們放在一起，到底是什麼玩法？

讀完之後，我發現自己原先的想像太狹窄了。我一直以為大笑瑜珈必須要有一班人圍在一起，嘻嘻哈哈面對面才能成事。但這篇文章讓我想起自己的經驗——我參加的是線上大笑瑜珈，對著電腦螢幕，與一群從未見過面的參與者一起「哈哈哈」。起初覺得自己像個傻子，但幾次之後，我發現即使沒有實體接觸，笑聲還是有感染力的。隔著螢幕，聽到其他人的笑聲，自己的假笑慢慢就變成真笑。這讓我明白，文章裡提到的「身體分不清真笑和假笑」是真的，而且這個機制並不需要面對面才能啟動。

Dr. Kataria 在文章裡點出一個殘酷的事實：囚犯比普通人更容易有心理健康問題。這本來不難理解，但當他提到隔離感、孤獨、絕望，甚至類似創傷後壓力症候群的症狀時，我才意識到自己過去對「監禁」的理解太表面。我以為失去自由就是最大的懲罰，但原來更深層的傷害是心理層面的——一個人被從社會中抽走，被放在一個陌生、封閉、缺乏信任的環境，那種孤獨感是很難想像的。

然而這篇文章沒有停留在描述問題，而是提出一個相當大膽的解決方案：大笑瑜珈。

最讓我印象深刻的是，Dr. Kataria 強調大笑瑜珈不依賴笑話或幽默。這點非常關鍵。在監獄裡，你很難提供喜劇電影或棟篤笑（stand-up comedy）給囚犯，資源有限，環境也不允許。但大笑瑜珈只需要呼吸和模仿，無論你身在哪裡，都可以做。這讓我想到自己在家對著電腦做的經驗——我沒有笑話可聽，沒有喜劇可看，純粹是靠著動作和呼吸，然後「迫」自己笑。起初很彆扭，但慢慢就放開了。

文章提到幾個好處，我自己在線上大笑瑜珈的經驗裡，也有類似感受。例如情緒釋放這點，我每次做完都會覺得胸口輕鬆了些，本來悶悶的感覺會減輕。雖然我沒有文章裡囚犯的那種深層創傷，但日常工作、生活累積的小壓力和煩躁，確實在大笑之後變得沒那麼沉重。文章說大笑可以降低皮質醇，我不知道自己的皮質醇是不是真的下降了，但那種輕鬆感是真實的。

另外，文章談到社會連結的部分，我也很有感觸。線上大笑瑜珈的參與者來自不同地方，大家素未謀面，但在練習過程中，你會聽到彼此的笑聲，看到大家做同一組動作，那種「我們正在一起做同一件事」的感覺，確實會減少孤單。我猜對囚犯來說，這種連結感應該更強烈——他們身處孤立環境，能與他人建立信任和合作關係，本身就是一種療癒。

文章其中一個重點是「重新編程潛意識」。這說法聽起來有點玄，但他提出的機制其實很科學：重複的行為會建立新的神經路徑。如果一個人每天習慣憤怒、焦慮、負面思考，那些神經路徑就會很發達。反之，如果每天練習大笑、放鬆，慢慢就會改變思維慣性。我自己的經驗是，持續參加幾次線上大笑瑜珈之後，我發現自己在日常生活中更容易笑，對小事沒那麼容易煩躁。這不是一夜之間的改變，但確實有分別。

當然，我必須承認，我的線上大笑瑜珈經驗和監獄裡的處境，根本是兩回事。我可以自由選擇參加或退出，想笑就笑，不想笑也沒人強迫我。但囚犯呢？他們可能在一個強制、封閉的環境裡，被迫參與某些活動。文章沒有深入討論這一點，但我認為值得思考：大笑瑜珈的效果，是否會因為參與者的「自願性」而有所不同？如果一個人心裡充滿抗拒，勉強去笑，那笑還是真的嗎？還是說，即使勉強，身體機制依然會起作用？

Dr. Kataria 的觀點似乎是傾向後者——身體分不清真假，所以即使一開始是假笑，生理效果依然存在。我個人傾向相信這個說法，因為我最初參加線上大笑瑜珈時也是半信半疑，但身體的反應騙不了人。做完之後那種放鬆感，不是裝出來的。

總括來說，這篇文章給我的啟發是：笑不一定要有理由，也不一定要等開心才笑。笑可以是一種選擇，一種工具，甚至一種練習。對囚犯來說，它可能是重新找回自己、重建信心的一條路。對我這種普通城市人來說，它就是一個既簡單又實用的減壓方法。

Dr. Kataria 把監獄比喻為「轉化的中心」，而不是純粹的懲罰場所，這個視角很動人。圍牆之內的人需要的不是更多的懲罰，而是更多的希望。笑聲可能無法拆掉圍牆，但至少可以讓圍牆裡面的人，心裡寬敞一點。

Reading Report: Finding Laughter Behind Walls – A Reflection on Dr. Kataria's "Laughter Yoga for Prisoners"**

When I picked up Dr. Kataria's article "Laughter Yoga for Prisoners: Transforming Lives Behind Bars," my first reaction was curiosity. Prison? Laughter yoga? These two words together felt a bit strange. Prisons give people an impression of seriousness, oppression, iron bars, and uniforms. Laughter, on the other hand, feels relaxed, free, and even a little silly. Putting them together – what is that about?

After reading it, I realised my initial imagination was too narrow. I always thought laughter yoga required a group of people sitting together face to face, laughing and joking around. But this article reminded me of my own experience – I joined online laughter yoga. I sat in front of a computer screen, laughing "ha ha ha" with a group of people I had never met. At first I felt like a fool. But after a few sessions, I found that even without physical contact, laughter is still contagious. Through the screen, hearing others laugh, my fake laughter slowly turned into real laughter. This made me understand that what the article said – "the body cannot tell the difference between real and fake laughter" – is true, and this mechanism does not require face-to-face interaction to work.

Dr. Kataria pointed out a harsh fact in the article: prisoners are more likely to have mental health problems than ordinary people. This is not hard to understand, but when he mentioned isolation, loneliness, hopelessness, and even symptoms similar to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), I realised my understanding of "imprisonment" was too superficial. I thought losing freedom was the biggest punishment, but the deeper harm is psychological – a person is taken away from society, placed in a strange, closed environment without trust. That kind of loneliness is hard to imagine.

However, this article does not stop at describing the problem. It offers a rather bold solution: laughter yoga.

What impressed me most was that Dr. Kataria emphasised that laughter yoga does not rely on jokes or humour. This is a key point. In prison, it is hard to provide comedy films or stand-up comedy to inmates. Resources are limited and the environment does not allow it. But laughter yoga only needs breathing and imitation. You can do it anywhere. This reminded me of my experience at home in front of the computer – I had no jokes to hear, no comedies to watch. I just relied on movements and breathing, and "forced" myself to laugh. It felt awkward at first, but gradually I let go.

The article mentioned several benefits, and I felt similar things in my online laughter yoga experience. For example, emotional release – after each session, I felt lighter in my chest, and the heavy feeling would ease. Although I do not have the deep trauma that prisoners have, the small stresses and irritations from daily work and life did feel less heavy after laughing. The article said laughter reduces cortisol. I do not know if my cortisol really went down, but that relaxed feeling was real.

Also, the part about social connection resonated with me. Online laughter yoga participants come from different places. We have never met each other. But during the practice, you hear each other's laughter and see everyone doing the same movements. That feeling of "we are doing the same thing together" does reduce loneliness. I guess for prisoners, this sense of connection would be even stronger – they are in an isolated environment, and being able to build trust and cooperation with others is itself a form of healing.

One of the key points in the article is "reprogramming the subconscious mind." This sounds a bit mystical, but the mechanism he proposes is quite scientific: repeated behaviour creates new neural pathways. If a person is used to anger, anxiety, and negative thinking every day, those neural pathways become strong. On the other hand, if you practise laughing and relaxing every day, your thinking habits slowly change. From my own experience, after joining online laughter yoga a few times, I found myself laughing more easily in daily life and getting less annoyed by small things. It was not an overnight change, but there was a difference.

Of course, I must admit that my online laughter yoga experience and the situation in prison are completely different. I can choose freely to join or quit. I can laugh if I want, and no one forces me if I do not. But what about prisoners? They might be in a forced, closed environment, required to join certain activities. The article did not discuss this in depth, but I think it is worth considering: does the effectiveness of laughter yoga depend on whether participants join voluntarily? If a person resists inside and forces a laugh, is that laugh real? Or does the body mechanism still work even if it is forced?

Dr. Kataria's view seems to lean towards the latter – the body cannot tell the difference between real and fake, so even if the laughter is fake at first, the physical effects still exist. I personally lean towards believing this, because when I first joined online laughter yoga, I was also doubtful. But my body's response did not lie. The relaxation I felt afterwards was not something I could fake.

In summary, the inspiration I got from this article is: laughter does not need a reason, and you do not have to wait until you are happy to laugh. Laughter can be a choice, a tool, or even a practice. For prisoners, it might be a path to rediscovering themselves and rebuilding confidence. For an ordinary city person like me, it is simply a simple and practical way to reduce stress.

Dr. Kataria describes prison as a "centre for transformation" rather than just a place of punishment. This perspective is moving. What people behind the walls need is not more punishment, but more hope. Laughter may not be able to tear down the walls, but at least it can make the hearts of those inside feel a little more spacious.

大家喜歡這篇 "大笑瑜珈” 的文章嗎? 如果喜歡的話，希望你能夠點讚、分享給有需要的朋友。

Do you like this article about Laughter Yoga? If you do, I hope you can give it a like and share it with friends in need.

**Dr. Kataria 的線上 "大笑瑜珈” 是不收取任何費用的，而且是每周定期進行。

Dr. Kataria's online Laughter Yoga sessions are completely free of charge and take place regularly every week.

了解更多 >> https://www.laughteryoga.org/zoom-laughter-club/

大笑瑜珈寫作課-海綿篇 / LY study sharing

https://laughter-yoga-knowledge.blogspot.com/

大笑瑜伽寫作課-樂圖篇 / Ly comic

https://laugh-yoga-hk.blogspot.com/

文. 東加豆 / tonkabean

https://tonkabean.me/

2026年 6月

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