Love and laughter at the Pedya Kamp

MANILA, Philippines – Indeed, when it’s summertime and the livin’ is easy, for most students, it’s a time to take a much-awaited vacation by hitting the beach, or going to their provinces or to other local and foreign destinations to spend precious time with families and friends.

For the 250 Pedya Kamp volunteers, however, it is the time to have a rewarding, soul-satisfying, fulfilling vacation. For 10 Sundays right after the schoolyear ends, they dedicate their time for seminars and training on the different aspects of providing care for our disabled and special children.

Before embarking on their chosen destination, which for this year is Pili, Camarines Sur, the student volunteers undergo vigorous and hands-on training.

Since I founded and established Laughter Yoga Philippines in 2008, Pedya Kamp has been an eager partner of the advocacy. We happily set aside time for them every year, for how can we not be touched by the sacrifices, dedication and hard work of student volunteers to their advocacy at such a young age?

Dr. Art Libao, Pedya Kamp founder, always tell me,  Laughter Yoga is fondly and eagerly awaited by Pedya Kamp volunteers as it helps them a great deal in coping with the emotional, mental, physical, and even spiritual challenges that go with their chosen advocacies.

As PK volunteer Argie Marie Valencia wrote, “Everytime I attend the PK seminar/training, it is a must to attend your Laughter Yoga. It’s so enjoyable and relieves me of stress.”

To add spice and variety every Laughter Yoga session, I endeavor to introduce new exercises and cite new researches/inputs, especially for those who have been joining Pedya Kamp activities.

In addition, new deep breathing techniques and exercises are shared and done with them happily to help them to de-stress, stay cool, calm, relaxed – as they face the rigors and challenges of their chosen, self-assigned tasks.

PK member Romulo Arenga and Ann Joquin shared: “LYoga is very entertaining, heart-whelming, and helpful in relieving stress.”

As Jhammie Rubio, Jennifer Magbanua, Quennie Castillo and many others attest, “Laughter Yoga session is so much fun, very entertaining, uplifting, it lightens up the mood. “Hoho, hahaha” complete with waist-bending, rigorous body movement made them really perspire.

Laughter Yoga is a body exercise that can burn as much as 300 calories per session. Just 10 minutes of hearty laughter is like doing cardio workout on a rowing machine for 30 minutes. Laughter Yoga exercises such as Double Handshake, Juice-Shake, Laughter Pill, Aches and Pains Laughter, etc. sent the Pedya Kamp volunteers rolling with almost non-stop roaring laughter. 

At the end of the Laughter Yoga session, as we all sat on the floor, the volunteers sang a very touching song that they had composed for our special and disabled children. The title of the song was “Hulog ng Langit”.

Interacting with the very energetic and dedicated student volunteers who willingly give up summer vacation to help and train our special and disabled children in far-away places is indeed a fulfilling, heart-warming experience. They form fragments of happy memories that are etched in my heart and soul. Hoho, hahaha!

Note: Today, in celebration of Philippine Air Lines’ 75th anniversary, a Laughter Yoga session will be conducted for their executives and employees. Let’s laugh to a healthy, happy, positive us!