22/05/2026
Can 45 minutes of playfulness completely shift the energy of a room? The short answer: Yes! Because our bodies always tell the Truth.
I was recently invited to run a laughter and somatic movement session at the Tuberous Sclerosis Association's annual conference—Outlook.
For 45 minutes, we dove into breath work, sounding, and gentle movement. The goal? To give the delegates a sense of playfulness, fun, freedom of expression and connection.
Why does this work? Breath work and somatic movement incorporating sounding (humming, laughing, sighing) act like a remote control for our autonomic nervous system. It allows us to:
⚡ Discharge built-up stress and tension (Sympathetic fight/flight)
🌱 Mobilise out of low energy and brain fog (Parasympathetic slump)
🧠 Leave feeling that glorious combination of energized, calm, and clear.
When we regulate our nervous systems together, we don't just feel better individually—we connect deeper collectively.
I loved watching this room light up!
'We really enjoyed Ruth’s session, the smiling faces said it all! You could feel the lightened mood in the room afterwards and I think it helped everyone feel more at ease and connected... We appreciated Ruth’s calm approach and the sensitivity she showed.' (Maisie, Support and Information Officer, TSA)
💼 Bringing this to your team or event: If you are planning a conference, corporate wellness day, or team retreat and want to move people from stress, burnout and fatigue to connection, drop me a DM or head to www.ruthheatherley.com/living-well-with-laughter
