the laughter yoga teacher

Eleni Skrekou, laughter yoga teacher

We met Eleni in Thisseio and were attracted to her by her big smile and positive energy. A lively, spirited person, she is working as a laughter yoga teacher and also is participating in the Free Hugs campaign. We actually show her in action and shared a warm hug as well.

We asked her about fahion and the things she likes to wear. She said that she likes comfortable, colourful, joyful clothes, things that represent her mood. Her aim is to give a pleasant and positive image, to make people smile. "Colours represent our mood," she added "and I don't like the way in Athens wear so much black; especially in winter it's like seeing crowds of darkness walking around. I like to be a splash of colour in the crowd! Even on these black trousers I'm wearing I've sewn on happy words like 'love' in colourful threads to break the blackness."

We asked her if she has favourite clothes or accessories and replied that she loves Anna Theoharakis' jewellery, an artist based on Aegina island. "She makes everything by hand and uses fabrics and threads. I probably have been very affected by her work, her combination of colours, and now I can't live without her jewellery! When I go out without wearing colourful jewellery I feel as if something is missing. If I'm in a flat mood I find I don't feel like wearing any jewellery at all. Also I have a very comfortable jean-skirt that's hand-made and has colourful details and is below the knee. I like loose trousers like I'm wearing today and tops in bright block colours, rather than items that have lots of colours together. Several times I've been told that I look Indian because of my physical features but also because of the way I dress - and that was before I ever went to India too."

Her opinion about greek everyday fashion is that people should be more daring. "Although we live busy lives and taking time to choose what clothes to wear can be demanding, perhaps people should spend less time watching television and more on focussing on their personal expression. My mood is very affected by my clothes and I wish people would dare more to be themselves. Sometimes I like to feel like a rainbow in the way I dress and overdo it, but so what?!"