What is Laughter Yoga?

Laughter Yoga is based on the simple, yet profound idea that anyone can laugh at any time for no reason at all. It is a body-mind approach that does not rely on jokes, humor or comedy. It initiates laughter as a form of group exercise and as the session progresses the laughter becomes contagious and real.

Laughter yoga incorporates gentle stretching, repetitive clapping and chanting with breathing and laughter. It is a physically oriented technique that uses a powerful blend of playful, empowering and stress reducing laughter and breathing exercises.

Why is it called Yoga?

The reason we call it Laughter "Yoga" is because it combines laughter exercises with Yogic breathing. The deep breathing brings more oxygen to the body and the brain and makes us feel healthier and more energized. It does not require physical flexibility, as it does not involve yoga positions.

Who developed the idea?

A medical doctor from India, Dr. Madan Kataria and his Yoga teacher wife, Madhuri, started the idea of Laughter Yoga clubs in 1995 with only 5 people in a park in Mumbai, India. The revolutionary concept that Dr. Kataria discovered is that the body cannot distinguish between real or "fake" laughter and that the beneficial effects occur either way. Today the idea has spread to 60 countries on all 5 continents, with over 6,000 laughter clubs!

Laughter Yoga has been featured on CNN, ABC News, Oprah Winfrey, Discovery Channel, Dancing with the Stars, Good Morning America, NPR, Time magazine, the Wall Street Journal, National Geographic magazine, and many other major TV, radio, internet and print media.

What are the benefits of laughter yoga?

• Reduces stress. Stress is the number 1 killer in America. 70% of all illnesses are linked to stress.
• Boosts the Immune System, which is the key to maintaining good health.
• Massages our internal organs.
• Provides aerobic benefits as it raises the heart rate and uses stomach muscles.
• Encourages deep breathing, which oxygenates and enriches our blood.
• Releases endorphins, which foster a sense of wellbeing.
• Gives us a key to releasing the innate joy and power of happiness within.
• Laughter makes it easier to cope with life and it's challenges.
• Laughter allows us to bring perspective to a situation.
• It is the ultimate "feel good" drug as it releases serotonin and has no negative side effects.
• It is easy, inexpensive and powerful.
• Regular use helps reprogram negative responses and emotions into positive ones.

What if I don't feel like laughing?

"Bring your body to the laughter and your body will know what to do."
-Dr. Madan Kataria

Simulated laughter is based on the premise that "motion creates the emotion" and that acting joyfully will actually make us feel more joyful. It is a physical process that is independent of the minds desire or inclination to laugh.

In Laughter Yoga, we laugh as a form of exercise in a group. The laughter is contagious and even if we fake it at first, the laughter soon becomes genuine. It's a scientific fact that the body doesn't know the difference between "fake" and real laughter, so either way one still derives all of the extensive health benefits.