THERE is an old adage that says laughter is the best medicine. It is mostly true since laughter is known to be a great stress reliever.

In 1995, Dr Madan Kataria, a family physician from Mumbai, India, came up with the first Laughter Club. Combining simple yoga breathing techniques and stretches, these classes get people to laugh out loud as a form of De-stressing.

There are now over 6,000 Laughter Clubs in some 60 countries.

On Sept 20, mYoga officially launched its Laughing Fit classes based on the same principles of Madan’s Laughter Clubs.

The classes are designed to help participants improve their blood circulation, relieve stress and boost their immune system through a series of stretching, breathing and special laughing exercises.

During a preview session of a Laughing Fit class, laughing instructor Cheryl Lim said: “I always burst out in spontaneous laughter. That is why I want to give this therapy a try.”

Lim is already a certified yoga instructor. A chance meeting with Madan in Hong Kong in July prompted her to take up a course in laughing yoga under Madan himself.

“When you have a really hearty laugh, it increases your heart rate and also releases endorphins into the body,” said Lim.

Endorphins, which are produced naturally by the body, are released during vigorous exercises like jogging. They result in the runner getting a high, an almost euphoric feeling. “You are also practicing certain yoga breathing and stretching exercises without knowing it,” said Lim.

Participants start out by forcing themselves to laugh aloud. Eventually, they will find themselves laughing naturally.

Lim said another good thing about these exercises is that they are a great ice-breaker with people who start out as strangers but eventually mingling together as friends. That’s what happens when people laugh together.

They also empower those who are shy to be a little more assertive.

The session begins with simple stretches and breathing exercises. This is then followed by simple laughing, clapping and rhythmic laughs and cheers. It also includes a kooky chicken dance which really encourages you to laugh aloud.

The third stage involves more laugh techniques such as the teh tarik laugh, spicy curry laugh, credit card bill laugh and laughing lion (inspired by a yoga technique).

Lim said that laughing yoga has no impact on joints but it does have pressure on the abdomen. Therefore, people who have a heart condition, high blood pressure, chronic back conditions, suffer from piles or recently undergone surgery are not encouraged to take part as well as pregnant women.

Source: The Sun Daily