A new phenomenon in yoga has begun with laughter yoga. Started by a doctor from India who believed in the saying ‘laughter is the best medicine’, followers and teachers are popping up all over the world. Some people have heard of it as ‘laughing yoga.’

You might ask ‘how do you do laughter yoga’? Is there really laughing all the time? How much yoga is involved? To get the information from the source, visit http://www.laughteryoga.org – a website created by the laughter yoga founder himself, Dr. Kataria.

What is Involved
In a nutshell, during sessions, different methods of inducing laughter are used. Sessions sometimes start off with beginning exercises of clapping, breathing and chanting ‘ho ho ha ha ha’, or some form of laughter related chant. Actions are sometimes used, arm movements and mingling between participants. It doesn’t seem to take long before forced laughter becomes real and contagious.

Laughter has been associated with many good things happening in the body. Stress and laughter are opposites, says Kataria. While a person is laughing, they cannot at the same moment experience stress.

Besides the mental benefits, there are physical ones too. Laughing exercises many muscles in the body. Breathing also becomes different during laughter – more air goes through the lungs in different ways. Stress can cause us to breathe differently, and often lessens the amount of air we take into the lungs.

Even fake laughter is apparently beneficial, a study by a psychologist has shown. The body doesn’t discern between fake and real laughter. There are benefits to artificially laughing.

Check it Out
Check to see if there is a group in your area by using the international directory of clubs and teachers on Dr. Kataria’s website. You’ll be surprised at how many there really are. If you live in an urban area, chances are there is more than one club in your area.

There is usually a reason for a new phenomenon’s popularity. In our world of fast paces and high stress, taking the time to laugh is probably a very good thing.