LAUGHING ALL THE WAY: Laughter clubs are mushrooming all over the city

HA HA HO HO!

People all over the world have discovered the benefits of laughter yoga, a trend which was first started in Mumbai, writes Glacxy Ferrao

    There is nothing like laughter to beat the blues and feel alive and zestful, as people all over the world who are attending laughter clubs have discovered to their delight. Laughter also works your muscles. Twenty seconds of a good, hard belly laugh is worth three minutes on the rowing machine. Incorporating hasya or laughter yoga can boost the benefits derived from a regular exercise routine.
    A brainchild of a family physician Madan Kataria, from India, Mumbai to be precise, hasya yoga as it is called, is fast becoming a way of life for many people — to attain physical and mental fitness. The hasya laughter course is a growing trend in the United States, India and other countries. It's observed that kids laugh about 400 times a day, and adults only 15. So people are re-learning something children already know instinctively: that laughter makes you feel better. And mind you, no jokes are used to illicit the laughter in these clubs.
    Abroad in the US, a laughter class begins with chants like "ho ho, ha ha ha," a warm-up exercise, amid clapping of hands and walking around the room. Over the next half-hour, students attending the class stretch their muscles and work on breathing exercises. They'll also laugh for most of the 30 minutes, from self-conscious giggles to uninhibited belly laughs. Laughter is a gift that has been given to us to make us feel better. It is not only fun to laugh, but hasya yoga also reduces stress, boosts immune, cardiovascular and respiratory systems and helps overcome bad digestion and constipation.
    The biggest effect that people have got from laughter yoga is it has lightened up their day and week. It has also improved their breathing especially at a time when we have forgotten to deep-breathe due to all the pollution around. It relaxes and brings out the child in them. Talking about the benefits of laughter yoga, Kishore Kuwawala, chairman of Priyadarshini Laughter Club International, Napean Sea Road, Mumbai, says, "Laughter is a God-given gift which ups your confidence levels and improves your concentration. It relieves stress and tension as humour is the best stressbuster. When you laugh, you breathe 100 per cent and at that time, the oxygen intake improves and the flow of blood too is faster. In a way it acts as a kind of alternative medicine to many pychosomatic illnesses. And to top it all, interpersonal relations of people who laugh also improve," he says.
    The laughter clubs that were started in Mumbai have found a good response abroad. There are around 60 laughter clubs in Mumbai itself — a trend which is gaining a lot of momentum in the city. "In 2007 when we had organised a laughter competition for senior citizens, according to their age groups, around 350 people attended it, and more than 20 people who participated in the competition were from the 81 years and above — which itself points to the growing popularity of these laughter clubs among our seniors," says Kishore. Competitions like Laughter Shree and Laughter Shrimati for elders, Laughter Kumar and Laughter Kumari for school kids have also garnered a lot of interest in this exercise. "The loud laughter in a way integrates people of all religions as there are no barriers of religion, caste and creed in these clubs. In a way, they promote communal harmony," informs Kishore also adding that 4th May is celebrated as World Laughter Day. And by including even the police force, the BEST bus staff, the dabbawalllas into their laughter sessions, the popularity of laughter yoga is only growing by the day.
    Vandana Sawant, who is associated with the Ladies Laughter Club
    at Sion starts her
    day at 6.30 in the
    morning with yoga,
    followed by chanting of
    the Gayatri mantra and other
    prayers and of course a session of
    laughter. "People come to us with various problems like depression, blood pressure problems, disturbed personal life, etc. They don't know to laugh at home. So when they come to our sessions, they laugh and feel good. They even tell us that they feel relaxed after the session. We even give them counselling if they have problems and believe me, it has worked wonders in their lives," says Vandana.
    Laughter is already a serious business, anyway! What say you?

LAUGHING ALL THE WAY: Laughter clubs are mushrooming all over the city