Tools & Tips
Laughter is the best exercise

We've all heard the adage that laughter is the best medicine. But according to Dr. Mandan Kataria, a family physician from Mumbai, India, it's also the best exercise. Kataria has developed a form of yoga that incorporates laughter to increase physical and mental well-being.

Hasya Yoga ("Hasya" is Sanskrit for laughter) combines laughter-inducing exercises with yogic breathing techniques in what he calls "laughter meditation." "When you start laughing your chemistry changes, your physiology changes; your chances to experience happiness are much greater." Kataria told Yoga Journal (Sept. 2006) "Laughter yoga is nothing more than prepping the body and mind for happiness."

Research supports Kataria's claims. Lee Berk of Loma Linda University in California has found that laughter strengthens the immune system, reduces stress and elevates endorphins, the "feel-good" hormones associated with physical exercise. Stanford University professor emeritus William Fry has also long reported the beneficial effects of laughter, which include stimulating the brain, boosting circulation and exercising the muscles.

Kataria came up with the idea for laughter yoga in 1995 while researching a magazine story on the health benefits of laughter. Soon after, he started a laughter club in a local park with his wife and a few friends. At first, they told each other jokes but when their stories of humorous material were used up, Kataria suggested each participant simply start laughing. The forced laughter was contagious, it turned out, and soon turned into the real thing. Today more than 5,000 laughter clubs around the world practice Kataria's laughing yoga techniques, which he has brought to prisons, classrooms, factories, corporations and even a school for the blind.

Not in the mood to laugh? Don't worry. Kataria says phony laughter appears to have the same benefits as the real thing.   No joking.

ODE Magazine
May 2007