Have you ever started laughing and found you couldn’t stop? Perhaps it started with a giggle and then gradually broke out into full-blown laughter that was giddy and out of control. Do you remember how you felt afterwards – happier, more exhilarated, and maybe even a little delirious?

There’s no question that laughter is a great stress buster and can change your mood within minutes. On a physiological level, laughter boosts the feel-good hormones in the body including serotonin, dopamine and oxytocin, and releases endorphins. Over 50 studies conducted on Laughter Yoga show that it also strengthens the immune system, alleviates depression, lowers blood pressure, reduces the level of stress hormones (epinephrine and cortisol), and strengthens your lung capacity.

Laughter Yoga was developed by Dr. Madan Kataria, a medical doctor from India, who was inspired by the idea that “laughter is the best medicine.” He began experimenting with laughter and noticed that his patients seemed to heal faster when they were happy and positive. Today there are over 5,000 laughter clubs all over the world.

Typically, when you laugh, your laughter only lasts for a few seconds. In Laughter Yoga, laughter is not left up to chance. You participate in a guided session where everyone laughs for no reason without relying on humor, jokes, or comedy. You laugh in a group with eye contact and a sense of playfulness, and soon laughter becomes contagious and infectious. Laughter is simulated through laughter exercises, gentle stretches, and deep breathing.

Think of how often children laugh during the day compared to how often adults laugh. Laughter yoga helps us to reconnect to our childlike nature and experience more laughter and joy in our lives. Most of all, it’s just plain fun!

Come and try it out for yourself! And even if you don’t feel like laughing, come anyhow! Sometimes you’ve got to fake it till you make it. Surprisingly, the body and brain cannot differentiate between real and contrived laughter, so you’ll get the same benefits.

For health, happiness, and well-being, try Laughter Yoga. As Dr. Kataria says, “When you laugh, you change, and when you change, the world changes.”

By Raye Alidina, Certified Laughter Yoga Leader