History of Laughter Yoga
In the Beginning, There was Research…
Doctor and Yoga Practitioner, Madan Kataria, was developing an article for a Health Journal. Investigating his subject, “Laughter- The Best Medicine,” he encountered many modern scientific studies detailing empirical data supporting the benefits of Laughter on the human mind and body. Particularly inspired by Norman Cousins’ Anatomy of an Illness and research contributions by Dr. Lee Berk, Dr. Kataria was moved to field test their studies.
“Laughter Club”
It was five people in a public park on March 13, 1995, in Mumbai, India. Laughing together. Bystanders… well, they laughed too, and the small gathering grew to 50+ participants. In the early meetings, everyone stood in a circle with one individual in the center of a circle, telling an amusing joke or story. Everyone laughed, and felt good.
Funny Business and Theory
The Laughter Club hit a roadblock after about two weeks. Jokes and anecdotes started to run dry, and negative or questionable jokes surfaced. Never the intent of the club, Dr. Kataria mined his research and unearthed the solution – The body cannot differentiate between simulated and genuine laughter, both produce the same ‘Happy Chemistry.” Based on this criterion, Dr. Kataria innovated a new approach to laughter initiation.
Laughter Yoga- Initiated
Amid scepticism, the group agreed to try Dr. Kataria’s theory. Laughter would be initiated, through no “humorous” reason, but through eye contact and playfulness. The group “acted out” laughter with Dr. Kataria and the results were amazing. The simulated laughter evolved to genuine, hearty laughter for some, which was contagious for all- and lasted nearly ten minutes. This was the origin of Laughter Yoga.
Laughter Yoga- Evolved
Dr. Kataria developed a range of Laughter Exercises to stimulate laughter. He included components of role-play and other theatre techniques. Yoga Practitioners, Dr. Kataria and his wife, Madhuri, observed the similarities between Laughter and Pranayama exercises, and incorporated elements from this ancient Yoga form to maximize the health benefits. Now Laughter Yoga is practiced worldwide, to the delight and benefit of all who participate.
