HATBORO, Pa. (WLVT) - In our fast-paced age, laughter is no laughing matter. Many people struggle with the stress of balancing a busy lifestyle that doesn’t leave much time for relaxation. That’s why more than a dozen people gathered at Union Library of Hatboro Feb. 16 for a session of laughter yoga.“When people hear of laughter yoga, they laugh,” said first-time participant Joseph Grayeske. “They say, ‘Oh, what’s that?’”
The practice of laughter yoga was developed by Indian physician Madan Kataria in 1995. Since then, the movement has grown to more than 6,000 Laughter Clubs in more than 60 countries. Unlike traditional yoga, laughter yoga doesn’t involve poses or intense stretches.
“Laughter yoga is an exercise form,” said Kathy Bademan, a certified laughter yoga leader through Laughter Yoga International, Dr. Kataria’s organization. “It’s combining laughter with yoga breathing. That’s where the yoga comes from.”
Bademan started this Laughter Club last October. The group meets every month at the library for an hour of laughs.The session began with some gentle warm-up techniques like light stretching, clapping and breathing exercises.“This is just a release of all your emotions. It’s just laughing, it’s eye contact with the whole community,” said participant Jodi Sigal, who is also a certified laughter yoga leader.
The group then moved into the laughter exercises, including bouncing a laughter ball, pouring laughter from cup to cup and wearing laughter glasses.Participants said the laughter didn’t come naturally at first—but that’s okay.“People always feel awkward,” Sigal said. “If you look around, people are like, ‘Hmm, what’s going on? This is really strange.’ You see people whispering to each other. And then all of a sudden, it just clicks, and before you know it, everyone is just bursting out in pure laughter.”
“I’m resistant at first, because I feel like there’s a heaviness and it takes a lot of energy to get that laughter,” said Jodi’s husband Jonathan Sigal, also a participant at the laughter yoga session. “But once you break free, you feel light. Your problems feel, you can put them in perspective. They feel smaller.”
Laughter may not be the
best medicine, but it’s still good for you. Studies suggest laughter has many health benefits, including reducing stress levels. Laughter
releases endorphins—our own feel-good chemical—in our brains, as well as other neurotransmitters like serotonin, which may have a similar effect to antidepressants. Some studies also suggest laughter has an anti-inflammatory effect that can
protect your heart.And it exercises your abdomen muscles. Fifteen minutes of laughter yoga is equivalent to 30 minutes of an abdomen cardio workout, Bademan said.
“There’s no difference in your body between forced laughter that we do in laughter yoga or when you laugh in response to jokes or comedy,” she said.
And since laughter is contagious, the forced laughter quickly becomes natural.
“You make to have a point of saying, ‘I’m going to laugh right now.’ Then there’s no effort,” said Jodi Sigal. “I can’t even stop!”
“This was great. This was awesome,” said Jonathan Sigal.
Joseph Grayeske said he consciously tries to laugh more than the average adult does, which is about 17 times a
day. After the class, he decided to come back every month.
“Are you kidding me? It was awesome,” he said.
Bademan’s yoga laughter sessions run the second Tuesday of each month at the Union Library of Hatboro. The next class is scheduled for March 12 at 6:30 p.m.
