BOMBAY, INDIA, October 5, 2002: Starting the day with a good laugh sounds like a wonderful way to begin each day on a positive note. If you feel this way, then perhaps you should look into joining a laughing club. Laughing clubs are very popular in India where more than 80,000 people participate in 800 clubs. In 1995 Doctor Madan Kataria began them because she wanted people to experience “the positive effects of laughter on physical and psychological well being”. A 20-minute session at a Bombay laughing club begins with deep breathing exercises followed by a warm-up exercise, called Ho Ha and progresses through the following laughter stages — the greeting laughter followed by the two meter laughter, the silent laughter, the swing laughter, the ego crushing laughter and ending with the hearty laughter. One of the participants, Prabha Kapur, says “The sessions have made me more sociable and enabled me to let go of emotions like pride and anger. Now, whenever a child at home makes a mistake, I say let it be.” Elsewhere in the world, more than 300 laughter clubs have sprung up in Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Singapore and the United States. In Vancouver, Canada, Lucinda Flavelle, certified laughter leader, has been successful in using laughter techniques in her work with seniors. Flavelle says, “They thought it was a riot. It’s something you can do with people no matter what their physical condition.”
A daily summary of world news for Hindus and non-Hindus alike