Laughter yoga is springing up all over the world in public parks, yoga studios, community centers, fitness clubs, schools, companies, hospitals and many other venues. Just ten years since Doctor Kataria developed the technique there are hundreds of thousands of people laughing in more than 50 countries. What keeps them coming back for more?

People who do laughter yoga describe feelings of happiness and joy and say they leave sessions full of positive energy that makes it easy to cope with stress and impossible to be depressed. They say it puts them in a positive state of mind and improves their self confidence. Many claim they no longer need anti-depression prescriptions They talk about It is these feeling that keep people coming back for more.

Scientific research has shown that laughter is good for the heart and cardiovascular system. Hearty laughter boosts your immune system and helps protect you from colds, flu and other diseases including cancer. A 30 minute laughter session gives your body a good workout and leaves you full of energy. Laughter is a proven stressbuster and reduces levels of stress chemicals in your body more quickly and efficiently than prescription medicines.

Just ten years since laughter yoga started there are hundreds of thousands of people laughing every day in more than 50 countries with more clubs and venues opening every week.

Laughter yoga is very different from the yoga of meditation and yoga postures. It has no pretzel positions, needs no special clothes or training. You don’t even have to be feeling happy or in a good mood, just be prepared to laugh. The results are instant --- you feel the full benefits from your first laughter yoga session.

How much laughter is enough? “The more you laugh the better you will feel and the healthier you’ll be,” says Dr Kataria. “In India people laugh for an hour every morning. In western countries laughter sessions are more often held weekly, but more sessions are moving to daily as people who start want to laugh every day.

Laughter sessions are normally 12 to 30 people although in some countries groups comprise 50 or 80 people. They are run by a laughter yoga leader trained by Dr Kataria’s organization that leads the group through simple breathing and laughter exercises to start the laughter flowing. No jokes or humor are used, just physical exercises designed to make it easy to laugh.

Laughter exercises are sometimes described as fake laughter, but in most sessions the laughter soon turns real. In fact the body can’t tell the difference between fake laughter and real laughter, so you get the health and wellbeing benefits either way.

Some laughter yoga sessions are followed by laughter meditation, an unforgettable experience that is easier to do than to describe. In laughter meditation the laughter just flows out of you like a fountain leaving you full of joy and happiness.

There are laughter yoga clubs and studios popping up around the world. To check on laughter yoga in your area visit the laughter yoga website www.laughteryoga.org. If not you can train to become a laughter yoga leader and start your own club or studio, Training takes two days and courses are available from certified teachers all over the world.