This is a summary of what I saw on a video to give you some sense of what this is about. For more detail, I would suggest you go to www.laughteryoga.org or the Lutheran web at eclabop.org/home/livewell and look for Laura Gentry’s work.
The video session began with Dr. Kataria inviting people to warm up by simply clapping in unison. After everyone had clapped for awhile, he then suggested that they do it to a rhythm of 1,2 and then a little quicker 1,2,3. Once everyone had grown accustomed to that rhythm of 1,2 and 1,2,3, he then provided them the basic sounds of laughter to say as they continued to clap: ho, ho, ha, ha, ha. People were standing in this scenario and they usually clapped the ho, ho with their arms and hands around their waists and then would lift their hands above their heads for the ha, ha, ha.
After this movement and sound was established, he invited them to move around the room, looking at everyone in the eye as they continued the same rhythmic laughing. This continued for the rest of the video. The laughing club at Rev. Gentry’s church meets for about a half hour, so I imagine that this type of rhythmic action continues for about 20 minutes.
As you read what I have tried to describe, you might think it is just sort of silly, especially if you are an introvert. What Dr. Kataria is suggesting, however, is that the act of laughing, even when it is not based on a sense of humor, has its value for the body. Norman Cousins wrote a book about 15 or 20 years ago about his experience of laughing himself to health. In his case, during a serious illness, he acquired some of the best comedy films he could obtain and evoked as much laughter in himself as possible. The results were very beneficial to him at a time of a serious health crisis.
I have not experienced laughter yoga, but it seems to open up the possibility of availing yourself of the healing power of laughter even when you can’t find anything very funny in your life. It is worth exploring.
