Not What You Meant? There are 5 definitions for Laughter.

Laughter Yoga

About 1 pages (367 words)

Laughter Yoga (Hasya Yoga) is a physically oriented technique that uses a blend of playful, empowering and otherwise "tension-releasing" simple laughter exercises. With gentle yoga-breathing and -stretching exercises, rhythmic clapping and chanting of Ho Ho Ha Ha Ha in unison a simulated laughter turns into real laughter. Laughter Yoga is done as a way to improve health, increase well-being and promote peace in the world through personal transformation. It is non-religious, non-sectarian, and non-political. A typical Laughter Yoga session lasts about 20 to 30 minutes. The session may be adapted to suit the needs, abilities and motivations of the group participating. The Laughter Yoga method is the brainchild of Dr. Madan Kataria, a family physician from Mumbai, India who started the first laughter club in 1995. He has been the catalyst for the creation of over 5,000 Laughter Clubs in 40 countries, mostly free and public. [www.laughteryoga.org Laughter Yoga International], 2007, <www.laughteryoga.org>

Laughter Yoga in America

Laughing as a therapuetic tool was first introduced in America in the early 1950's by none other than L.Ron Hubbard. In his book,The Creation of Human Ability, he listed one of the processes as, "Start Laughing." It was meant to be done as a one-on-one scenario with the auditor and preclear. Then, came Norman Cousins book, Anatomy of an Illness, which introduced the idea of laughter as a way to help the healing process along. Then, Rajneesh, or Osho as he came to be known, introduced it as a form of Dyanmic Meditation. In 1997, Bharata Wingham began Laugh-a Yoga, at Satchidananda Ashram-Yogaville, VA . He has been leading Laughing sessions since then, and was certified as a Laughter Yoga Teacher by Madan Kataria in 2006.