What is Laughter Yoga?

Laughter Yoga (also known as Hasya Yoga) is a new concept started in 1995 in Mumbai, India, by Dr. Madan Kataria, a medical physician, and his wife Madhuri Kataria, a yoga practitioner.

Laughter Yoga combines Unconditional Laughter with Yogic Breathing (Pranayama). Anyone can Laugh for No Reason, without relying on humor, jokes or comedy. Laughter is simulated as a body exercise in a group; with eye contact and childlike playfulness, it soon turns into real and contagious laughter. The concept of Laughter Yoga is based on a scientific fact that the body cannot differentiate between fake and real laughter. One gets the same physiological and psychological benefits.

What started as a handful of people in the park years ago, today thousands and thousands of people are practicing laughter yoga in more than 5,000 laughter yoga clubs in over 70 countries.