Hasya yoga (which means laughter wisdom in Sanskrit) started in 1995 when a physician composing a paper on the health benefits of laughter decided to start a club in a public park near his home in Mumbai, India. Now, 11 years later, laughter yoga has caught on around the world and has about 250,000 members in 5,000 clubs in 40 countries worldwide.
One of six forms of yoga, it incorporates some of the traditions from the other practices, including posture, breathing exercises and spirituality. But it doesn't use the series of sometimes-strenuous asenas (no downward dog, tree or fish poses) that are intrinsic to the other forms of yoga. The focus is mostly on breathing through different types of laughter - including hearty, greeting, silent and humming - which expand your lungs and allow you to take in more oxygen. "It's like internal jogging," says Denise Rackett, leader of the High Park Laughter Club in Toronto. "Your stomach muscles are strengthened and your lungs expand in ways you've never expected. It's a workout."
Not ready to try laughter yoga just yet? At least consider incorporating a few more giggles into your daily routine. Laughter transcends age, physical limitations and health status and can also do the following:
• Relieve stress Giggling reduces the levels of stress hormones cortisol and epinephrine.
• Act like a mini-facelift Twittering tones facial muscles and increases blood flow, nourishing the skin for a more youthful glow.
• Be a good workout Research from Stanford University revealed that one minute of laughing is as effective in getting your heart rate as 10 minutes on a rowing machine. And if you can sustain a cackle for 10 minutes you'll burn 50 calories.
• Make you feel good The endorphins released when you laugh (the same ones that flood your brain when you're in love) also boost your mood.
