May Brings World Laughter

yoga laff in the park

I didn't understand one iota of Laughter Yoga at all until I saw scenes of it in Kate Churchill's movie, Enlighten Up! (A small group of older Indian men and women stand around doing simple stretches and laughing helplessly. It was absurd---but also sweet and simple, and utterly harmless.) Yesterday in Central Park under changeable skies, the New York chapter of Laughter Yoga celebrated World Laughter Day. Who knew?According to World Yoga Day's web site laughter, "directly impacts one’s electro-magnetic field and creates a positive aura around that person. When a group of individuals laugh together, they create a collective community aura."Back in New York, the New York Daily News reports: "There's certain things you can't do while laughing: fighting, arguing, being mad."  True!"For two hours, the group convulsed with laughter, ignoring trivial problems like the economic crisis or the flu pandemic." A good way to spend your time!According to Wikipedia, after 11 years in existence, Laughter Yoga now has 6,000 clubs spread over 5 continents. Its originator, Dr. Madan Kataria, of Mumbai, India, says that laughter can unite the world and bring world peace.Yeah--a lot better than a a bag of anthrax could. Laugh away!

Laughter Yoga NYC

At first laughter yoga seemed confined to California. Okay. We know California is willing to try anything. But I just read about it in Montreal (see photo above, from the Montreal Gazette), and after a bit of searching, found a club in New York.

Here's what the New York site (www.grabbagiraffe.org) says about laughter yoga:

"The unique idea of laughter yoga clubs was discovered on 13th of March 1995 by Dr. Madan Kataria, a physician from Mumbai (India). Any one can laugh for 15-20 minutes without depending upon great sense of humor, jokes or comedy. It combines laughter exercises (simulated laughter) and yoga breathing, which turns into real laughter when practiced in a group."

I still don't know why it's yoga. Why is this yoga?

bunch of hooey

Today, MSNBC's Mental Health page reports on weird new "laughter yoga"in the article, "Laughter yoga no joke for fad's followers."

Forcing yourself to crack up in a class sounds pretty odd--so does muttering gibberish for a cool-down (not kidding). And what does this have to do with yoga?

So far, this fad is restricted to Laguna Beach, California.

But I do have to laugh at the headline that follows this one. Remember, this is the mental health category on MSNBC: "Botched penis surgery ends in mailbomb to doc."

Freaky yoga, suicide, depression, schizophrenia management, and penis surgery--you'd think mental health (and by association, yoga) was just for psychos.