THERE were a lot of "ha-ha-ha" and "ho-ho-ho" noises when people gathered at Caringbah recently for a Laughter Yoga session as part of their Stress-Less program.
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The course is run by Interrelate, a non-profit organisation that deals with relationship problems.
The Laughter Yoga class is a once-a-month experience for those who are healthy.
Counsellor Jackie Dee explained its origins.
"It started with an Indian medical doctor, Madan Kataria, in Mumbai," she said.
"He was writing an article for a medical journal and, in his research, found modern studies that showed improvement in the human body caused by laughter.
"He set up a laughter club and saw the benefits of acted and genuine laughter.
"With his wife being a yoga practitioner they created exercises incorporating yoga, breathing and laughter in a child-like playfulness and a blend of breathing, stretching and laughter exercises."
Laughter Yoga has now spread worldwide.
The idea of the Caringbah classes is to give participants a taste of the activity and to encourage them to go to other classes where they can do the exercises more often, ideally, once a week.
The Caringbah 45-minute session must be pre-booked and is held on the first Tuesday of the month. Next session is today, July 1.
Details: 8522 4450.
Have you tried Laughter Yoga?
