This is a few stories from people about how laughter has helped in their lives. You can visit the founder of laughter yoga, Dr Kataria’s website at – www.laughteryoga.org

I had a major surgery for cancer of the ovaries in Year 2001 and my husband also died in 2002. I wqs very depressed and lost interest in life. Never went out to meet people. I joined Laughter Club in Koln, Germany and it has completely changed my life. I met beautiful people who supported me in the laughter club, made me friends. We have a weekly laughter session in the laughter club but I do laughter exercises on my own every morning without fail.

Thank you Dr. Kataria for introducing laughter yoga.

My first wife passed away in 1999 and even though I have had more than everything I needed in life, it has been a struggle with grief and depression. The Laugh Yoga has opened something in me to want to live and work again. Also my commitment to the Cause of Good in this world – the laughter has allowed that to be felt again. I have been feeling very positive ever since and have regained my sense of having a mission in life. Every day I search for new ways to take the laughter out into the world to give more people the sense of well being and release that it has, profoundly, given to me…..

Arjuna from Melbourne, Australia

At the age of 75, I won the title of Best Laughing Man of the year 1998 & 1999. Believe me all my life I have been a serious company secretary dealing with Law. I joined Laughter Club in 1996 and it has totally changed my life. This is what I want to tell the whole world that it is never too late to laugh. It is wrong to say that one is born with laughter. I have never been a funny person and I did not identify with sense of humour. One can learn to laugh at any age. Now I laugh a lot and have fun in my life. Laughter really helped me to keep my spirit high through difficult times when my wife was bedridden for several years and I looked after her with a smile on my face.

P.T. Hinduja from Mumbai, India.

I always knew I was a ‘funny’ person with a great sense of humour and a good joke teller, but ever since I started to practice yoga laughter I relised something very important. Before yoga laughter – my laughs helped me keep a safe distance from people, since I laugh for no reason, I opened my heart and let people in. I feel more comfortable and can love people and accept them as they are….I am closer to my own self and my own spirit thus able to be closer to others. I sleep better. I don’t have heartburns anymore. I feel more confident and comfortable with my round body and the list goes on and on. After many years of social isolation, depression and suicide attempts, the folling testimony was written by an incest survivor from Israel, who attended The Haifa Yoga Laughter Club, led by Nilli Dor HaElla. ‘For me to laugh from my heart is to express the innocent and clean inner voice. For me to laugh is not being afraid of loosing control. There is no place for fear when I laugh. When I laugh I feel free, I don’t care what other people say about me, or how I look. I am deeply engaged in pur fun. Most important. I have learned that when I laugh I can communicate with others. I give my laughter away to the universe and receive back the connection to other people. Signed D who dares and is accepting herself…via laughter’

Nili Dor Haelia, Israel