Laughing clubs

January 3, 2007 7:10 PM

Laughing clubs: I'm curious about laughing clubs or laughter yoga. For those who have done it, did you end up really laughing? Did it make you happier, healthier, funnier? What was it like? Bonus points if you can recommend a club in NYC.
posted by agent99 to health (6 comments total)

I hated it. It made me cry. I left early.

Then again, I'm not the group-y type. I do like making funny faces in the mirror and I laugh very easily. It is also easy to laugh at the human body in the mirror. There is a buddhist laughing exercise something like that.
posted by Listener at 7:40 PM on January 3, 2007

My BIL does laughter gigs in the Austin area. Even though I naturally love to laugh, I was a bit skeptical when he asked the family to participate in an exercise during the holidays. To my surprise, it was an interesting and enjoyable event. Basically, you start by doing a series of "laughing exercises" like, for example " Laugh like a donkey", or " The knee slap". Once you start doing it, it becomes infectious, and everyone really does start laughing at each other, and themselves. He quotes a bunch of scientific studies ( he is a college professor ) that suggest a myriad of laughter benefits, but if nothing else, it is fun. As far as NYC goes...I got nuthin. Maybe a Google " laughter club" search will help.
posted by lobstah at 7:57 PM on January 3, 2007 [1 favorite]

i've done laughing yoga a few times, each for about 20 minutes at a time. my teacher had us lie on the floor in a circle with our heads facing inwards - we couldn't really see each other, but we could hear each other. at first, the laughter is totally fake - she starts it and other people join in. very quickly, however, the fake laughter is stupidly funny and you start laughing, and then you get that kind of laughing where you can't stop. eventually your stomach hurts from laughing and your face hurts from smiling, so you kind of taper off, but then someone else grunts or snorts in some perfectly hilarious way that sets you off again.

though i was very skeptical before doing it, in the end it is really the sort of great emotional full-bodied release that very few other activities can provide. highly recommended. i don't know if i could do it often, but i've enjoyed it tremendously when i've done it.
posted by judith at 10:43 PM on January 3, 2007

I once did an exercise kind of like judith's post, but the difference is that you arrange yourselves so that your head is on someone's stomach and someone else's head is on yours.

Then someone starts it by saying, "Ha." The next person says, "Ha ha" and so on until the whole group is laughing for real. This usually happens quickly, because being on somebody's stomach when they laugh is hella funny.

More of a stoner party game than yoga, I guess, but I bet it's based on the same concept. You end up feeling like you've had that kind of deep laugh that adds a year to your life.
posted by bink at 5:53 AM on January 4, 2007

Here's some laughter club videos

Also, if you type in "laughing club new york" or "laughing yoga New York" you'll find looots of results.
posted by Kimberly at 9:25 AM on January 4, 2007

Not to sound snarky but I know how to Google--I had asked for RECOMMENDATIONS and/or experiences, if anyone had any. Thanks for the response.
posted by agent99 at 10:18 AM on January 4, 2007