From Navy Commodore to Laughter Yoga Advocate Ashok Sawhney, originally from New Delhi, India, joined the Indian Navy in 1973, embarking on a remarkable career that spanned 36 years, culminating in his retirement as a Commodore in 2008. Ashok's fondness for laughter began when he watched an episode of the popular TV show Satyameva Jayate in October 2014, hosted by renowned Bollywood actor Aam...

Kay Wararuk Su is a master trainer of Laughter Yoga, born in the scenic town of Chiang Rai, Thailand. Her journey into the realm of Laughter Yoga commenced with the initial intention of utilizing it as a training tool in corporate settings. Her aim was to alleviate stress among employees, but she soon discovered that it brought immense joy to those who participated. As she delved deeper into the p...

A Challenging Beginning: Kimiyo Maki Kawakami is  master trainer from Japan, Her journey with Laughter Yoga began with a challenging situation when her mother suffered a stroke in her early 50s, resulting in paralysis and aphasia. For the past two decades, she had been living with her disabled husband, who relied on crutches. When both of her parents became disabled, Maki had a two-year-old d...

Cynthia Paris hails from the scenic Midwest area of the United States. She stumbled upon the concept of Laughter Yoga. Intrigued by the idea, she decided to attend a session and was elated to discover a simple yet effective way to rekindle her own laughter. Not long after her initial encounter, she had the incredible opportunity to receive training in Laughter Yoga directly from Dr. Kataria himsel...

A Journey into Laughter Yoga: Alexa Fong Drubay, based in Philadelphia, is a Certified Laughter Yoga Master Trainer with a deep passion for spreading joy and promoting well-being through laughter. Her journey into Laughter Yoga began during a family reunion, where her cousin, Melanie Rudolph, a Certified Laughter Yoga Teacher, introduced her to the practice. Instantly captivated by the e...

Laura Gentry, USA: A few days after my mother’s hip replacement surgery, she reported some unusual symptoms to my dad, who took her to the emergency room. There, they discovered she had a life-threatening aortic aneurysm and the decision was made to transport her by medflight to a nearby hospital for emergency heart surgery. As we anxiously awaited the outcome of her operation, I called t...

Anika Elisabetta Luceri Italy: In 2022, I, underwent a challenging dental extraction due to an infected tooth. Having previously had an adverse reaction to medicine, I approached the surgery with considerable fear and anxiety, exacerbated by several sleepless nights and intense, unrelenting pain. On the day of the surgery, the medical team warmly acknowledged my fears, guiding me gently through...

Maurine Pachter: I had no idea what an impact Laughter Yoga has been on my life. In 2009, I was introduced to this amazing exercise and its founder Dr Madan Kataria, through my yoga instructor. As I work with children on a daily basis, I felt it was important to learn more about this unique concept. So, a year later, I received my certification through Dr. Kataria's classes, which encouraged m...

Suman Suneja: I’m the Managing Director of Morano lighting company in Dubai, more popularly known as the “Morano Lighting and Laughter Company” in Dubai, because all my staff has learnt laughter from me and are always smiling and laughing, while dealing with customers. My association with laughter began in 2002, when Dr Madan Kataria visited Dubai and I attended one of his ses...

In the year 2000, I was diagnosed with CREST*- a fatal auto immune disease, which kept shutting down my body and hampering my movement. There were calcium lumps on my tendons, red dots all over my body and bleeding capillaries that finally led to a stroke. I was given just three years to live but here I am after 20 years! A miracle; thanks to Laughter Yoga. It played a huge role in my survival and...

Preeti Pai Mayekar: Last year in December, I was diagnosed with an auto immune condition called Multiple Sclerosis. This is a disease of the central nervous system wherein the immune system attacks their own organs in many different forms. In my case, the immune system attacked the myeline sheath in the nerves, which causes different neurological symptoms. Mine were dizziness and balance issue and...

Judi A. Winall, USA: My journey with laughter yoga began in 2007 when I received an e-mail inviting me to a leader training in South Africa. Attending that training was not an option for me, so I began doing research and discovered a training much closer to home near Chicago. The profound experience of this training changed my life in a powerful way. I felt lighter, energized and more joyful than ...