Michele Caskey, USA: Eight years ago, I was an aspiring comedienne constantly working on jokes, trying to find the punch line. Laughter had begun to invade my every day existence and I was a little obsessed with making people laugh. I was laughing with friends, co-workers, and even the random person on the treadmill next to me at the gym. I noticed something interesting about people when they were...

Liz Morfea, USA: I was always a melancholic child. After being sexually abused by a stranger, followed by the suicide of my Dad when I was 6 years old, I retreated away from people, into my mind, the only place I felt I had ‘control’. This often resulted in obsessive-compulsive behavior, dissociation from reality, anxiety and depression. Following the birth of my son in 2005, I expe...

Jagat Singh Bisht, India: During the last hundred days, my wife Radhika and I have laughed with more than a thousand people. It has really been a life changing experience! We are now proud to have a life skill with us wherein we can connect to any group of people anywhere, anytime and make them laugh unconditionally. We feel cheerful throughout the day, and life is full of joy. We have converte...

Bill and Linda Hamaker, USA: Laughter Yoga has greatly enhanced our relationship and has brought so much more laughter into our everyday life. The playfulness it creates has also helped to balance our lives as we are usually doing left-brain activities most of the day. Our first encounter with Laughter Yoga was a three-day seminar in 2008 at the Kripalu Center in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. It was...

Mandie Navarr, USA: I am the owner of Universal Laughter Yoga with a passion for sharing the joy of laughter. Throughout my youth and into adulthood, I was an avid swimmer and runner with a fascination for nutrition. Life has a tendency to take us along a frequently twisting path with unforeseen changes in our perfect plans. So, by the time I was in my mid-thirties, I found myself to be a singl...

Cynthia Paris, USA: Recently, I visited an elementary school gymnasium with about 300 children from kindergarten to 5th Grade. As I work with behavior health facility and teach experienced based workshops and programs, I was invited to work with classrooms to encourage cooperation, communication and anti-bullying. The youth were excited but were quite undisciplined, constantly disrupting the pr...

Jackie, Peru: About a year back, I was diagnosed with cancer of bilateral ovary stadium the IIIrd C. I did not know what would become of me, till I was introduced to Laughter Yoga that really changed my life. Though I kept my faith in God and continued my medical treatment; it was laughter that helped to treat my soul and sad spirit. It gave me the courage to cope with the challenging times, and a...

Yoshiko Takada Japan: In January 2009, I concluded the Laughter Yoga Teacher Training in Mumbai, and came back to Japan. The next morning, at 6.40am, I started a Laughter Club at a small nearby shrine. I have never stopped laughing since then. In Japan, it is common for small groups to gather in the morning to practice a 10-minute exercise along a daily radio program. There is one such group at...

Stephen Findley, USA: I work as a Staff Chaplain at the University of Texas at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, the number one cancer research hospital in the world. In 2006 the theme for National Pastoral Care Week was “Healing Humor”. I was in charge of the event and organized a “Healing Humor Worship Service” in the hospital Chapel which received rave revie...

Lynn Perreault, Canada: For many years, I have been teaching about the many benefits of laughter to my university students. To demonstrate my point, I would teach students the basic rules of comedy, play some games together, and then we would laugh. However, some students felt too nervous to perform and others were concerned they were not funny. I spent more time addressing students’ concern...

Laura Toffolo, Italy: When you hear the sounds “Ho ho ho!” it might mean you‘re with Santa Claus. But chances are, you’re in the presence of PositiveLY Pat (Conklin), an energetic and engaging Laughter Yoga Leader/Teacher, speaker, and Laughter Coach (in training)—and the founder and Principal Positivist of Laughter Yoga Orlando. Call Pat on the phone, and you may jus...

Gudrun Mathys, Switzerland: In May, 2010 while attending a medical congress, one of the topics for discussion was Laughter Yoga. I thought that is nothing for me. I rather go for a walk. But, it was raining heavily, so I decided to stay back and listen to the talk on Laughter Yoga. Believe me, during the hour long session, I was very impressed and convinced about the new concept of laughing withou...