Laughter Yoga Improved My Physical and Mental Health

Maganlal ji Pandit, India: 82-year-old Maganlal ji Pandit has had a couple of surgeries – one following a hip bone fracture and another for the knees. “I was also suffering from sciatica in the left side of the back which made that area stiff”, recalls Pandit ji. All these caused serious mobility issues.

Two of his friends came to him one morning, about two years ago, just after they launched a Laughter Club in the neighbourhood. They asked him to join the Laughter Group each morning. Pandit ji initially was not enthusiastic about that, given his advanced age. They insisted that Pandit ji should come over and watch the activities. The next morning, clutching his walking stick, Pandit ji, slowly made it to the park where the Laughter group met. Seeing the activities, he joined in, in no time. That same day, Pandit ji felt a lot of difference in his whole body, and decided to keep going to the Laughter Group.

Now, after two years of continued Laughter Yoga exercises, Pandit ji says the stiffness in the back is all gone long ago. He feels fit and fine. Pandit ji goes to Mrrwa Laughter Club in Andheri (East). This Laughter Club meets each morning for about 40 minutes from 6.30 am. The average attendance is about 40 persons including a sizeable number of women.

“I lead the final Gradient Laughter at each session. I have also trained many others from Hong Kong, Seoul besides assisting in starting 3 Laughter Clubs in nearby Marol”, adds Pandit ji. He continues to say: I am grateful to Dr. Madan Kataria for giving all of us this way of life – through the practice of Laughter Yoga – which is highly beneficial for good health, despite all odds. Pandit ji says he does not want to miss a single day. Sometimes in bad weather, during rains, he finds it difficult to make the 15-minute walk to the park and those are the only times that he would miss. And he does regret each time that happens.