The studio is full of people clapping, whooping and guffawing.
There are only two rules: being willing to laugh and to look into all the participants’ eyes
It sounds like the crazed laughter of old friends getting together, but these people have never met and no one is saying jokes. This is the sound of laughter yoga.
Around the world, from Delhi to London and Tokyo, laughter yoga is becoming the most popular form of stress relieving therapy for the cities’ executives.
It has now reached Malta, perhaps not a minute too soon. The uncertain political scenario of the past weeks means levels of stress are soaring.
Recently, a study revealed general elections in Malta are such stressful events that the chance of suffering a heart attack or dying during this period escalates drastically.
Laughter yoga seems to be the ideal stress antidote.
“This is about forcing yourself to laugh until you start chuckling in earnest and all the tension is then released,” laughter yoga instructor Krista Sullivan said.
Ms Sullivan, who holds the classes at the premises of the Why Not? NGO in St Julians, stresses there are only two rules: being willing to laugh and to look into all the participants’ eyes.
The kind of yoga practised is not physically taxing.
“It’s just about exercising the diaphragm and cleansing the lungs by stretching up the arms and exhaling.”
As there is no need to stretch into awkward lotus positions, some followers even turn up in their business suits and sharp heels.
It is also not about telling jokes or any intellectual humour, but “the idea is to simulate pure, innocent and childlike laughter”.
Ms Sullivan explained that laughter yoga was the brainchild of Madan Kataria, an Indian doctor whose studies on the research benefits of laughter on the human mind and body revealed it does not matter that the laughing noise is artificial – the health benefits are the same, whether the laughter is fake or genuine.
As tension suppresses the immune system, Dr Kataria advocates practising laughter for 10 minutes a day to prevent diseases.
The concept is based on the fact that laughter gets a lot of oxygen into the body, vibrating and relaxing muscles, which helps breathing problems and strengthens the immune system.
It’s pretty easy to pick up. There’s about a score of people in the crowd from all walks of life and all ages, from children to senior citizens. They all stand in a circle as they follow the peculiar themed exercises.
There is the mobile phone laugh (hold an invisible phone to your ear, feign amusement); meeting an old friend laugh (a delighted squeal of surprise followed by a hug).
Then the silent laugh (soundless belly laughs); the caterpillar laugh (lying down on the floor, giggling while kicking legs up in the air); and the electricity bill laugh (a choking, incredulous eruption).
In between each one, participants go round chanting in eager appreciation of their own efforts: “Very good. Very good. Ho ho. Ha ha ha.”
Finally, there’s freestyle dance with lots of laughter, flailing of the arms and twirling of the bodies. At no point in the one-hour session was there any signs of mockery or malicious laughter.
Does it work?
Edward Hamilton, 33, a manager in real estate, thinks so.
“The first time I took part, I was very shy but laughter is certainly infectious and it took away all my social inhibitions,” he said. “I’m finding this is helping me to stay calm even at work.”
For Jasmine Degiorgio, 24, an events coordinator, laughter yoga is a way of connecting the mind and soul.
“Stress is part of life, but what is happening is we are living under stress all the time,” she said.
“We work long hours, go home, spend some three more hours on Facebook; we’re failing to celebrate life and follow our true call.”
Laughter yoga sessions are held regularly at Why Not? in St Julians. All classes, lectures and workshops are free and run on a donation basis. More information on http://facebook.com/WhyNotNgo