World Laughter Day celebrated: Know the History and Present

World Laughter Day and Laughter Yoga

Oh Okay, you know that today the first Sunday of May marks the occasion of World Laughter Day.
But did you know that this day was started and firstly celebrated in India?
Now the day is now celebrated worldwide.

Laughter yoga (Hasyayoga) is a modern yoga involving lengthened intentional laughter. This type of yoga is based on the belief that intentional laughter provides similar physiological and psychological benefits as natural laughter. It is usually done in groups, with eye contact and lots of playfulness between participants. Intentional laughter often turns into real and contagious laughter.

History

The first celebration was on January 10, 1998, in Mumbai and was arranged by Dr. Madan Kataria, founder of the worldwide Laughter Yoga movement.
Dr. Kartaria, a family doctor in India, was inspired to start the Laughter Yoga movement in part by the facial feedback hypothesis, which proposes that a person's facial expressions can have an effect on their emotions.

Madan Kataria wrote about his experience in his 1999 book Laugh For No Reason.

Present

The celebration of World Laughter Day is a positive indication for world peace and is intended to build up a global awareness of brotherhood and friendship through laughter. It is most often celebrated by gatherings of people in public places with the intention of laughing. Its popularity has grown exponentially with that of the Laughter Yoga movement.

• Presently there are thousands of Laughter Clubs in more than 105 countries. And now it is celebrated worldwide.
• Laughter yoga is found in 53 countries. There are about 5,000 Laughter Yoga clubs worldwide.