Think Globally,
Laugh Locally

Laughing in the "Big Apple"

Dana Flynn seemed to be in a state of ecstatic Nirvana. On a recent Saturday morning in Greenwich Village, Flynn, a yoga instructor and a laughter leader, was puffing out her cheeks, swinging her arms, clapping her hands and convulsing with laughter. She was demonstrating to her students the "swinging laugh."

Flynn founded the second laughing club in New York City. She begins the session with deep breathing and a warm-up exercise in which everyone shouts in unison, "Ho-ho, ha-ha! Ho-ho, ha-ha!" Then the hard-core laughing begins, and people burst out into forced guffaws.

Seven types of laughter are practiced: the hearty laugh, silent laugh, one-meter laugh, dancing laugh, pigeon laugh, lion laugh and swinging laugh.

"It's an experience people find hard to forget or resist once they participate," says Flynn. She conducts the class with so much verve that participants feel infected with energy and laughter.

Laughter clubs have started out modestly in New York City, but the people who participate swear to the benefits and feel that this venture is bound to be successful. So far only two groups offer Laughing Club as a part of their services, and this service is free at both Healing Hearts and Laughing Lotus Yoga Center.

Like in every group, there are quick learners and there are laggards. Martha Jenson and her 9-month-old daughter Cecelia are in the former category. It's their first day and they are laughing and swirling all over the place. There are others who look like they are just watching her. Slowly they start laughing in spontaneous giggles to join the others in mad, rambling laughs.

"It's much harder to laugh with a burden on your mind rather than this bundle [Cecelia] of 18 pounds," says Jenson.

"How can you go wrong with doing stretches, clapping and cackling hysterically?" asks Nari Motwani who swears by the concept and attends all the sessions.

Motwani believes that laughter clubs are ideal for older people to come and meet people and feel better about themselves in the process, both physically and mentally.