Laughter is an expression that comes easily with the innocence of youth.

But with the coming of age, a good giggle or guffaw can be harder to muster.

So when Hermosa Beach resident Matthew Rand heard about Laughter Yoga, he was intrigued. Basically finding ways to make yourself laugh as a form of exercise, Laughter Yoga has been growing in popularity since it was launched in India in 1995.

"With the stress of school, work and everyday life, people tend to really have to work to express what someone is feeling through laughter as opposed to just letting it out as children do," Rand said.

The idea of loosening up one's ability to laugh more often sounded rewarding on many levels. Once he began attending sessions, he quickly became a Laughter Yoga teacher and recently created the Hermosa Beach Laughter Club through Hermosa Five-O, the city's senior activity center, which is open to any South Bay resident at least 50 years old.

As a volunteer, Rand has been holding sessions the last two months for a half-dozen members who have already seen the benefits of Laughter Yoga.

Rand said the free sessions aim to bring out that "childlike" personality that everyone has embedded within themselves. The club meets every Thursday from 5-6 p.m. at the Hermosa Beach Community Center. During meetings, the group goes through 15 laugh exercises that last about 45 seconds each.

Rand said it's all about triggering certain parts of the

"It is based on the scientific fact that the body does not know a difference between fake or pretend laughter and real laughter," Rand said. "In a good group with good eye contact; the fake turns real very quickly."

Rand said Laughter Yoga is extremely popular on an international level, with 9,000 laughter clubs in 85 countries.

See the rest here:
Participants are just tickled by Laughter Yoga