Kathi Mirza and her son walked into the Unitarian Church of Sharon holding yoga mats. They quickly find out that for Laughter Yoga, the mats wouldnt be necessary.

We didnt know what it was, Jasper Olson, Kathis 10-year-old son admitted after their first Laughter Yoga session on Saturday, March 9.

The two joined a group of around 20 strangers for Lets Laugh Today free monthly laughter yoga class and they had a blast.

I feel relaxed and calm, Mirza, a Sharon resident said. It is hard to walk away feeling grumpy after youve been laughing with 20 people for an hour.

This is exactly the outcome Bill and Linda Hamaker are hoping for at the end of every session.

We started it to bring more laughter to the world, Bill said at the start of Saturdays session. With everyone seated in circle, he began. This is not going to be like any yoga class youve ever been to.

The first Laughter Yoga club was founded in 1995 by of Dr. Madan Kataria, a physician from Mumbai, India. His wife, a yoga instructor, helped Kataria integrate yoga breathing techniques to the laughter exercises. There are now 75 different countries with Laughter Yoga Clubs.

They started out telling jokes but after a couple sessions they ran out of jokes, Bill explained. (Kataria) thought of a new idea and to do these exercises and he found they worked better than the jokes. He found, that we are at heart kids, and kids love to laugh. So if you can get past your mind. You can get to that inner child.

In 2009, Bill and Linda enrolled in a seminar in Chicago and became leaders. They formed their own club in September of 2009. A year later, after a 10-day seminar, the couple became Certified Laughter Yoga Teachers. During that seminar they trained with the founder of Laughter Yoga.

The Hamakers run regular monthly sessions in Franklin, Westwood, Walpole and Sharon. For specific times and dates, visit their website at http://www.letslaughtoday.com.

Continued here:
Yoga + laughter = a lot of fun in Sharon