It has long been said laughter is the best medicine, and Claudia Ross wants to deliver that medicine to the masses in Chatham-Kent.
To that end Ross is starting a laughing club in Chatham. The group meets Sundays to share laughs and get healthier.
Ross said the concept started 30 years ago in India. Dr. Madan Kataria of Mumbai founded laughter yoga.
“He realized his patients who laughed the most were those who would take less medicine and who would heal the fastest,” Ross said.
She said it is a series of fun laughter exercises that the group practises in order to benefit from the contagious effect of laughter.
Along the way, participants pick up improved breathing and stretching exercises as well.
“We practice laughter as an exercise to add joy and peace in our lives,” Ross said. “Studies show that the body makes no distinction between a real and genuine laugh and a simulated one. No jokes or comedy is needed.”
Kataria found this out after his first two sessions in 1995 in Mumbai were filled with jokes, which soon became stale.
“After two weeks, the jokes were repetitive and boring. He opted to create some exercises with his wife, who is a yoga teacher,” Ross said. “They discovered that even if you fake the laughter, the body doesn’t make the distinction. There are still health benefits.”
Ross said the laughing has spread around the globe with hundreds of thousands practising the amusing and funny exercises in 120 countries.
“True laughter can promote peace,” she said. “It really helps your physical health, emotional health and spiritual health. You feel a difference in your life. Life becomes easier, lighter.”
Claudia has started the local club at the River Vibe Wellness Centre on William Street North in Chatham. The groups meet on Sundays at 1:11 p.m.
“It’s a magic time.”
Admission is free, but donations are accepted.
For more information, contact Ross at claudiasworkshops@gmail.com or 226-229-2283.
