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Always laugh when you can. It is cheap medicine. – Lord Byron
Laughter and smiles result from happiness, but did you know that laughter can also lead to happiness?
Yes, laughter is a phenomenon that boosts our overall mood and wellness. It comes with several benefits. Taking these benefits into account, laughter yoga came into existence.
Laughter yoga is a form of yoga that combines deep breathing exercises and simulated laughter to promote physical, emotional, and mental well-being.
In this podcast, laughter therapist Dr. Harish Rawat talks about laughter yoga and how it works. He further discusses the various benefits associated with laughter yoga.
Key Takeaways
- Laughter yoga is laughter without a joke. Harish defines it as laugh-for-no-reason combined with deep yogic breathing — no humour, comedy, or jokes required, which is what makes it work in any workplace.
- The body can't tell fake from real. Research he cites shows simulated and spontaneous laughter deliver the same endorphin release, meaning employees don't need to be in a funny mood to benefit.
- Ten to fifteen minutes is the dose. That's the threshold he repeats for releasing the "happiness hormone"; anything shorter is warm-up, not therapy.
- A 3% oxygen boost fuels workplace output. He ties laughter yoga's deep-breathing component directly to increased brain oxygen supply, productivity, and creativity among corporate employees.
- It's a team-bonding and trust-repair tool. Ten minutes of group laughter before a meeting dissolves inter-team conflict and trust issues, which is why he's run sessions at 40–45 corporates.
- The cheapest wellness intervention there is. No equipment, no special clothing, no venue — just ten minutes with a huddle of teammates, making it uniquely viable when budgets or space are tight.
- Lower absenteeism is the business case. Happier, healthier employees take fewer leaves — a direct ROI angle for HR teams weighing program spend.
In Harish's Words
On what laughter yoga actually is
Laughter yoga is a unique concept where anyone can laugh for no reason, without relying on humour, jokes, or comedy. It's a combination of laughter exercise and deep yogic breathing that oxygenates body and brain and makes us feel healthy and energetic.
As per research, our body cannot differentiate between fake laughter and real laughter. We get the same physiological and psychological health benefit. Laughter yoga can change your mood within a minute by releasing endorphin.
On the workplace case
In corporate, work-life balance is very difficult and there's a lot of pressure. We don't have time for exercise, yoga, meditation. Laughter yoga is a very easy way to do the exercise and make ourselves happy and healthy.
Our brain needs 3% more oxygen supply. Laughter yoga helps increase oxygen supply in the brain, which increases employee productivity and creativity.
Ten to fifteen minutes of laughter every day with team members develops bonding, increases trust level, resolves conflict, and builds a stronger team. When the team is strong, you're more productive.
It's a very cheap exercise — less time consuming, we don't require any equipment, clothing, or communication. Before any class, before any meeting, just collect the team members for ten minutes and laugh. Overall, employees take fewer leaves.
On the personal case for daily practice
I used to smoke 40 to 45 cigarettes a day and was heavy alcoholic. My physical and mental health deteriorated and I suffered from depression. Laughter yoga and meditation helped me a lot — I'm free from these habits and from depression.
Let's pledge 10 to 15 minutes of laughter every day with our family and friends and make this world depression-free, stress-free, anxiety-free.
About the Author
Dr. Harish Rawat is an international Laughter Yoga Guru and the founder of Lot of Laughter Yoga Foundation in India. He engages in conducting laughter wellness sessions in different sections of society including school, colleges, corporate, slums, defence, societies and even prison. More than 65k people benefitted from his sessions.
Connect with him on LinkedIn.
Show Notes
(00:48) Tell us about your wellness journey and achievements.
(04:12) What is laughter yoga? What is the science behind it?
(06:40) Can you highlight the benefits of laughter yoga?
(08:24) Is it similar to laughter therapy? If no, then what is the difference between the two?
(10:05) How to do laughter yoga? Mention the steps.
(18:05) Can organizations incorporate laughter yoga into their wellness programs? If yes, how?
(21:01) Would you like to share any other suggestions with our listeners?
