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Doctor's orders? 'Belly laugh at least two to five days a week'
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-doctor-belly-days-week.htmlMelanin Bee curves her spine like a stretching cat as she lets out a maniacal, forced laugh.
The quick-fire pattern of manufactured giggles —"oh, hoo hoo hoo, eeh, ha ha ha"— soon ripples into genuine laughter, and she giddily kicks her feet.
She's practicing what she calls Laughasté, a hilarious yoga routine she created that is a descendant of "laughter clubs" that emerged in India in the 1990s. It feels awkward at first, but you fake it till you make it, she said.
"It's about allowing yourself to be OK with being awkward," said Bee, a Los Angeles comedian and speaker. "Then you're going to find some form of silliness within that is going to allow you to laugh involuntarily."
The laughter clubs were based on the common-sense notion that laughter relieves stress. But a good laugh is also good for your heart, immune system and many other health benefits, said Dr. Michael Miller, a cardiologist and medical professor at the University of Pennsylvania.
. . .
The quick-fire pattern of manufactured giggles —"oh, hoo hoo hoo, eeh, ha ha ha"— soon ripples into genuine laughter, and she giddily kicks her feet.
She's practicing what she calls Laughasté, a hilarious yoga routine she created that is a descendant of "laughter clubs" that emerged in India in the 1990s. It feels awkward at first, but you fake it till you make it, she said.
"It's about allowing yourself to be OK with being awkward," said Bee, a Los Angeles comedian and speaker. "Then you're going to find some form of silliness within that is going to allow you to laugh involuntarily."
The laughter clubs were based on the common-sense notion that laughter relieves stress. But a good laugh is also good for your heart, immune system and many other health benefits, said Dr. Michael Miller, a cardiologist and medical professor at the University of Pennsylvania.
. . .