World Laughter Day: Koraput residents laugh their way to good health, longevity

World Laughter Day is an annual event celebrated worldwide once a year, but the members of Chandan Pokhori Health Club in Odisha’s Koraput have been laughing their way to good health and longevity every day.

The health club, comprising mostly elderly people, has been spreading awareness about laughter and its multiple healing benefits as well as promoting wellness and overall well-being.

“We are often tangled in various problems in our family and professional lives. So, we forget to laugh enough and spread a smile. After joining Chandan Pokhori Health Club and doing all the laughing exercises, indeed boosts my mood and relaxes my body and mind. Laughing comes with a lot of physical, mental, and psychological benefits. It gives us a reason to be happy,” said a female member of the club.

“Laughing makes us feel good and energetic. It is very valuable and improves our everyday wellness. It helps us stay active and do all the household chores with enthusiasm and enjoy life to the fullest,” she added.

“Yes, we tend to forget to laugh because of the daily monotonous life, but since joining this health club, I’m doing well both personally and professionally,” she further stated.

Every day the members of the health club assemble in a park and do various kinds of laughing exercises and a variety of entertainment programs to lift the mood of the members.

A senior citizen Jagannath Das said, “There are 10-12 kinds of laughing exercises we do. We do welcome laugh, then open laugh or bathing laugh, silent laugh, attack laugh, lion laugh, tiger laugh, kansa laugh and relax laugh. This helps to stimulate and helps in proper blood flow throughout the body and helps cure diseases like BP, diabetes, sugar, and stomach-related problems. There will be no negative thinking in the mind and you will always stay positive in life.”