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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Albert Stumm

The surprising health benefits of a belly laugh – even if it’s forced

Michael Miller Yoga

Melanin Bee curves her spine like a cat as she lets out a maniacal, forced laugh. The quick-fire pattern of manufactured giggles —“oh, hoo hoo hoo, eeh, ha ha ha”— 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.

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