Ha-ha, funny isn't it, but Laughter Yoga has nothing to do with telling jokes. In fact, humor plays no part in this unusual form of the ancient Hindu discipline. Here, laughter has to be unconditional.
But, shame to say, it was the innocent appeal of sheer frivolity that made me fish out my leotard and head for trendy Kichijoji in western Tokyo in search of enlightenment with a snicker.
To begin with, when I walked into the class in a small room on the first floor of a condo close to the station, I was nonplussed when I was greeted by Mary Tadokoro, cofounder of Laughter Yoga Japan, which now has six clubs in eastern Japan and three in the west. Her firm handshake and ear-to-ear smile surely eased my nervousness over my first ever yoga experience — but weren't yoga instructors supposed to be austere, imposing and serious?