When's the last time you had a good belly-achin' laugh? The kind that makes you feel like you just worked out?

Well, more folks in the health community are saying that "laughter is the best medicine." (Laugh track here, please.)

A practice known as laughter yoga is becoming increasingly popular. There are more than 6,000 Laughter Yoga clubs in 60 countries. It hasn't caught on as fast in Maine; I found just one club based out of Boothbay Harbor.

Here's a list of the health benefits of laughter yoga, also known as hasya yoga, from the University of Michigan Health System:

• Helps to reduce stress
• Enhances the immune system
• Strengthens cardiovascular functions
• Oxygenates the body by boosting the respiratory system
• Improves circulation
• Tones muscles
• Helps with digestion and constipation

The following is a Discovery Channel segment on how Indian physician Dr. Madan Kataria invented laughing yoga. Apparently Dr. Kataria got together a group of people who told jokes to one another. They ran out of jokes after a few days.

Then, he came up with other ways that people could make each other laugh. One involves pretending to be a lion, by making googly eyes, and pawing at the air.

Another one has people acting like they are taking two imaginary glasses of milk and pouring milk from one glass to another, while making unintelligible sounds.

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