Jennifer Hammond is a multi-discipline fitness instructor who teaches everything from kick-boxing to Pilates in her Pure and Natural Euphoria studio in Thornbury.

But she is also a newly-minted laughter yoga leader. She says laughter yoga is no joke.

“It's not about the humour it’s about the laughing itself,” she says. “We start with clapping, just generating energy, making eye contact, then we add the laughter the ho ho, ha ha, then we add walking around with other people walking around interacting with other people who are participating.”

There are 40 foundation exercises that loosen up your body and get your laughing muscles working. Most are so ridiculous laughter is inevitable and it’s infectious.

“You may laugh at someone else's laugh and they will laugh at someone else’s laugh then they laugh at that laugh and that laugh, so even if you are not laughing at yourself, you are laughing at someone else who is laughing at themselves or laughing at you and the next thing you know everybody is laughing,” she says.

According to laughter yoga practitioners, laughing releases feel-good hormones called endorphins. It relieves stress and can put a positive spin on your entire week. Justin Skultety and a group of first timers don't need convincing.

“People around me, myself included, were laughing so hard we were crying, I 'm surprised people didn't laugh so hard they peed themselves,” he says. “I was expecting something but had no idea it was going to be this good.”

Blue Mountains Resident Cathy Smart adds laughing is “just part of who I am and when I'm in a group of strangers and see people laugh together and have such a great time I get really excited about that. I just love it.”

Markdale resident Karen Holt came with her daughter Marley, who has cerebral palsy. The pair didn't stop smiling once.

“People should open their minds to laughing yoga and people should offer themselves the experience of coming to a session and probably more than one,” Holt says.

Certified laughter leader Bambalam says everybody can benefit from a few more laughs.

“It’s something that everybody can do regardless of your age and culture,” he says of laughter. “In  a time when we are saddened and overwhelmed by so many things that most think we can’t do anything about, this is one thing we can do. Laughter is the best medicine.”

Laughter yoga is growing in popularity and is being offered at more and more fitness studios all the time. There is a conference coming up next month in Toronto for those who are interested in learning more or becoming a laughter yoga practitioner.

They say there's a fitness program to fit every person, and there are certainly a lot of new and perhaps unusual ways to work out. All this week we're going to show you some of the newest fitness programs aimed at getting you in shape and keeping your interest as you work out.

Tomorrow we continue our series and check out a core fitness workout with a punch.