Laugh therapy Why it's no joking matter New classes teaching ways to chuckle yourself to health, wellness.(Neighbor)

Byline: Jill Blaska Daily Herald Correspondent

There is nothing funny about another losing Cubs season, exorbitant gas prices or endless rainy weather. So a new group in Palatine is making its own reasons to laugh.

On a recent evening, members of a laughter yoga club met beneath the lighted gazebo at Towne Square Park in Palatine. The group of 13 students, yoga instructors, physicians and various other professionals patiently waited for the laughter to begin.

Inspired by the work of Dr. Madan Kataria, a physician from India, laughter yoga is a combination of chanting, clapping, breathing and laughter exercises designed to improve health and well-being. What began in 1995 with Kataria and five people laughing in a park in India has grown into more than 5,000 laughter clubs in more than 40 countries, now including the Chicago area.

Doug Dvorak, founded the Chicago Live Life Laughing club, which meets the third Wednesday of every month in Palatine, to overcome what he calls his "own personal 911." Dvorak of Palatine said humor helped …