MANILA, Philippines - Paolo Trinidad gathers a bunch of people who are touring the ABS-CBN compound on Tuesday morning, and asked them all to laugh.

And they did, all at the same time, even with no apparent reason. With the bouts of laughter were different hand gestures, from pretending to wash clothes to the famous laban sign popularized here in the country by Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr. and his family.

No, they're not crazy. This is a sneak peek at laughter yoga, a new exercise routine that is slowly sweeping the country.

It's all about becoming healthy by getting rid of bad air, said Trinidad, who is the founder of Laughter Yoga Pilipinas. He was trained by no less than the man behind the routine, India-based Dr. Madan Kataria.

"When you laugh, you're taking out the stale air, which when you breathe normally, only 25% of it would come out of your body. In laughter yoga, 100% of it would come out because when you laugh, you're already exhaling," he said in an interview at "Mornings @ ANC."

He added, "Each cell of your body gets the right oxygenation. Your immune system gets a boost. With all these happening, how can you get sick?"

Research showed that laughter lowers the level of stress hormones in the blood, develops a positive attitude and lowers the risk of respiratory infections such as common cold and flu.

Since the body can't differentiate between real and fake laughter, one gets the same health benefits by mere simulation, Kataria thought.

And then, laughter yoga -- which combines laughter with traditional yoga breathing and postures -- was born.

Kataria launched the first laughter club -- a place where people can gather and laugh together -- in 1995 in Mumbai, India. To date, there are more than 6,000 social laughter clubs in about 60 countries.

And the best part is, there are no membership fees and forms to fill up.

Laughter yoga alone

For those who have busy schedules or are suffering from chronic ailments, Kataria created another exercise regime -- the Laughter Yoga Alone.

Laughteryoga.org, Kataria's official website, said this routine provides the same benefits as from the laughter clubs, all in the comfort of your home.

"There is no one way of laughing. People can develop their own comfort zone with different sounds and gestures and different postures which facilitate Laughing Alone. As each person is different, it is important that you create your own exercises and develop new ideas to discover what works best," the website read.

Laughter yoga alone is usually done for 15 minutes, preferably during the morning to carry the cheerful mood throughout the day.

If done for 40 consecutive days, the routine will be developed into a habit, Kataria said.

Below are some 5 laughter exercises, as listed in laughteryoga.org:

Fake it until you make it. Try faking laughter by making different sounds. These absurd sounds will eventually make you laugh genuinely.

Hold your breath. Do this while raising your arms over your head and stretching your spine backwards. As you try to breathe a little longer, you'll start laughing.

Laugh 'one-meter' style. Stand with your feet a little apart and take both your hands to the left. Then, slide one arm over the other and stretch it to the opposite shoulder. Stretch both your arms, push your chin up, open your mouth a bit wider and start laughing.

Laugh 'aloooha' style. This is said to be derived from the traditional Hawaiian greeting. Sit on your knees and place some cushions in front of you. Raise your arms, push your chin up and say a pronged "aloooooo" in a crescendo. Then end it by saying "haaaa" and laughing heartily. Go down as you do this and dig your head into the cushions, still laughing.

Hold your knees and laugh. Lie on your back, hold your knees together with both hands and slowly bring them closer to your chest. Then, push your chin upwards, keep your mouth a bit open, and exhale. Release your knees and exhale while taking in deep breaths.

For more information, visit www.laughteryoga.org or call / send a text message to (63) 926-6493779.