The JB Happy & Joyous Club truly live up to their name. Their mission is simple: to deliver happiness and joy to members of the community. They believe that laughter should be the universal language and the path to world peace.
Formed in 2008, the JB Happy & Joyous Club is now over a 100 members strong and their oldest happy and joyous member is in his 80s!
At this club, they introduce happiness through their many activities, including Laughter Yoga, Drum Circle, and Clowning. Founder and current Publicity Director, Fung Lee Jean, said people often have a misconception that happiness and joy are the same thing. She learnt that happiness is conditional while joy is from within. Introduce the concept of happiness first, and innate joy, once awakened, will flourish in a person’s life.
A simple but profound concept, Laughter Yoga focuses on using laughter to heal mental and emotional blockages; feel-good hormones are released when a person laughs. The club has trained a total of 500 Certified Laughter Yoga Leaders from all around Malaysia and Singapore. Participants who take up the training are taught laughter exercises and yoga breathing techniques. Eye contact, childlike behaviour, jokes, stretching, and of course laughing, are just some of the areas they focus on during the exercise.
The Drum Circle is a first in JB and is aimed at bonding communities through music. No sheet music is played – it’s just you playing either the drum or a percussion instrument. Find your own beat and play whatever you want. They believe that when together, beats will synchronise and everyone will “go with the flow” with each other, creating unique music.
Clown workshops have been conducted free-of-charge to several NGOs with the objective of each NGO having their own in-house clowns. JB Happy & Joyous Club’s clowns have visited various homes and hospitals, spreading their contagious happiness and joy around to those who could use uplifting moments in life.
When asked what they would say to people who are stressed out at work, the club members replied that one should “laugh it off”, starting with a small but forceful laugh and then escalating it to another level. “Your brain might know you’re faking your laugh, but your body doesn’t and will release endorphins. You will feel good.”
Vice-President, Goh Siew Mei, noticed that her friends were becoming more alert and having quicker responses since joining the club. Members of the club attest to having their lives transformed positively through the club activities too.
