A couple who recently moved to Bath are on a quest to get the city laughing.
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Jackie and Clive, who are official Laughter Yoga leaders
Clive St James and his wife Jackie, who have relocated from Poole, are official Laughter Yoga leaders, trainers and teachers, and say it’s a great way to stay healthy and have fun.
Clive is also a record-breaking comedian, a well-known Tommy Cooper impersonator and a magician.
Laughter Yoga, which is practised in dozens of countries around the world, was developed in the mid- 1990s by Indian physician Dr Madan Kataria. Clive and Jackie did teacher training with him in India.
At their sessions, Clive and Jackie take people through exercises that involve breathing, stretching and the infectiousness of laughter.
Laughter has many benefits. Ten to 15 minutes of such exercises can act as a natural anti-depressant, reducing stress, making the immune system stronger and keeping the mind positive during challenging times.
Laughter is a natural painkiller and other benefits are said to include better sleep and lower blood pressure.
Clive’s mother suffered with chronic depression but he recalls that when she watched Tommy Cooper on TV, she laughed. When he was young, he did impressions of the great comedian and magician to make her feel better.
Clive is 6ft 3in, the same height Tommy Cooper was, and like his hero is a member of the Magic Circle. He is the proud owner of the largest collection of Tommy Cooper memorabilia.
In 2016, when English Heritage unveiled a blue plaque at Tommy Cooper’s house in Chiswick, Clive was called to celebrate and perform.
Clive also has the honour of being the fastest comic in the world, entering the Guinness World Records nine years ago by squeezing 26 one-line jokes into a minute.
He broke his own world record that same evening when he appeared on BBC’s Newsnight dressed as Tommy Cooper and delivered 32 jokes.
Clive and Jackie invited me to a taster session in Laughter Yoga at their home near Sydney Gardens.
After some warm-up exercises, we did various types of simulated laughing, from Father Christmas Ho-Ho-Ho-ing to cackling like witches.
I soon shook off any inhibitions about how I might look and sound and was quickly laughing for real. Seeing and hearing others laugh is infectious.
I left their flat and walked back to work feeling invigorated, clear-headed and in a great mood which lasted all day.
As the saying goes, laughter is the best medicine.
People are asked to register their interest at [email protected] for the classes, which will be free throughout the summer but donations to Bath Mind would be welcome.
Clive invites charities to talk to him about the benefits of Laughter Yoga at no charge.
If you can’t get to a class, see Clive and Jackie in action at www. laughter-yoga.co.uk and join in with one of the video sessions.