Here are documents you will have to think about sooner or later if you offer laughter programs or run your own laughter club.

Sign-in Sheet
Here is a sign-in sheet in .doc format I created in 2005 in the early days of Laughter Yoga in the US that’s combined with a legal disclaimer (legally not valid, just so you know). I have not used it myself in a long time but I am aware that some people still like and use it. Read more on what I think of legal disclaimers further down this page.

Sign-in Sheet and Legal Disclaimer

Right now here is the form I use (.docx). I welcome any improvement you may have so please either leave a comment at the bottom of this page or email us the file(s) you would like to share here and we’ll include them here as extra resources.

Sign up sheet

Legal Disclaimer
Should you ask participants to sign a non-disclaimer form each time you laugh together? Ignore everything the fear-mongers have to say: In the end it’s only up to you.

If you resonate with the idea and it makes you feel more comfortable, then the answer is absolutely yes (You can download a template disclaimer form here (In microsoft .doc format: http://lou.pm/ddoc). This form is offered as a service only and has not been reviewed by a lawyer. I do not guarantee its legal validity.) They have value as a form of prevention, in that they reinforce the message that people are responsible for their own health. From a legal viewpoint, however, they offer no real protection. In the USA a non-disclaimer form must be read out loud and signed in front of a witness to be valid in Court, and even that is not a guarantee you will win a lawsuit.

Just for the record, several Laughter Yoga practitioners and Community Laughter Clubs have been taken to court over the years in various countries around the world, but none for health reasons so far. The consistent complaint is noise disturbance, and the request of the attacking party is to “stop the cacophony.” Read a typical example here.

Related questions

Photo/video release form
You may one day want to take pictures of the people in your laughter sessions. Why not? Everybody is happy and in a good mood. This provides great visual images and could be used in your promotional material to inspire others to join your group.
It is good practice however to always ask for permission first.

The world being what it currently is, if you really want to do things legally then you will need to have everybody on your pictures sign a photo release form. You can download a template here (In .doc format: http://lou.pm/vrfdoc.)