Today Jon & I volunteered with JABA, at the Mary Williams Center with about 4 older women, out of 20 or so who could have participated. That ended up being great, because those who participated were enthusiastic.

Jon cherishes the older generation. He regularly remarks about how wise they are, how much they know and could pass on if we’d give them a chance… so he did most of the talking. I did most of leading the games.

This group couldn’t move very much. Their mobility was limited to standing up – then only briefly. However, by then end of class, endorphins had started flowing and a lady reported how much better her arthritis felt throughout her body.

Endorphins are the neurochemicals responsible for the “runner’s high” that we get after aerobic exercise. They’re also released when we laugh. They have more pain-killing power than morphine, which is why arthritis is helped by laughter yoga. We also forget about pain when we’re laughing.

Laugh yourself to health!

We’ve all heard that when we give, ultimately, it comes back to us. I’ve found this to be real. This is one of the more powerful spiritual principles for manifesting. We reap what we sow. If we sow joy, we reap joy. Maybe not where we expect to, but it will show up – predictably when we need it the most.

I am grateful for chances to volunteer to lead laughter yoga. I limit myself to those I can afford, financially and emotionally. I know my gifts and where I lead with the most grace. When I give laughter, my heart is emptied – full of room to receive. I become more aware of when and how I receive what I need. Then gratitude happens… which helps me want to give again. It’s an automatic spirtual cycle that is already in place. We just need to step in. It’s our move.

If you offer a class by-donation only, even if you suggest an amount (say, $5-10), newspapers usually will list it for free because they consider it a free event. This is how I’ve gotten the word out about Laughter Yoga in Charlottesville over the past two years.

That’s one of the many topics we’ll be covering in the upcoming retreat, “Build and Market Your Spiritual Practice” on November 15th. The retreat is designed to help find budget-mindful ways to market your practice. Join us!

http://www.yogalaughs.com/mworkshop/schedule1.html

As I lead laughter yoga at the jail with women inmates, I learn a valuable lesson with each session. The inmates I laugh with are part of a re-entry program. Remaining in the re-entry program requires them to attend almost all classes. Twice a week, they are “required” to laugh with me in “laughter class”. I’ve been volunteering with re-entry groups at the jail for over a year. Each group is very different in their response to laughter yoga.  

The current group of women has been especially “tough”, meaning, about three out of the six in the group will not laugh unless they feel like it. In jail, most people aren’t there because they’ve had such a great life. It’s no surprise that they don’t feel like laughing. Trying to get some of the more angry and “hardened” inmates to laugh can feel like a going on a long run up a mountain.

But I’ve found that not trying to do anything is one way to disarm their rigidity. I’m transparent. Present in the moment. I abandon my laughter yoga agenda before each class and determine to meet them where they are. I know this isn’t conventional, but it seems to help them trust me and each other. Once they understand that my time with them is also their time — to vent, laugh, cry, and relax — they also let go of their agenda of refusing to laugh.  

They say my laughter is contagious. I share some of my story about laughter yoga each week, give them handouts with articles about laughter yoga, and make the most of each of their giggles. I include “feedback time” in every session after the silent meditation. It provides them with a sense of control and co-leadership of the class.

With each class, I try to build build build… trust. During one class with this group, building trust involved an inmate sharing a painful circumstance around her son for almost 45 minutes. He is 4 and was having major surgery that he may or may not have survived. She couldn’t be with him. She just had to wait for the news about the surgery from the Warden. She wasn’t in a place to laugh for no reason until she had been heard, hugged and allowed to cry. She didn’t ask to be in my class. She was there because she didn’t want to get kicked out of the re-entry program. I had to respect that. She ended up using laughter to release stress and blew the top off of the jail with her loud, silly laughter. She also wept during the silent meditation. Her remarks afterward were abundant – one really touched me. “Now, this is peace.”

The lesson for me for groups like these? Be fully empty with the laughter yoga goal in sight, but not as your required outcome for every class. They know why you’re there. They’ll follow your lead in time. Let them have control in a situation where they very little.

Thanks to Jeffrey for support and easy-to-do suggestions!

I faked my laughter during these days and proved that “fake” laughter works almost as well as “belly” laughter. I felt so much better after the meetings, even though I didn’t have the inner resources to put forth the effort to really laugh.

This is a rigorous but do-able spiritual discipline. Like any yoga, the more we practice it, the easier it becomes.

We’re still waiting for others to join us! I tend to morph energy from other participants and be inspired by their willingness to be goofy and courage to laugh, “in spite of.”

Our plan is to carry on for about 90 days, give or take a beach vacation for a few days. Kundalini Yoga posits our habits change within 40 days and our subconscious minds shift within 90 days of doing the same discipline each day. I am eager to see what changes and heals in my life just from laughing, on purpose, each day.

ha ha ha,
Leigh

I found it a little bit more difficult to laugh in the park this morning, and was a bit more self-conscious. That was my hang-up. I really tried to think and laugh at the same time. It’s almost impossible to do and tiring.

We came up with three new laughter games — progressive decibel laughter, swimming strokes laughter, and tight rope laughter. 

Jon and I are practicing, I think, for the time when people actually do show up to laugh with us. We’ll seem to know what we’re doing. We certainly helped a few passers-by laugh this morning.

Mainly, the consistency of making a commitment to laugh together every day – in a public place – will make all the difference in our relationship and perspectives as we stick to it.

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From Jon:

Laughing Day Two – June 30, 2009

I felt little resistance today to arriving at the park, in fact was eager.  I have no attachment at this point with any number of participants.  Actually it is slightly less intimidating to just laugh with Leigh, as we are comfortable and familiar; the challenges will come as new people are added.

Leigh created a couple new games today (see above). I find myself more drawn to the motions that seem to open body postures.  The Archer, Tiny Measure and the Hands over Head, all seem to be freeing.  I am however more comfortable in closing in, Sneezing, Balloon Blowing and Colapsing in Laughter all fold inward and feel safer somehow.

Meditation today was grand.  The laughing section was slightly more forced, and I was tired…less inclined to push than yesterday.  However, I went in deeply and quickly during the silent meditation.  My connection to earth, with grass and sun was very strong and very tuned to a natural setting.  The bustle of the waking downtown area was a grand contrast.  I felt so grateful that I was able to not shut it out, but in fact, embrace the external as a soundtrack to my internal quiet.

Since last year, I’ve wanted to start a laughter club in Lee Park. It’s just been on my heart to do.

Jon and I showed up at 7:55 a.m., put up our sign and started with the usual warm-up laughter games. No one else joined us this morning. Although we missed our supporters, we were mainly there for ourselves. We have the ability to get too serious and need to laugh, every day, as a spiritual discipline. It brings us much more levity, which helps small things stay small.

I felt the energy disperse with every “Very good, very good, yay!” that we cheered. We confused a few dogs. Otherwise, people pretended we weren’t there. They looked down at the sidewalk and walked by like nothing was happening. I guess I would have done the same a few years ago.

I realized how much my inhibitions have shrunk to a workable size for authentic social interaction as a result of leading laughter yoga each week for two years.

Staring at the bright blue sky in the morning while laughing, then meditating, was a special treat. The weather was gorgeous. We left refreshed and ready to start the day. It was great. Come join us!

If we need to change something in our lives, if something “isn’t right” and needs “correcting”, the process usually bears shame for us. “Shame on you! Be different!”

What if we embraced the “not right” parts of ourselves - those icky behaviors – instead of hiding or tucking them away? What if we loved those parts for absolutley no reason?

I think we can love ourselves for no reason as a discipline just like we can laugh for no reason. It may seem really really fake at first. We’re so used to loving ourselves for reasons. The only problem with that concept is reasons can change from moment to moment. So our self-esteem will be shaky or overly rigid if we choose that route.

When we surround darkness with laughter, it becomes lighter. It loses it’s power to shame,blame and threaten us. Whatever we laugh with, for a reason or not, no longer has the power to rule us. Laughter has a way of leveling the playing field.

When you attend a laughter yoga session, especially during the laughter meditation, locate a dark place. As you laugh throughout the session, be mindful that you are embracing and laughing with that part of you. When you laugh during the meditation, pull you knees into your chest, wrap your arms around them, and rock back and forth. That part of you needs forgiveness for no reason. Allow any amount of forgiveness in during that time. You may not be able to use this discipline yet. If you keep laughing, a time to forgive yourself will open.

The more we laugh, the more we love.

laughlovepeace,
Leigh

What an honor it was to co-lead the Heart-Healing Laughter Retreat at gorgeous Bridge Between the Worlds! I came away with a few thoughts on laughter that were reinforced by the comments made by the participants. It works. It heals. It brings hope as it is adopted as a discipline, a yogic path. It opens the spirit to visions of new possibilities that hadn’t been seen, or fathomed, before.

Leading with Jon was a special treat. He has a background that compliments mine, and a leadership style that is different, too. We seemed to flow well together.

Most of all, my belief that laughter is many things and serves us well in so many ways was underscored. It’s taken about 2 years for me to become an irreversible, bonafide, “addict” (I’m using that word cautiously as substance abuse is so very painful) to laughter yoga. I want to start a laugh-a-demic and help foster an energy shift with whatever group who are willing and open to do so. Improv. Fun never-been-done-before stuff. If that interests you, please let me know. info@yogalaughs.com.

laughlovepeace,
Leigh

This is what I’m starting to discover about developing a habit of laughing for no reason, regarding arguments with those I love: Contentment feels like a more natural emotional state for us than fear and sadness.

Laughter helps me be more quick to forgive and forget and start giggling again. I’m not such an expert at laughing at nothing that I can laugh in the middle of a painful argument, nor do I think that would be appropriate. But the increasing ability to “bounce back” after an argument is surprising me.

If I can remember to capitalize on the fun times, to laugh as much as possible when I do feel like it — then my sad and fearful times seem less overwhelming and don’t last as long. 

May joy, healing and forgiveness flow in and from our relationships.