Ego-less Healing

Sometimes the pure simplicity of laughter yoga throws our egos for a loop. It seems too easy.

In Hatha Yoga, for example, there are postures to master, which usually takes quite a bit of falling over, tense muscles, hopping around on one foot, and confused breathing. Eventually, with enough practice, our minds let go, and we “get it”. “I stuck with this difficult exercise and I’ve finally mastered it.” And this does feel good – it is certainly an accomplishment to be respected.

Laughter yoga, as a method, completely circumvents the left brain. It’s hard, almost impossible, to laugh and think at the same time. Your laughter does the transformative work for you. Instead of practicing for months, you can “master” laughter yoga within a session. The relaxing, healing results are tangible and immediate. 

In laughter yoga, your ego can only take credit for being vulnerable enough to step aside. That’s actually surprisingly uncomfortable. Our egos love to transform our egos. We want to work at it. Earn our transformation. Be more enlightened due to hours of study and silent meditation. But laugh? Isn’t that just another new age trend?  

Haysa (Laughter) Yoga is an ancient-age practice that dates back a few thousand years – it started in India. Laughter began… well… when we did. Laughter yoga heals and transforms on many levels that I’m sure we haven’t recognized yet. Laughter and breathing are parts of our life-force, our BE-ing. We laugh before we talk. Even deaf, blind babies laugh. They don’t need a reason. We can tell babies jokes all day. They don’t get the jokes, but they still laugh.

There are a few clips of babies laughing on the paparazzi page on this site. Watching them always helps me laugh, and reminds me that I still have my ego-free, organic, original laugh. It took me a while to find it, but it’s there.

Where is your original laugh? Have you heard it recently? You can start to find it again by practicing Laughter yoga – whether alone, with a laughter club, and/or at a conference. It would be my honor to help you find your original laugh and laugh it back into your life. It will likely bring healing you may not realize is missing.

laughlovepeace,
Leigh

LeRoi Moore’s Mom

Recently, one of the lead musicians in The Dave Matthews Band, LeRoi Moore, passed. This brought much sorrow to Charlottesville, family, friends, and fans.

For the past few weeks, I’ve had the privilege to laugh with his Mom.

One of the main points of laughing for no reason is to start by matching your laughter to your mood, even if it’s heavy grief… to locate the pain in your body, and try to begin to mumble laughter from that place. If your mood doesn’t lift, or becomes more pronounced — the goal is to start, not to expect a certain result.

I wish laughter yoga brought instant, magic happiness. Much like your first traditional yoga class, the discipline feels and looks awkward when you begin.  With practice, the transformation brought by laughing for no reason, and the mood-boosting, mind-clearing results, become much more accessible.

I applaud Mrs. Moore for her courage to laugh from a place of grief. She is a great sport, and reports feeling “so much better”.

laughlovepeace,
Leigh

“Thank You.”

On New Year’s Day, I was invited to participate in a sweat lodge – a Native American practice. If you’ve never done this, it’s hard to imagine what it’s like, even with the most thorough description.

Part of the ceremony involves sharing what we give thanks for from 2008. In my life, 2008 was great. For me to say something was great is miraculous alone, given my battles with depression. 

My giving of thanks at the lodge, although coming up with the list required some emotional digging, was authentic.

Others had different perspectives and experiences in 2008. On New Year’s Eve, I tracked different New Year’s Eve celebrations from around the world. It seemed like an almost globally unanimous response – Thank God 2008 is over. We’re ready for 2009 because it can’t get much worse. 

Do we really know what we’re saying? It can’t get much worse? I can imagine many, many ways that life could dramatically become much worse, individually and collectively.

With laughter yoga, I look back over 2008 and I’m amazed at the progressionof what I thought would only be a very small part of my life. I had my first laughter yoga seminar in November 2007, then had a well-attended New Year’s Eve celebration. A few days before, I had called David Mauer of the Daily Progress at, as he said, just the right moment, to have Laughter Yoga featured in Daily Progress. I headed directly from the New Year’s celebration to be interviewed by David. 

Next, the Valentine’s Celebration brought 36 people and was aired by WVIR-NBC. I attracted the attention of Hampton Roads Publishing and they requested a proposal for a book on Laughter Yoga.

I started a Senior Center Laughter Club, which brought 15 or so participants for the first meeting. They immediately moved it into a regular program.

I volunteered at the regional jail with women inmates who, after getting used to me and laughing again, championed the classes. Their enthusiasm floored me.

Cathy Harding wrote a beautiful article about me and laughter yoga in c-ville weekly.

Then came the end of the year, meaning, from about October on. Celebrations brought maybe 5 people, even with heavy advertising. Laughter Club meetings had 2-5 attendees each week. I began to wonder if I was doing something inconsistent with my practice to start rumors or negative word-of-mouth about me and laughter yoga among the Charlottesville community.

By December, even with an email newsletter list of 170+ people, 4-5 people attended the special events I had planned.

By the end of December, I was ready to stop leading laughter yoga, except volunteering at the jail, where the women really like the class and appreciated laughing as a spiritual exercise. I need to invest energy where it’s returned, I thought. Baaaah Humbug.

 As I looked at the end of the year, I thought, leading laughter yoga in Charlottesville can’t get much worse. Thank God the year is over.

Then I started reading some of the comments I’ve gotten from attendees throughout the year about how much they had been helped by me leading laughter yoga. I’ve kept a journal, just in case I needed some inspiration one day.

I feel like I’ve gotten myself back.

I didn’t realize laughter was missing so much in my life until I started laughing again in classes.

I used laughter here to beat some social anxiety.

That was a blast.

My leg doesn’t hurt when we laugh.

My blood pressure has dropped almost 30 points.

You have no idea of the gift you’ve given us.

She came home from your class absolutely glowing, so I had to come, too.

Those are a few.

The other part, that I hadn’t realized, from October until now, is that I believe I’ve found an incredible man that may become a true partner, through speaking about laughter yoga at a conference.

How can I not be thankful for the many opportunities to lead laughter yoga? It’s a good idea to reframe the year as a whole. There were good things that happened. A new president who is shattering racial barriers, for one.

Very good, very good, yay!

Laughter Leads to Love

We’ve probably heard that laughter creates more intimacy with our partners and relieves tension in relationships. 

Prolonged laughter helps eliminate stress and helps release inhibitions. This happens, whenever we laugh, on a biochemical level. It’s not a hard-to-achieve result. There are no books, homework questions, or weekend retreats to attend, not that any of those options are, ”less than”, laughing. Laughing at nothing is just as vulnerable, but far more fun and easy.

Laugh-a-demics can break out in families, with children creating new laughter games each day to keep everyone laughing. We just need to get started. Laughter is contagious and keeps working as long as we will keep laughing. We can become laughter-dependent, which I think is better than becoming dependent on any outside source of relief.

The more we laugh, the more we laugh. The more we laugh, the more we love. The more we love, the more strength we gather to sustain peace.

The Valentine’s Laughter Celebration is on Valentine’s Day. A unique way to celebrate the day with anyone you love. I’m bringing a few people. No pets, though.

Laughlovepeace,
Leigh

Unexplored Territory

I’ve heard much feedback from LY students about people not understanding what laughter yoga is – what it entails – what to expect. We seem to want to know what to expect while using our laughter with others. It’s completely understandable because it’s a new concept – sort of. Laughing for no reason. 

These times aren’t the easiest to laugh through, although I think these are crucial times to laugh in order to prevent sinking into depression and anxiety.

The only vulnerability that’s required to attend a laughter yoga class is the willingness to be silly with others doing the same, and to laugh. The leader should have a grasp of how to lead, depending on the comfort level of the group.

My front page, http://www.yogalaughs.com, has a great deal of information about what to expect to happen during a class. There are many online video clips sprinkled throughout the site.

Be brave! Attend the Valentine’s Celebration with someone, anyone, you love. Or try a class at the Senior Center or Studio 206. You are always welcome. If you can laugh, you’ll be able to participate. This path, if you stick with it, will truly, easily change your life. And it’s just so much fun.

laughlovepeace,
Leigh

Laughter Yoga Calendar for January

This is the tentative schedule for January Laughter Yoga Meetings at Studio 206 (same time) 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. Same weekly day: Sunday. Same suggested donation: $5 or FREE, like laughter.

1/4/09. Focus: Our immune systems. Learn about how prolonged laughter prevents relapse in cancer patients by up to 80%.

1/11/09. Focus: Cardio Laughter Yoga. Use specific laughter games and breathing techniques to increase your heart rate and deliver a seriously fun workout.

1/18/09. Focus: Using Laughter Yoga to build tangible peace in strained relationships. Peace meditation following laughter exercises.

1/25/09. Focus: Temporarily lose your left brain! Watch an inspirational video clip by Jill Bolte Taylor. Learn how laughter immediately accesses your right brain.

Hope to see you there!

Laughlove,
Leigh

Laughter Report: The Ladies at the Jail

Once again, I want to brag about the women in the re-entry program (in transition back to their communities) at the local jail. They are “required” to laugh with me twice a week. Each laughter class lasts for about 1.5 hours.

So far, they report decreased anger, moods improving steadily, colds and irksome illnesses decreased (we saw one disappear today), relationships with each other strengthened/more “at ease”… and today, a woman with asthma who *had* to use an inhaler for each class, no longer needs it. Even if we’re running around like laughing buffalo. There was a Western theme today.

Now that the woman with asthma no longer needs her inhaler for cardiovascular exercise, she’s been spinning on the bike, doing jumping jacks and other cardio exercise, and generally laughing as hard and as much as she can. She’s lost at least 20 pounds, her inhaler, and her flat affect.

They’ve invited me to come lead LY with their special night with their children. Once again, I’m honored.

I challenge you to regularly volunteer. Give away the parts of you that you cherish – where you find your best or most “formed” gifts. This alone will lift your mood and fill your heart with a little bit of hope (or a big amount of hope). The world needs what you have, especially in these days of external ups and downs. Give it! But don’t forget to drink plenty of fluids. Ha ha!

Happier days ahead,
Leigh

MSNBC on Laughter

No Reason’s Greetings!

Some of the latest research and media (MSNBC) on the many many benefits of laughter were forwarded to me…

Your happiness could be contagious! New research shows that happiness isn’t just an individual phenomenon; we can catch happiness from friends and family members like an emotional virus.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28058552/from/ET/

No joke, some patients laugh through treatment! While the verdict is out on whether laughter plays a role in healing, the American Cancer Society says it promotes relaxation by lowering blood pressure and improves breathing.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27955969/from/ET/

A Time to Laugh

I wrote a post a few weeks ago about Ann, a good friend who had recently taken her life due to severe depression. I had been out of touch with her for a few years.

For the first time since her death, I visited her husband, also a good friend, for about 5 hours yesterday. We laughed and cried together throughout the afternoon, barely watched a movie, shared memories, and ached for the loss of a very special woman.

Today I’m walking my talk regarding laughter yoga. I’m leading two laughter clubs, one of which is a German tradition holiday celebration to go with our laughter. But I’m still aching for Ann’s husband and for Ann – how much she suffered. My heart is filled with grief.

It would so easy for me to cancel both meetings, and I would have every legitimate reason to. But I really need to laugh. For no reason. For real.  

Her husband said yesterday that he was glad I came over and laughed with him. I was glad to come over and cry with him. I fake-laughed while riding in my car for about 15 minutes before I arrived. It gave me just enough ability to laugh with him.

I plan to kick depression as hard as I can in the butt during my life. I’ve always known one of the purposes of my life is to break grief. I’ve spent most of my life getting to know grief. I know it well. But now, for me, this is a time to laugh.

In honor of Ann.

Unwrapping Our True Gift

Packaging – we all have it. Noses, hair, where our hair grows, weight, height, age, eye color, how white our teeth are, the latest fashion, the way our feet look… the list goes on. If we’re not super-careful in these United States, we will see and value ourselves from the outside-in, instead of the inside-out.

We’re bombarded daily with images and definitions of beautiful packaging, or not, according to the opinions of others. This is pretty old news for most of us, but do we really get it?

An analogy – in this season, we give and receive holiday gifts. These gifts come with packaging to surprise the recipient as to what’s inside. Unwrapping a gift is a really fun thing to do, filled with expectation. If a gift is “poorly” wrapped by a young person, the packaging is considered adorable. If it’s poorly wrapped by an adult, it’s considered, well, somewhat inconsiderate. But the gift, regardless of packaging, could be the exact same thing, with the exact same value. Just different packaging.

What does your packaging look like? Is that where your self-image resides? From the image you see in a mirror with your eyes?

Laughter yoga has helped me awaken and strengthen my, “true self”, and create a true-self-image (it’s under construction). When I play laughter games with others, everyone’s packaging becomes the same. We are all happy lions, turkeys, waving royalty, and evil super models at the same time. Then, after laughing non-stop for 5-6 minutes, any inhibitions about my packaging are gone. I no longer care how carefully I’m wrapped.

The more we can laugh at our packaging, no matter how it ranks with current wrapping standards, we will start to build our true-self-image. I believe we long to live from that place within us of true truth. With no effort on my part but to laugh, laughter yoga has helped me live there, stay there, and strengthen that place. It’s my honor to help others do the same.

I’m filled with expectations of seeing the beautiful gifts of our true selves residing just beneath our packaging. To illustrate this, maybe I’ll bring a long roll of wrapping paper to a laughter session…