Laughter Yoga Michigan

Once again this year, it was my privilege to provide two Laughter Yoga sessions every day at Gilda’s Club in Grand Rapids, Michigan during their ten-day LaughFest. During that time somewhere between 500-600 people, ranging in age from 12 months to 90 years, laughed with me.  This was a free community event with no restrictions of any sort for any class; consequently, the diversity was amazing.  My classes were a mix of pre-teen kids, along with groups of developmentally disabled young people, teenagers in substance abuse programs, deaf and blind elderly adults, men whose wives had dragged them in, college students, lots of yoga students and practitioners, plus a multitude of middle-aged females seeking joy. . . which they found! Even the most reticent willingly participated and ended the session heartily laughing.

I like music in my sessions and this time, I included more than usual.  My typical class begins with some of the basic standing exercises, moves on to standing couples and then to the floor.  On one of the first days, groups of developmentally disabled young people came en masse.  One young woman was very excited and told me she had come last year and she was so excited to laugh again – she remembered me and she wanted to laugh! Several had Down Syndrome, were extremely withdrawn and hesitant to take part, but slowly they did.

BIG Belly Laughs in Bloomfield Hills MI? You betcha!

May 19-20, 2012

What you will learn:

• The physical, mental and emotional benefits of laughter

• How to laugh without humor, comedy or props

• The history of Laughter Yoga

• How to start and run a laughter club

• How to market your services

• Special techniques for special groups

• How to laugh alone

This training is an experiential learning experience. You will have your teaching manual for reference, but the most important thing is to make sure each of you is comfortable in leading a group in Laughter Yoga exercises, as well as laughter meditation and guided imagery. Not only will we practice traditional Laughter Yoga exercises, but you will also be encouraged to create your own exercises.

Unfortunately, I missed the All-American LY conference in San Diego, but I was laughing with a delightful group of women in the mountains of Colorado which was an experience I would not have traded for anything.  As when I trained for LY back in 2005, I had no idea what I was getting into, but just as laughter proved to be, this training was exactly what I needed.

After working with Dr. K on an article entitled, "The Laws of Impermanence", I realized that change in life is our only constant.  "Seasons of Change", the name of the retreat in Colorado delved even deeper into that concept, using the seasons of Nature as a metaphor for that change.  Although the retreat is limited to women only, the program is not and I encourage all of you to explore it.  Realizing that professionally I could be in the Spring phase, while still being in Winter personally, was extremely helpful to me.

A couple of the ladies had experienced LY, the rest had not, so I introduced them to it per the request of the other facilitator, Helene VanManen.  As you can see from the remarks of Karin Marcus, the other facilitator, she appropriately made the connection.....

CANcer-Proof Your Life is an innovative program addressing life, whether before, after or during a cancer diagnosis, in a holistic manner, combining the best from many different mind, body, and spirit modalities. This is not a one-size-fits-all program, but one in which you will choose what techniques will best suit your needs.

There are NO claims that any one of these modalities cures cancer, but evidence-based research indicates that much can be done to reduce cancer risk and more important, decrease the risk of its recurrence.

During my own cancer experience, not one word was mentioned about how I should live my life after treatment. Because of that omission, coupled with my background and passion regarding alternative therapies, I have been compelled to share my knowledge and expertise with others in an informative and fun-packed 6-week anti-cancer, wellness program. Unlike many programs, healing is addressed not simply from a single dietary viewpoint, nor simply from a spiritual one, but instead one which encompasses and strives to balance all components of mind, body and spirit, laughter being at its heart!