Having a sense of humour is widely spoken of as being an important element to hold in one’s outlook on life, especially since Covid has entered our lives. How we live our life is dependant on our viewpoint which has developed as we are naturally conditioned by our environment. We become conditioned as small children, watching, learning, listening, expressing and experimenting with what works in our attempts to get along and receive love. in particular from our parents.
Oddly enough, as adults we may not lose this unconscious habit of seeking love and approval. We may look for it outside of ourselves and it may is related to our sense of who we are, whether we feel we belong and are a worthwhile person. Laughter is similar, part of our growing up and conditioning, which is also cultural and consequent to our background and you can understand then why everyone’s sense of humour is unique.
There are many reasons why we laugh, which are mostly unconscious as a release, to alter our mood. We can laugh because we are happy, sad, in pain, feeling uncomfortable, in fact for innumerable reasons. Laughter needs cultivation, as does any good habit. Children laugh freely and as we grow up, we tend to close up as a general rule, become self conscious and limit the amount of laughter in our daily lives.
An Indian physician, Dr Madan Kataria started the free community laughter club movement 26 years ago and now there are thousands worldwide. Lynette became involved 17 years ago when she started the Boronia Laughter Club which transitioned into the Ferntree Gully Laughter Club. The experience of running one has given her first-hand experience of the transformation in members’ lives.
We laugh together for the health benefits and initially for newcomers, they begin with ‘fake it till you make it’, because the body cannot differentiate between real and pretend laughter. How it is done is like improv theatre, pretending to laugh in different scenarios. This makes it easy to laugh without jokes or props and very quickly, the laughter is spontaneous, automatic and genuine.
Laughter sends positive messages to our body, releasing endorphins, resulting in us feeling uplifted, lighter, joyous and energised. There are enormous benefits from what we do, which is basically adults engaging in playful, childlike fun activities. Remember too, a laughter yoga session includes deep breathing, which helps to oxygenate the blood and is very cleansing for the body. Deep breathing is calming, lowering stress levels within us as well.
Attending a laughter session creates an opportunity to come out of your comfort zone. Laughter is an aerobic exercise and there are innumerable health benefits, physically, emotionally, mentally, socially and spiritually. Laughing for one’s health has become widely researched and it is now understood that it benefits all who do it. It does not discriminate and is an inclusive activity or pastime.
Laughter Yoga, as it is known, nowadays is incorporated as a wellness activity in business and other organisations. How wonderful indeed. Perhaps you will experience it in this way or by attending a laughter club. Either way, it is recommended attending a few times for you to discover how it helps you. Otherwise, you will never truly know how incorporating more laughter into your daily life will assist you. Lynette suggests making laughter a daily habit.
The Ferntree Gully Laughter Club meets every Sunday during lockdown at 11am on Zoom. Please message or email Lynette if you wish to become involved. Message Lynette on 0425 799 258 or email: lynette@laughterforliving.com.au.
Click button below to go to the laughter club website page.
Cheerio for now. Until next time, love and laughter blessings. I look forward to hearing how you go with these ponderings.
Many of us like to work on ourselves in some form of self-improvement, which usually entails improving our habits so that our life is more effective and functionals to the best of our ability. Habits develop from an exceedingly early age. From the moment we are born we are impressed upon from outside of ourselves to behave in certain, acceptable ways. That is generally what occurs, we develop unconscious habits which become ingrained into our expression.
This is the exact opposite to living mindfully and being aware in each moment what our energy is doing. Are you interested in living your life consciously, mindfully? If so, this may resonate with you and a few others who read this post. We are at the mercy of all our past programming and patterning, when choosing to break old habits and create new, beneficial ones, that will take us to where we want to go. Rather like pushing against the tide or walking uphill.
I recently wrote regarding affirmations, which is do them daily for 28 days, or a full lunar cycle. It takes a month for new habits to become ingrained into our positive daily rituals. I believe that habits are easily formed and difficult to break, when they become automatic, mindless, unconscious ones.
Consider this, you try to give up a ‘bad habit’ such as smoking or eating chocolate. You succeed and then one day, feel like just one, it will not hurt me. Then daily you look for it, more likely at a time when you feel a little stressed and want something to make yourself feel better. It is called comfort eating.
This is how easily an unwanted habit can become an unconscious, automatic habit, which is not conducive to living the life you were meant to lead. In one moment of self-sabotage, we undo all the good work and consistent effort we have put into establishing a good habit or routine.
What if we choose to implement a new, so called, ‘good habit’ into our life? It can be easier than you might think and admittedly, we may need some outside support or encouragement to get it going. BUT do not underestimate your value and adaptability, your willingness and wanting to succeed. Your courage to persist.
I share a favourite motto with many of you, who like Winston Churchill, held the firm belief to ‘Never, ever give up ‘. Success is not how many times you have fallen over, but how many times you have picked yourself up and kept on going, trying, persisting. There are many successful people who failed at first. Such as Henry Ford, F.W. Woolworth, Akio Morita (Sony’s founder), Bill Gates, Albert Einstein, Walt Disney, Charles Darwin, Socrates – to name just a few.
Do you have utmost faith in yourself to achieve something that has eluded you thus far? Most of us are particularly good at self-sabotage patterns. We then carry regrets that we gave up too soon, rather than persisting. This leads to adverse feelings of self-worth, which diminishes. Also we lose faith in yourself, which once this happens, is less likely to return. How sad indeed.
What does this bring up for you in this very moment? Perhaps there is recognition of failing over and over when attempting to improve yourself and niggley negative feelings that persist.
It does not matter how much we go through life, failing in whatever it is that we are attempting to do. What matters is our ability to continue or whether we give up on ourselves, even life.
It may be helpful to look at the examples of others who have ultimately succeeded. You will have your own ones, those people you admire for living their lives authentically, who followed their dream, no matter the odds.
Humans tend to be naturally lazy and want things to be easy, even cushy. There is no gain without pain and the path of most resistance is the one to take. Think about it. The times of greatest growth and accomplishment in your life are most likely the most difficult ones, which took consistent effort, a strong will and determination. Also, a belief in yourself and that somehow, no matter what others may say to convince you to the contrary, there is an innate reason you want to do it. Perhaps an inner knowing.
I love this beautiful quote. “But what if I never get there?” asked the fox. “A small step is still a step” replied the Moon. “Just do what you can today and be proud of yourself”.
My view about establishing new habits is a little different to the norm. In my personal experience, it is about allowing yourself to feel instead of supressing feelings. Meditation, journaling and using the energetic hygiene practices work together. I share about these in our Thursday night class, as methods which help clear unconscious reasons, which is why we fail in the first place.
I feel you may recognise what I mean, we can have some confusion and lack of clarity. One part of us wants strongly to go in one direction but other parts of us are not on board with the inspiration. A perfect example is those who make New Year’s Resolutions, with every good intent to be a better person, for whatever reason. They don’t usually last very long before we fall off the wagon and go back to what we have been doing for ages.
Judgment!
I feel to explain that judgment keeps us stuck, going on a treadmill or a mouse wheel, repeating without getting anywhere. Have you heard of the expression about Being and not Doing? Our doing needs to come out of our being, that is to be heart connected, centred, grounded into the earth and from that lovely still space, how we live our lives is in a beautiful flow, from our heart centre. We flow and trust our intuition, our inspirations.
As we judge anything, it gives it energy and we are rooted in habits which we wish to change and each time we fail, we project that energy in towards ourself. Our subconscious mind accepts it as a truth too, something we want more of. This is why we can learn to work with our inner coach, rather than our inner critic. To be gentle with ourselves, as a being of nature which needs nourishment, as much as any other thing of nature.
The best results are when we are working together with all our inner team on board, clearing the conflicts within us as we become aware of them. This gives us real progress and lasting achievements, leading to more and more successes and new discoveries.
You can reach greater heights. Trust me. Keep aiming high to reach your highest, brightest, potential and keep on keeping on!!!
Cheerio for now. Until next time, love, and laughter blessings. I look forward to hearing how you go with these ponderings.
Disclaimer: Information shared here is from my personal understanding and experience. Advice given is general and as I am not a medical doctor, take no responsibility for how it is received, my intention is that articles will be supportive and assist in living a fuller, holistic life.
Laughing together in person at the laughter club is one of the happiest, joyous, overflowing with gratitude time in my life these days. Laughter is uplifting, can take one out of feeling in the doldrums, our attitude changing to be filled with wonder, joy and gratitude.
We have a lot of spontaneous fun when we come together in the park. At first new people joining us may feel a little uncomfortable, as laughing out loud in public, with strangers, can be daunting to begin with. With regular practice, we have also learnt to let our reservations leave us on the Zoom calls and during lockdown, it is important to keep up the fun.
World Laughter Day
World Laughter Day is annually on the first Sunday in May. Five years ago it was at Federation Square, we were on the main stage due to the heavy rain.
I shared a laughter exercise and Faye was there, seeing me, as a being local to her. Faye found me across the crowded stage and felt drawn to join our laughter club
I wish to acknowledge Faye, as she is an amazing soul, who comes to every possible meeting. Allow me to continue and sing the praises of Faye.
Faye is quietly spoken and even so, when absent, her energy is sorely missed. She loves to contribute in the background, by baking birthday cakes for us when our special day comes around. Her essence is charming, cheerful, calm, grateful and supportive.
Faye often shares that belonging to the laughter club has been instrumental in helping her to keep going, enabling her to bring love, positivity and light-heartedness into her life, which was missing before she found us.
I am grateful for her and all the other regular members. It takes perseverance to turn up on a regular basis.
Many people have come and gone in the sixteen years that I have been running the club, after I met the Founder, Dr Madan Kataria and then did the necessary training.
Turning Point in Lynette’s Life
The day I met Dr Kataria was a turning point in my life and I was on a high, feeling uplifted and impressed by the vibrant energy in the room. Straight away I trained to lead a community laughter club, which has since been an important focus in my life.
The laughter club has in the last few years brought my husband, John, out of his shell. He has become a very bright spark to be around, as opposed to beforehand when he was an introvert and would not dream of speaking to a stranger. Nowadays he speaks to anybody, comfortably, without shame or embarrassment.
Which brings me to the blog subject, ‘Gratitude and Joy are like Our Left and Right Hand Working Together’. Gratitude and Joy go hand in hand and cannot be separated.
Every day brings new opportunities to feel Gratitude and I firmly believe that it is important to fill yourself up with being grateful. Being grateful leads to spontaneously bring joy into our lives.
With Gratitude and Joy, we align ourselves to the abundant flow of the Universe. Those who resonate with this, will ‘get it’. A magic can easily re-enter our lives, you know when things happen unexpectedly and spontaneously. Things flow, coming together in surprising ways, happenstances occurring.
Reading this, if you feel inspired to bring more gratitude and joy into your life, there are resources that I may share with you. You can request an Attitude of Gratitude, one on Manifestation, or Creative Visualisation. To arrange a time to go over it, message, phone or email me and after it is shared, it would then be sent to you.
Gratitude – Not Victim-ness
Raising our awareness to recognise the innumerable, seemingly small, everyday things in our lives. Such as the blue sky, our warm house, a cup of tea, even fresh bread and butter. These things can go by unnoticed, insignificant and yet provide us with joy, solace, many things, which can be easily overlooked, rather than us feeling grateful for them. Gratitude, Laughter and Joy live seamlessly together and are all essential in our everyday lives. Would you agree with that statement?
Gratitude does not have to be big, start noticing everyday things to practice looking around you and appreciating things in your life, big or small. It’s a great practice to be in the habit of doing. And remember, joy and gratitude co-exist, you can’t have one without the other.
Consider yourself invited to attend the free community laughter club. Click hereto go to the laughter club page.
Thank you for your interest and we trust that you gained something from reading the blog.
The good news is that we can reprogram ourselves with more positivity and presentness through combining the power of laughter and positive affirmations. Our mindfulness is enhanced when we combine these together and it can be done either alone or with others.
Think about what it is that you would like to affirm, to improve in your life. It may be a physical material thing, or more obtuse, such as a change in behaviour which raises your joy quotient. Give this suggestion a go, and let it be as simple, short and sweet as you like. I will share here some affirmation ideas with you.
Firstly, I suggest you check in to what your body is telling you and adjust it if needs be. If you are feeling flat and dejected, your body language will reflect this. Observe and maintain an upward, positive manner. You can practice and see how you feel when you do the laughter mindfulness exercise any old how and then see the difference it makes when you choose to be aware and bring all of you into the present time.
Begin by taking a positive stance or sitting position, placing your arms, hands, and feet in strategic positions. An example would be hands together in a prayer position, saying your chosen affirmation, for instance, ‘I am happy, I am healthy, I am abundant’ then laughing out loud.
You could stand tall, with arms outstretched above your head and repeat the affirmation. I like the idea of doing this with my fingers wide open, then closing them into fists, bringing my hands down onto my chest. Even add the word ‘yes’ said with vim and vigour. This option gives a more powerful feeling, that of drawing what you wish to affirm towards yourself, making it stronger. Even more powerful would be to repeat the affirmation three times and then add the words ‘Let the rain of blessings fall!’.
Do you already use affirmations? I have done so on a regular basis for many years and it’s recommended that you say affirmations daily, at about the same time, for a full lunar month, 28 days. They can be done more than that if you feel the need.
Here are some great affirmations for you to try out and no doubt, you can come up with some of your own, or favourite ones-
I am happy, I am healthy, I am abundant. Laughter and fun come my way when I am being myself. I create laughter and feelings of happiness and joy wherever I go. I have lots of ideas, life inspires me. I am in love with life. I can do this. (Or if you do it in a group) I, You, We, Can Do this!
Laughter Affirmation Guidelines:
Long term, keep your mind consciously and unconsciously seeking laughter and positivity in your life. Repeat the affirmations three times and then say ‘Let the rain of blessings fall!’ You may imagine being enveloped in a loving, coloured mist. Most likely you will find that fun, being positive minded and laughter take place more effortlessly than before. Endeavour to do them daily for a month.
Your energy and mind will create it for you even when you are occupied with other thoughts and concerns. You are programming your subconscious mind with beneficial energy, to help you manifest and become who you would genuinely love to become. In other words, you are working with the Law of Attraction.
I look forward to hearing how you go with it.
Cheerio for now. Until next time, laughter blessings.
Lots of Love and Laughter, Lynette Mitchell.
Lynette & John Mitchell lead the free Community Ferntree Gully Laughter Club, in person 2nd, 4th & 5th Sundays, Zoom the others.
Hi there, life is still topsy turvy, which is expected to continue for a very long while. Is that bad? Is that good? Or just as it is? Do you agree, we can make the most of it and take it as an opportunity, not a hindrance? Life has become even more testing and stressful than most of us can recall. Covid restrictions fluctuate, which can (but not necessarily) lead us to feel confused, flat, stressed and more. Can you relate to this, where you feel lacking in vim, vigour, enthusiasm and colour?
With the advent of Covid-19 most of us have been affected in major ways. Our freedom has been withdrawn; we may feel shut in, shut down, trapped etcetera. It has caused us to become flat, colourless, apathetic, in victim consciousness, even angry. We may not be absolutely aware of the plethora of feelings that move through us. The manner we have been affected by the pandemic either positively or negatively, may not have truly registered. Would you agree?
It feels appropriate to share about colour and power, which go together in our expression. So much of what we do is connected in all aspects of our lives, can we recognise it as being the case, and how there is that wonderful interconnection with everything that we do? Nothing is random.
In this context references to power are positive, such as being inspired by love and to have self-determination. We do not want power for the sake of power, which is based by fear and the negative ego.
Colour equates to many things besides what we see as we normally relate to colour. It can also be the feelings we hold inside us, whether our life is vibrant, we are enthused, upbeat. Whether or not we usually feel drawn to wear colourful clothes or use it in in our daily expression. For example, our website, cooking, artistic expression, pictures, wall colours – the list could be endless, no doubt you can see that too. With the restrictions most of us have had to curtail our chosen extra activities, which gave us stimulation, learning, interest. Colour is lacking and we feel powerless. Most of us are somewhat affected anyhow, whether we realise the significance of it all, or otherwise.
Power is a huge topic, one aspect being how we frequently self-sabotage ourselves using negative self-talk. This automatically leads us to all sorts of unhelpful behaviour, as when we realise that we are being passive, we may go in the opposite direction which is to be too forceful. From my experience, when we decide to be assertive, it can tip the balance until we come back into the harmonious middle. We are not practiced in positive self-talk, which is best to come from a loving space, instead of forcing us to be and act differently. Change can be gradual. I can share some affirmations with you to help reinstall positive words, removing the negative power that can influence by us constantly worrying, being full of judgment and negativity. We become conditioned by everything around us from birth and on the most part, it goes unnoticed.
How about we deliberately decide to bring more colour and power into our life again? We decide how to go about it, what will work for us. We have power, determination and courage within, although it may be latent, untapped. We can choose to make a difference, to learn from our restrictions and be more. More love, vibrancy, colour, courage, harmonious, assertive power. Little by little, one step at a time, one moment, one day at a time. What can you do today to bring back that spark of joy, to feel uplifted? To begin with, there would be a simple behaviour that you can apply yourself, which will help you to turn the tide. Be open for ideas and inspirations to come to you.
What I suggest you do is become aware of how you are actually feeling and where you wish to be. Even good habits can become dull, we slip into an unconscious routine which may be outworn. Work with me on this, see what you can do to create new habits and let go of the old ones, even for the time being, as an experiment. Humans thrive on stimulation, interaction with each other, having interests, hobbies. And of course, because I run a free community laughter club with husband John, can offer the suggestion to bring more laughter to yourself, to laugh often would be one fabulous decision to choose as a positive new habit. We meet on Zoom and in person behind the Ferntree Gully Library and we invite you to join us anytime you like.
You can start by doing an everyday habit differently consciously. Stop living as an automotron; bring greater awareness into each day, each hour, each moment. I like the idea of adding colour and that will not resonate with everyone. Many people are not drawn to colour as I am, you may not have many colourful clothes, nor have much colour around you in your home. You may prefer to express yourself in a quieter, more refined way. And yet, we have the power within for anything to change, if we choose it.
Adding colour to your life implies physically and metaphorically. It can mean to lighten up, be more fun loving, positive, adventurous, different, a risk taker. Think about it, can you do this for yourself, to step out of your rut into something new.
To consider colour and choices in our life, we may like to sit down and do a little review of where we are at right now and our direction. Are our choices and what we do each day going towards what we wish to happen, or moving away from due to lack of focus and direction?
Let’s refer to ourselves as ‘Colourful Me’. Colourful Me discovers that each day can be a new adventure, that there is always something unseen to uncover and be moved by. It helps to lift ourselves out of a mundane routine and implement something else to experience or experiment with. For example, a new hairstyle, hobby, challenge.
What would your Colourful Me reach out for? I feel one big thing we can all agree on, is the upliftment when we see a beautiful sunset, which is made even brighter when outside somewhere in nature whilst watching it. Most people have learned in this last year to value the simple things of life and also that there is much to gain by connecting with nature more often, to do outdoorsy things. The garden has become a source of connection with nature in the past year for a lot of people.
There’s been a renewed appreciation of pet ownership. People are undertaking buying a dog or cat with a loftier understanding of what this really means, that we can work with pets, together, complementing each other. They are not disposable, have even become scarce, leading to them be truly valued and treasured.
Be careful what you put out for, as it may come back for you to experience the consequences. Are things in our life because they have been put there because of our choice, or for another reason? This is something for us to experiment with, as regards to become increasingly aware whether we are doing something because we have chosen it, or because we have been told by another what to do. Perhaps there’s the aspect of our conditioning, doing things because it is expected in the roles that we live.
How we live our life may feel like there is no other option, or going back, rewinding. Karmically there may not be an alternative, with no opportunity to get out of a binding situation. Does this sound like you?
If we can’t change our circumstances right away or at all, there is that saying about being able to change one’s attitude. Even prisoners of war were able to come through their experience when they held hope in their hearts.
Things to ponder for you. More laughter. Introduce colour, determination and hope. Review your life. Make new choices. Work towards your goals. Increase your focus. Do something different. Laugh more! Take up meditation and work on your personal growth. I have classes you might like to try out.
I hope this stirs up something in you and would love to meet you for some laughter therapy.
Cheerio for now.
Until next time, laughter blessings. I look forward to hearing from you.
Regarding 2020 and this upcoming Christmas I feel to share my experience and feelings, for those who have had similar ones and are looking for alternative ways of coping. The intention is one of planting ideas to help you grow and blossom inside.
What an extraordinary year it has been, so many challenges, stresses, limitations as many of us have never experienced before. At the same time you may have noticed that with the worst things that can possibly happen to us, there comes equally unparalleled opportunities for growth.
We have observed with the advent of Covid-19, limitations placed upon us which we have received with varying amounts of grace and grumbling. It had to happen. The earth, or Gaia as many of us know her, is in dire straits, with her resources being pillaged, and abused. Yet it is not too late! There is still time to turn things around. Hope is not entirely lost.
How this relates to Christmas for me, has been to have stronger convictions to resist the conditioned patterning learnt right from early days, about it being very much about materialism, gift giving and particularly receiving.
Letting go of judgment, as we are all where we are at and for me my life has been about not having strong enough convictions to carry through what has been felt in my heart. That is to not get caught up in all the hype, the stretching of the wallet and using credit card. To feel there wasn’t a choice, which meant rushing hither and thither. It seemed as if everyone in the family would all agree, it would be easier, simpler, more of a haven and peace filled time, to spend less focus on presents and make it about connecting and love. Acknowledging the spiritual and religious meaning behind it all is important also. For many it comes first and foremost.
What I am sharing is my experience and your experience is fine. Unless you feel the pull to do it a different way. And what would that be? Perhaps you can step out of the mould, outword traditions and choose something new. I frequently mention in blogs and personal growth classes about greeting anew. To be able to live consciously in the present moment, aware and responsive instead of reacting. To greet yourself anew is to question whether you are living mindfully, perhaps to before you go to bed journal how it is going. I have a couple of great resources to help you, I will send upon request and you may like to join a class.
This year my experience was different, there was greater resolution to assist with clarity and stronger boundaries to do what felt ‘right’ for me. The alternative was backing down, being influenced by ones with stronger wills to stay with age old traditions.
The alternative is feeling a sense of peace and wellbeing, gone the angst about Christmas and going along with ‘should do this because it is expected and because it is how it has always been done’.
Summing up, reconsider how you go about things, particularly the silly season. You may like to sit and feel into what the whole Christmas season means to you, write it down, so you remember. We can get caught up in what we have to do, thinking there is no choice. We are not victims and can stand up and be counted. Break the mould.
Here’s to doing it differently. Let go of some rules, be kind to yourself. Stop hanging on to things, the past, regrets. What if we greet each day, each moment, as a new day, moment and live consciously? We can achieve pretty much anything we believe we can and living in this way greatly assists. Let’s do it!
Finally an important point is we can not ask other people to change. Our actions may create friction and I have found usually things work out for the best when we hold strong. It helps to have the intention of creating the greatest possible harmony between people. Sometimes new ideas take time to germinate but don’t let that stop you from going for it, gently and with love.
Love and wishing you an awesome Christmas, with loving friends, family, and yourself. Be grateful and kind to yourself. You deserve it.
Have you ever made goals and failed to actualise them? I think we have all done that. We make them with our mind and are partially guided towards achieving them, yet something gets in the way. Do we feel congruant through and through with what we want to achieve? Or are we half hearted, perhaps 110% inspired in the moment when we feel or decide the need to apply ourself with an ideal. It could be decided upon when we feel lacking in discipline or want to bring about a change in our life. But, our heart is simply not in it to assist with the follow through. Well, there is hope. Very big hope. If you are willing to give this a shot, I believe you are half way there!
A Manifestation Prayer, or Huna Prayer, is an invocation which is read out loud, with feeling, every day for 28 days. The object of a Manifestation/Huna Prayer is to increase your focus and alignment to that which you wish to attract into your life. It is used to help bring it to fruition, raising your awareness and focus to achieve your goals and dreams. The name Huna evolved and is used for Hawaiian spirituality.
You are surrounded by supportive unseen energy, which is constantly available to us. I am guessing that many of us are oblivious that we can work with these energies, in many ways. Using the prayer, with the help and support of non-physical energies, will help dispel doubt, raising your levels of belief, which works to attract to you that which you desire.
It is not always easy to discern our internal messages when our head and heart are unclear what to do, or in conflict. By using this tool helps you will feel clarity and be better able to concentrate on what is possible and achievable. It synchronises your energy together at the same time opening yourself up to work with the energy of the Universe.
To receive the Manifestation Prayer Resource, please contact me for it to be emailed. But before I can send it, it needs to be energetically activated. To do this we need to speak together for me to run it through with you. It is necessary to work with what you wish to manifest. Thank you and bye for now. Lynette.
Procedure for Formulating a Huna Prayer
Carefully decide on the desirable new conditions you want to make real. Prayer may be for health, prosperity or happiness, which includes specific manifestations of these and other categories. It must be framed positively, including service to others and never to cause harm. Plan the desired future in as much detail as possible, without too narrowly limiting it’s potential.
Address to Ascended Masters, God, Christ, The Holy Spirit or whomever you feel you wish to reply to your prayer.
Read out loud each day and to make it stronger, read it three times.
Repeat for 28 days (a lunar cycle).
Command your subconscious mind to take the prayer to God and/or whoever you desire, such as also to God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the Godforce. As well could be simply to God Force, God Source through my beloved Monad. It is commanded with all the manna, or vital force, that is needed and necessary to manifest your prayer.
Relax after this is done for you have created a clear channel with whomever you asked to connect with. Stay focussed and positive. Visualise the energy shooting up through the crown. Say Om 3 times if you like to. Wait at least 15 seconds.
Sit in receptive position and say ‘Lord, let the rain of blessings fall!’.
Further comments – as with all prayer, you must be willing to listen for a response and put your energy in to manifest your desire.
Hello Folks. I hope you are managing well and aware of the silver lining in the clouds. At the same time, I send my love and empathise with you for the difficult times and even losses you may have endured, especially of late. Many things can be a shock to our system, especially when we do not see them coming. My recommendation is to feel as you feel and do not supress feelings or let any should or ought govern you. This I share from personal experience and a recent event, finding that grief can be felt as a physical pain in the body. All we can do is our best and work through it to the best of our ability and maintain hope, releasing self-judgment and continue, richer for our experiences, no matter what they may be.
On to the good news, sharing how the Ferntree Gully Laughter Club is thriving with people who have managed to master using Zoom. The restrictions and lockdown have opened new vistas, as people who know about the value of laughter yoga around the world join us for a session. Despite the Zoom time lag, it is a blessing to continue to come together in a positive minded group and the bonus of being able to connect in real time.
Where do you get your laughter from? Or perhaps you became serious over the years without realising it? Other than laughing in a facilitated laughter session, people generally find it easiest to laugh when choosing to watch online a funny video, comedy show or movie. My Lynette Mitchell YouTube Channel has laughter club videos, as does laughter leaders. Here is the link to it, click here.
Are you aware of your laughter quotient? I am writing to jog your awareness, if you need it to be jogged, that is, and if you aren’t satisfied with it, maybe feeling the pressures a bit, you can fix it. There are families who habitually laugh and crack jokes and there are families who are less flamboyant, serious and everything in between. We tend to take on habits from our families.
After John became involved in the laughter club, our days became filled with light heartedness. Our living together contains simple childlike humour, which is a playful way to live together. I directly attribute this to our joint involvement leading laughter clubs. It is a choice too, for us and you as well. We are of more advanced ages and at times may physically not feel up to it, but once we get going and do the session, we feel uplifted, recharged, and invigorated. It was not always that way and if you resonate with this, feeling you would like to laugh more, you can! It may be as simple as a decision to change your habits which includes some daily or at least, regular laughter.
At the risk of being repetitive, here is a frequent message, that laughter is particularly good for you on many levels. It holds many physical benefits, it is good for tuning up your emotional body, while your mental body becomes acuter. Relationships are enhanced and you will feel more connected within to your spirit and the spirit of all that is, whatever you may call that. It helps to open you up to life, new opportunities, greater creativity, and inspiration. There is always a silver lining in the cloud and though things have been tough this year, there has been a chance to re-evaluate our thinking and to grow in unforeseen ways. Let us not lose what we may have benefited from being forced to slow down, take stock, spend time with family and cease the outer distractions and busyness that like for most of us becomes.
Take heart and come, join us in laughter, please do, and feel free to contact me for a chat and suggestions how to add laughter to your life. You will be glad that you did add more laughter to your present situation. I am here, available. Phone 0425 799 258 or email me.
I feel it is so important to love our body, which works harder when we do not value and nurture it. When we take care of our body with regular exercise, a good diet, which includes a good diet for the physical body, also our mind and spirit, we can thrive and grow, as we are akin to nature. I love Desiderata, especially the passage, “You are a child of the Universe, no less than the trees and the stars”.
If you have read my blog to here, thanks and full credit to you! Until next time, laughter and love wishes to you and yours. Do contact me to find out more about or join the free Zoom sessions. That is the Community Laughter Club and the Self Mastery class.
I look forward to hearing from some people and hope you are doing as well as possible, despite all the COVID-19 restrictions, which have been dragging on and now, some signs of relief are finally in sight. If you would like to receive my email newsletter, you can either sign up on my web page or request me to do it for you. Cheerio for now and remember to never, ever give up!
You will all agree that our lives have been radically rearranged since the advent of fears and restrictions due to COVID-19. The virus brought with it many ongoing challenges, heartbreak, both personal and professional. We have been stretched beyond our limits, making it harder for many to stay positive physically, emotionally and mentally.
Simultaneously, many individuals, businesses
and organisations are thriving as they can rise to the challenge, reinventing
themselves. People often share having a deeper appreciation of things that were
taken for granted. There has been a bonding of relationships and ties, people
finding new ways to reach out, stay connected and value each other more. The
garden industry is thriving, as the public have the time and inclination to be
outside, tidying, pruning, replanting, growing vegetables and feeling a
stronger connection with nature. Many express gratitude for the shutdown,
staying at home has provided time for things that were left until they ‘got
around to it’. Despite the difficulties there are blessings when we re-jig the
way we have lived our lives, and we take stock of our life’s journey.
This has been the case with Laughter Clubs and those
providing Laughter Yoga sessions professionally, new methods to do so. We have
gone online using Facebook Live and Zoom meetings so that we can laugh together.
They provided us with ways to continue, rather than go into hibernation. Now we
embrace people who join us from all around the world, as we also join with laughter
clubs in other countries. The laughter community is growing, resilient, connected
and letting go of the stress that is so prevalent due to the virus.
We open our hearts in joy as we laugh, as
laughter truly is the best medicine. This we choose to do as an aerobic
activity, because the body does not know the difference with real and pretend
laughter. Laughter releases endorphins, the feel-good hormones oxytocin and serotonin
into the blood stream. It also strengthens the immune system, supports the
heart and has many other health benefits which help sustain us to be in optimum
health, as far as is possible.
I now share some personal feelings about the
virus, that it is nature at work rebalancing the earth, which has been way out
of balance in many, many ways. Are we doing our best to see the bigger picture
and remain positive about future directions? It reminds me of something which
if we could emulate, may benefit our lives in the long term.
I read about how a minority of ex-prisoners of
war (POW’s) were able to survive the experience and maintain a state of
emotional stability, love and internal peace. On the other hand, many returning
POW’s were permanently scarred, psychologically or physically.
However, in this minority of people, who one could
imagine, had their own strong support belief system in place, these people came
back with more ability to embrace life once more. The horrendous ordeal had not
broken their spirits, they had never given up hope, returning from the war to go
on and become successful in their work and family lives. It is possible that
their experiences added a quality of richness as to how they perceived the
world, their life, their wartime struggles and their outlook overall.
Might I suggest that we are all in this time together
and each day make it a priority to maintain positivity above all else? Especially
too because when we live in fear, our immune system is compromised. Laughter as
I have often shared, strengthens the immune system, even fake laughter! Let’s
go, have a laugh, a giggle now, to yourself or out loud with others. Thank you.
We would love you to join with us in this
laughter journey in a virtual way. At this stage we plan to stay online after
the restrictions ease and when permitted, we will meet outside in the park
again, although less often. We envisage this as being monthly and we plan to continue
being online. This will give you the ability to stay at home and experience
laughter clubs, as if you were in person. It does work and you will enjoy the
laughter sessions, as we do by running them.
Until next time, laughter blessings. Do contact
me with any questions you may have about the Zoom invitation or how to connect
with our Facebook Live Saturday sessions.
See you soon?
Love and Laughter, Lynette and John. Virtual hugs.
Doesn’t time fly? I feel that most people will agree that with the passage of time can come the chance to heal, be in some degree of acceptance and move through our most difficult times. It’s amazing how differently we can feel right throughout our lives as we experience the various stages and challenges that they bring. Everything can become a learning experience, enabling us to grow and evolve. That is how it is for me anyhow, using the passage of time to continually evolve. And as they say, the only constant is change.
15 years ago, I became involved with the laughter clubs and it’s given me the chance to open up more to many things. I have gained much in many ways, which can be directly attributed to my involvement in the laughter movement. One area of improvement was in my confidence and to feel comfortable rather than self-conscious and wanting to withdraw when conversing with people. My self-worth wasn’t as good as I thought it was and I found myself busy with many activities to help me feel fulfilled. You will have heard of that one, busy being, busy being busy? Outwardly I appeared fine, confident and happy but it was much bravado because inside there was inadequacy and a fear of public speaking.
For me it all began when a current affair
programme covered laughter yoga. I saw people laughing uproariously in ways
that was to me, not the norm. They were having loads of fun and joy in a group
and I decided then and there to become involved when the chance presented.
It turned out to be the best decision, as I became a laughter club leader, which flowed on to sharing laughter yoga with many and varied groups and organisations. I had no idea what I was getting myself into, yet strongly loved the idea of laughing together with people in a group situation. With that came facing my fear of being out there in the public eye. Particularly I had a fear of public speaking, which gradually diminished because there I was anyway, in front of people, speaking, sharing and leading laughter sessions. I knew I had to feel the fear and overcome it, were I to succeed.
The reason for that I share this is because many people who hear about the benefits of laughter, or Laughter Yoga as it is commonly called, would benefit from attending a laughter club and do not as they are held back with their own fear. I have experienced a lot of fear when doing new things throughout my life. And then when we give it a go and learn, step by step, become more comfortable and totally get over our fears.
Some fears come from what we see as a small child. We are naturally linked in and affected by our culture, family and so forth. Contained within us is a history book of experiences that mould us into our unique expressions of self. Unconsciously we observe our parents, family, society, community and where we live, taking on beliefs, which may be limiting and often misconstrued as we do our best to make sense of the world we are born into.
Everything affects us whether we realise it or not. It sounds quite complex, would you agree? Without knowing it, we are influenced by so much around us. Think about what we see, television shows, advertisements, or listening to the radio, to name a few common influences in our lives. No wonder we may feel bombarded and our senses overloaded.
There are many people who are quiet, shy and lack feelings of positive self-worth and self-confidence, without even being aware of it. They may put on an acceptable air, a couldn’t care less or angry attitude. No judgment either; if we are happy to go along and be as we are, not desiring to change or be interested in self-improvement.
You may ask is there a purpose behind this sharing and whether it relates to laughter yoga and laughter clubs? Yes. It does very much so. Laughter club members have often come along with these traits of being shy, lacking confidence, feeling depressed and in their various ways, looking for something to help themselves feel better.
I have two examples to share with you of laughter club members who have benefited from joining one of our laughter clubs. Some kind words were texted to me the day after a laughter club session that impacted me. The writer is a quiet, gentle, shy lady. When she first came three years ago, she had been in a depression for ten years, until she decided it was time to try to turn her life around. She took a stand and turned up at the laughter club in black clothes. We had a wonderful surprise on the third time that she came, she was wearing bright periwinkle blue! We credit her resilience and willingness to get out of her comfort zone and never ever give up.
Her sincere, spontaneous words were seen as an opportunity to pass on to you and give you a notion of what may be achieved. It’s a great example of what adding regular laughter to your life can offer and which is frequently transformational.
She wrote “Wow. I am really pleased
I met you all three years ago. You have made a real difference in my
life. This week I bought more bright clothes and I wore my gold shoes on
Saturday. I would never have worn gold shoes prior to three years ago.
Another thing. I danced for the first time at the jazz afternoon at the Village
Green. That was another first since my wedding in 1984. See how you have
both turned my life around. A big thank you. xxx”
The reference to jazz and dancing is because the laughter club members go out on social outings together too. Some members comment that they would never go to a live play without going out with our group.
Other kind words to share – another regular lady has been coming for four years in May when we met at World Laughter Day. She was looking for something, did not know what it was and felt laughter may be worth trying. She is also quiet and a woman of few words. “It has added a lot of joy to my life, something that wasn’t there before. And I won’t stop!” She has often also shared that the laughter helps her to move forward.
Thank you both for sharing and we hope in doing so, it may help potential members comprehend the sense of fun and belonging that current members feel. I encourage you to come along to one of our two laughter clubs and give it a fair go. Come more than once; at least three times, and then see how you feel. It is possible starting out, that you may throw yourself into it. Alternatively, you may feel ill at ease with a sense of it being a bit too much and not for you.
Age is no barrier for you coming, our
members range in age between four and 80. Women do outnumber the men however,
as it somehow is easier for women to embrace the spirit of laughter and
wellbeing than the men, who are generally more inhibited.
Does this inspire you to come along or
put it on your bucket list? Let’s hope so. There is no time like the present
and you will feel most welcome. Do please contact me with any questions by
email, text or phone to find out more or to be added to the email newsletter.
It feels timely to focus on being a Senior and share below the five main benefits of Laughter Yoga for Seniors in our society, as outlined by Indian Physician Dr Madan Kataria. He was the Founder of the free community laughter club movement in 1985 and since then, research on laughter is having an increasing impact all around the world.
At our laughter clubs, the majority of people who come are women and in their senior years. We have a few gentlemen also, however coming along to laugh may be a little daunting for some people and especially to the men. Mind you we highly recommend ‘getting out of your comfort zone’.
May I also suggest you consider becoming involved as a volunteer, involved in a laughter club in Victoria? It is easy, a commitment well worthwhile and rewarding. From what I observe people who commit to regular laughter find, without realising it, their lives becoming transformed. Club members have shared how it helps them move on and be involved in life, one after being in a depression for some years and the other simply feeling rather flat and without purpose.
As I often share, it is wonderful for developing brain neurons (Neuroplasticity) as is singing and dancing. You can see people’s eyes light up and feel their energy become lighter, more fun filled, joyous, spontaneous, when in the process of a laughter session.
Obviously, it is best for it to be regular, for a facilitator to attend an aged care place or for people to come along to a laughter club regularly. Language is not a barrier either, or inability to speak, the language of laughter and love surpasses all. Hearts connect and we are very honoured to be able to share the laughter and upliftment with those willing to do it with us. We finish each session with a short meditation, some people haven’t even experienced that before and relish it. Sometimes we include some music for a short sing along and occasionally a few residents get up for a little dance movement. It is such a joy to see the change in their demeanour when they do so, a real joy.
Following then are the 5 main benefits of Laughter Yoga, as outlined in the professional training manual of Laughter Yoga International. They do not say all the physical, emotional, social benefits, rather concentrating on the general ones that are so easily recognisable for why seniors would benefit from more laughter in their life.
1. Adds More Laughter to Life: With advancing age we laugh less or stop laughing. We get out of the habit of laughing and often with dementia and Alzheimer’s that is more so the case. Laughter Yoga is a physically oriented technique, is an ideal exercise that provides many health benefits without using mental and cognitive abilities.
2. Promotes Physical Health: With the wear and tear of old age many seniors develop ailments like high blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis etc. Laughter Yoga facilitates healing by strengthening the immune system, improves blood circulation and increases oxygen to the body’s cells. It is also a cardiovascular workout.
3. Improves Mental Health: Isolation, loneliness and depression are common among older adults as they lose loved ones and their health begins to decline. Mental health is improved by boosting neurotransmitters, dopamine and serotonin.
4. Building Social Bonds: Laughter Yoga helps bring people together and improve their social bonding. Retirees and able-bodied older adults who attend our laughter clubs develop friendships and rapport. This helps them to move on, be resilient and decrease loneliness at the same time increasing their quality of life.
5. Longevity: Laughter Yoga helps us when we feel we have lost our way giving us greater reason and purpose to continue living a full and rewarding life. It is a simple and easy routine, which is practiced by people all throughout the world in their 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. As the population is increasingly older every day, Laughter Yoga is a tool for transformational aging and increased longevity.
From my personal experience Laughter Yoga does all of the above and gives me a lift in my life and relationships. Life becomes more fun filled and you can also be a part of that. It is free and we love to laugh together. You are not committed to attend every time, only as much as you can fit in with your (probably) very busy life!
Thank you for your interest in reading about this very important topic. I hope to see you soon on either a Saturday or Sunday.
Cheers, Lynette.
Acknowledgement Dr Kataria, Founder of Laughter Yoga International
Are you Happy having an easy time in your life? I was speaking with a lady on the train who was down from Darwin for a few days. Heather has two male children, one with ADHD and the other with Asperger’s. My immediate reaction was to feel she had a difficult life. She responded that her life was no more difficult than anyone else’s. immediately I felt that she was very courageous. I concurred when she said she believed we are given only that which we are able to cope with and learn from. This is my firm belief, we will be handed challenges, call it what you will, in order to evolve, expand and grow as human beings into becoming more spirit-based, whilst in a human body.
Laughter is important and the little dog Trixie is our mascot, trotting around us as we do our laughter exercises.
I have chosen to bring up the subject of Courage as being a very important quality to hold and express yourself through. Do you see yourself as being courageous? People generally live life unconsciously, being led and drawn throughout their lives. Granted there are decisions, activities and goals that we busy ourselves in. We can either express from a selfish centre, where it is all about me, which is prevalent when we are young. The whole world revolves around us and our desires. As time passes, this alters and many of us ponder, feeling to give back and share from our life’s experience and gained wisdom. Life expresses more about how may I serve? This revised attitude may also be unconscious, rather that we have a growing feeling of liking to help or be useful in some ways.
Life Throws us Challenges
Courage comes in when challenges present themselves to us and we can take the stance to be strong, to not give in, to never give up, to keep going on, no matter what. We can feel utterly and completely lost, or perhaps see the end in mind, whether we feel we have it all worked out, in line with our purpose and plan or otherwise.
It takes guts to turn up no matter what. Nothing stopping us, becoming unstoppable. There is a fine balance with not burning ourselves out either, as we must give from an overflowing abundance of energy or else our own health may be depleted. We can feel resentful also if we are coming from the ‘wrong’ motives.
Wrong is in inverted commas, because in theory there is no right or wrong. We have choices and consequences. Our motive may be to fulfil a need we carry due to low self-esteem and is not as clear or pure as when it is from a genuine desire to be embracing life in a way that we feel we are giving back to life.
Taken in context, therefore, we have the opportunity to call on Courage in our lives when we feel the need. Courage is an interesting word, or quality. Many of us have it in some things that we have to do and not others. We may work well, be smart, on the ball and feel strong, together and yet on a personal level, we can shrink.
It is all okay, either way. Just get real with yourself and know when you need to call for outside support to get you going, through to the other side.
Call on Courage to see you through, offer support and you may in addition call on Trust, as together with Courage, they go hand in hand. If we don’t feel Trust, it will be harder to accept Courage when we ask for it.
Laughter Yoga Strengthens our Capacity for Courage
This is where using Laughter Yoga can come in, to support us in our lack of commitment and when our fears hold us back. Do we want to be chicken or have the Courage of a Tiger. Or would you pick another cat? Maybe a mouse, who in one story stands up to an elephant.
I sincerely say that the longer I run laughter clubs, the more certain I am that to include (not to say it is all that you need) laughter in your life, you will be changed in ways that will please you! That is for the best, we do not want to be settled, we like to feel safe and secure, but what growth is in that? Nil.
John, my husband who joins me frequently speaks of how laughter has been instrumental in getting him out of comfort zone. John recently shared that he will speak with anybody, new people who he would not have otherwise approached before him joining the laughter club. He feels it may be more difficult too for the men out there.
A regular male attendee who has been coming for several years astounded us when he said that he was very shy and had to make himself come back again. That is not always the case, as many people come to laughter club once and feel it is not for them. I feel they may not attend long enough to find out if that is so. Quite a few share they felt uncomfortable and returned regardless. The longer you come, the better you will feel. Even though it gets you out of your comfort zone, you will once again experience child-like playful fun, but this time as an adult with other adults. It does become natural and spontaneous once more, with the practice of regular attendance at a laughter club.
Laughter helps you get over yourself, your appearance, lack of confidence and resistance to being outside in a social group. Many of us withdraw or, through no fault of our own, are quite isolated, especially as we age.
We improve being inhibited when we connect with adult members in the laughter club. Part of what we do is embrace child-like playful fun with each other. Such as you may recall as you would have as a child, playing outside with the neighbourhood kids on a hot summer night, or however you remember those precious childhood memories.
What we do at Laughter Club.
We do laughter yoga exercises, deep breathing, singing using ho ho or something similar instead of words, dancing around and in general behave as if we are doing improvisation theatre.
It is never too late to start something new like attending one of our laughter clubs, or that thing that you have held off doing. What is on your bucket list? Does it require Courage and Trust to do it or is it related to time or money?
Develop new Brain Pathways
Neuroplasticity is about the science of neurons, the brain to develop new cells and pathways. Brain Gym is becoming widely practiced and educates people to expand themselves with exercises. People can further develop their brains and have greater cognitive behaviour with various activities. The top activity for Neuroplasticity is laughter, next singing and dancing. We do all of these when we meet at community laughter clubs.
My involvement with laughter has certainly done that, released me from my comfort zone, expanded my horizons, opened up new pathways, not only in my brain but in many other areas of my life.
No doubt we could be led to be involved in many activities that would help us to achieve a feeling of expansion in our lives. That is if we allow ourselves to be inspired by a greater part of us which is beyond physical limitations, we will find our way.
Finishing Off
My wish for you is to dig deep, make an effort if you aren’t already, to discover new things to do in your life. We want to have a greater expression of ourselves on all levels, well many of us are into growing and if what I share does not resonate with you, that is fine as life happens and evolution can take as long as it takes.
We may feel out of our depth, like being pulled along and without being in control, rather than our life being of our choosing and being able to follow our passion.
If you have lost yours, direction and passion, then please, please come to one of the local laughter clubs, or another one if you live elsewhere. It may be just what the doctor ordered!
Laughing together with supportive, like-minded people is extraordinary. We come together sometimes quietly, throw ourselves into the session and leave feeling magnificent. We feel uplifted, energised, appreciative and with the intention of bringing more laughter into our lives, in whatever way is possible.
Cheerio for now. Lynette.
Disclaimer: Information shared is intended to support you and is from my personal understanding, experience and is generalised. I am not responsible for how you take it on board.
Lynette was walking towards the camera for this weird shot.
Having a sense of humour is widely spoken of as being an important element to hold in one’s outlook on life, especially since Covid has entered our lives. How we live our life is dependant on our viewpoint which has developed as we are naturally conditioned by our environment. We become conditioned as small children, watching, learning, listening, expressing and experimenting with what works in our attempts to get along and receive love. in particular from our parents.
