Laughter Clubs

Nuroplasticity and Laughter Yoga

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Laughter Yoga and Our Brain

Laughter Yoga is the name we use when we combine laughter and deep breathing. People trained in laughter yoga consciously practice the art of using laughter yoga to benefit the whole body, whilst understanding laughter helps in creating brain cells (Neuroplasticity).

Our Intelligent Body

Human bodies have amazing abilities to adapt and heal themselves and overall, we are largely ignorant of possibilities that may be achieved. Unaware, not on our radar, ignorant until someone inspires us about what is possible. We express ourselves through our conditioning, our experiences. Much is tied in with our deeply held beliefs, coupled with motives – we may need a strong reason to get out of our own way and go for our goals and ambitions.

Covid grossly lessened our much-needed brain and general sensory stimulation. It brought frustration on many levels, the most post powerful, obvious being the inability to see and be with our family and go out to work. It has reaped havoc in our lives, as well, it brought new situations and chances to be and do differently. It brought new, higher evolved opportunities to experience and embrace. I feel there is a gift in every circumstance and situation waiting for us to embrace it.

Your Plastic Brain

Have you heard the notion that you can change your brain? Scientists have proven that your brain is influenced, restructured and shaped by what you do every day, which is referred to as neural plasticity, or neuroplasticity.

Neuroplasticity can be defined as the ability of the nervous system to change its activity, by reorganising its structure, functions, or connections. New neuron pathways may be produced when required. We can consciously engage in activities which stimulate our brain, such are jigsaw puzzles, learning a new skill, iPad/tablet games, memory games. A different part of the brain can become active to compensate for an injury or inability to function at primal level.

Laughter, singing, dancing, are major contributors to creating new brain neurons, ‘Neuroplasticity’, is only one of many benefits attributed to regular laughing. Thai Nguyen, a write from Brisbane has written an article about it and he has made a list of 10 things, which are beneficial for our wellbeing when we are aware to stimulate our brain: Fasting, travel, mnemonic devices for memory training, learning an instrument, doing non-dominant hand exercises, reading fiction, expand vocabulary, artwork, dancing and sleep.

Positive thinkers change their brain function by focusing on gratitude, meditation, kindness to self, self-awareness, releasing negative thoughts and more. We can weaken old habits and create new habits, which help enforce them into our lives. I find that awesome. Once upon a time, scientists thought that brains stopped developing when people reached adulthood. How inspiring. Think about it. We have the power within us to change our lives positively and answers will unfold to us if we are open to the change. ‘You can’t teach an old dog new tricks’ – so untrue!

Laughter Club Helps Create New Brain Neurons

Members of the laughter club feel invigorated, joyful, fulfilled and with more sense of purpose when they come together. We include a lot of singing, some dancing and laughing, which stimulates the brain, as well as receiving other physical, mental, emotional and spiritual benefits. There is an abundance of stimulation with our imaginations, as we role play the various laughs = grown up playful fun. It is great!!!

And now there is a new rage that Lynette brings to her professional laughter yoga sessions, which is Bollywood Laughter Dancing! You can even find it online and be able to do it yourself at home. What a great combination, for people who love to sing, dance and laugh. People find it a very light-hearted practice to do.

Laughter Club Back in Person and on Zoom

We will meet again in person on the 9th January. Zoom laughter clubs are available worldwide and easy to track down. The laughter family has expanded to be truly worldwide and is a superb community to belong to. We all resonate and have a sense of belonging with each other. Contact Lynette if you wish to join the Ferntree Gully Laughter Club Facebook group. 

Trusting that you are doing as well as possible as things are opening up as we will shortly head into a wonderful new year, filled with unknown possibilities and experiences.

Wishing you the very best Christmas wishes and a safe December, followed by a prosperous 2022. I like that, lots of 2’s. Cheerio for now. Until next time, love and laughter blessings.

The Ferntree Gully Laughter club meet behind the library at 11am on the 2nd and 4th  Sunday of each month. If you wish to come along, please let me know, on the off chance of a time change or necessary cancellation. You may also like to join the reminder email list  that is sent out the Friday before we next meet. 

Phone: 0425 799 258  or you may like to Email: lynette@laughterforliving.com.au

Photo credit: Photo by Hal Gatewood on Unsplash

Click Here for Ferntree Gully Laughter Club page

Humour Helps Laughers Outlook on Life

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Ferntree Gully Laughter Club 19 September

Ferntree Gully Laughter Club 19 SeptemberHaving 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.

Lots of Love and Laughter, Lynette Mitchell.

Click Here for Ferntree Gully Laughter Club page

Gratitude, Laughter and Joy are Like our Left and Right Hand Working Together

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Gratitude & Joy

Laughing Together

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.

Faye laughter club member

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 here to go to the laughter club page.

Thank you for your interest and we trust that you gained something from reading the blog.

Lots of love, joy and laughter. Lynette.

Gratitude for photo by Brigitte Tohm on Unsplash

Click here to contact Lynette
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Can I Incorporate Laughter and Affirmations to be More Mindful?

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Laughter Affirmations Mindful

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.

Phone: 0425 799 258 or John on 0425 798 115

Email: lynette@laughterforliving.com.au

Limitless Loquacious Laughter – It’s Springtime and Hopefully All’s Well with you.

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Laughter Clubs using Facebook Live

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!

Lots of Love and Laughter, Lynette Mitchell.

5 Benefits of Laughter Yoga for Seniors

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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

 

Grounding Courage, Trust and Laughter

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Is Your Life Difficult or Easy?

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.
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.

Ferntree Gully Laughter Club Celebrates
Lynette was walking towards the camera for this weird shot.

Could Laughter Yoga be Part of Your Self Support in 2019?

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Hello and how have you been since the start of the year? Are you embarking on new things? Will you be joining us at either the Knoxfield or Ferntree Gully Laughter Clubs? They are on at 10.30am on Saturdays and Sundays. Links to information on the website pages are: Knoxfield – Ferntree Gully.

Are you okay? If you have been meaning to join one of our two local laughter clubs, either Ferntree Gully or Knoxfield, I encourage you to be like the Nike motto. ‘JUST DO IT!’. Furthermore, it’s FREE. The company is GREAT. And you will be welcomed into the laughter ‘family’.

New Year’s Resolutions.

Are they chosen in a spontaneous moment, or, in part influenced by others as something you ‘should’ do. Most of us have been conditioned that we ‘should’ make New Year’s Resolutions. This implies that we are not okay, inadequate and need to pick up our game. Depending on our underlying motive, they could alternatively be used for positive growth.

We often experience guilt when we don’t succeed and there is a natural tendency for humans to be resistant to change. We like to know what is going to happen and feel insecure not knowing for certain how our future will play out.

Resolutions can be good at any time and especially if our motive is coming from love and congruent with our goals.

There are plenty of opportunities for self-improvement and besides using laughter to support us, we may have been considering slowing down our activities agenda by adding some quiet time. Or not, it may be something completely the opposite! Have you been meaning to learn or get better at the art of meditation? There is so much that we are able to try out and see if it works for us, to give pleasure or lower the everyday stress. I am now booking students for a Monday evening personal growth class, which may be a lightbulb moment on reading this piece of information?

Self-Acceptance and a Nightly review

This feels like a regular topic related to self-esteem and sharing about the nightly review process. If you do wish to work on bringing more love and self-acceptance to your day, it is worth creating this good habit. At the end of each day I ask myself “Did I bring more love to what I was involved in today? Was I kinder and more self-accepting, both to myself and others? Was I without criticism and judgment?”.

You must work on YOU first, because if you are not okay with yourself, you will be unable to help, support and share the love with others you encounter.

Back to basics, remember that when we laugh wholeheartedly and allow ourselves to be doing child-like playful activities, it is one of the very, very best things we can do for our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health. The laughter clubs run in all weather, hail, rain or shine. Sometimes we may even begin feeling a tad flat and this quickly changes. We start laughing and deep breathing, making us feel invigorated, uplifted and happy. This method of joining together brings belonging, comradeship, and a new way of living one’s life. We take the spirit of laughter with us. Do come and give it a go. It truly is transformative and life changing.

This photo was taken during a session at the Federation Square Laughter Club. I recently returned to being a Committee member of Laughter Clubs Victoria Inc. (LCVI) that puts these laughter sessions on. They are on the 1st and 3rd Sunday at 11am and are free. Read more here.

May 2019 be beneficially memorable for you. Keep on keeping on! And remember, to never, ever, ever give up!!!

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.

The History of Laughter Yoga and How I Became Involved

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Hello there,

Recently I received an enquiry to facilitate a Laughter Yoga session from a primary school teacher of grades 5-6. She went on to ask me to share a few words about how I both became involved in Laughter Yoga and the history of the laughter club movement. It seemed like a good idea to expand a little in a blog post and hopefully this is of interest to you.

The year was 1995 when it all began, the origin of the Laughter Yoga Community Clubs, who practice ‘laughing for no reason’ all around the world. Indian Physician, Dr Madan Kataria was impressed by Norman Cousins’ book Anatomy of an Illness and the research work by Dr Lee Berk on the benefits of laughter to one’s health and wellbeing. Madan decided to field-test the impact of laughter upon himself and others, gathering with four friends in a Mumbai public park.

This happy little group had many bystanders, who quickly joined in and numbered over 50 after a couple of weeks. BUT, around that time it was discovered that either the jokes and humour ran out or became offensive. Dr Kataria went home to ponder if there could be a resolution. Otherwise he felt that trying to laugh together on a regular basis would simply not work long term.

Upon reviewing the research, there was a light-bulb moment! It was around the fact that the body cannot differentiate between pretend and genuine laughter, because both produce the same happy chemistry. Participants were amazed, the make-believe laughter quickly turned into real laughter that was contagious. Realising there were other ways to experience laughter than through humour, the group switched to role-play and other techniques to stimulate the importance of child-like playfulness.

That was 23 years ago, the first laughter club was born and as the saying goes, the rest is history. There are currently thousands of laughter clubs in over 100 countries around the world.

For myself 13 years ago in 2005, I saw people laughing loudly together on TV as a social activity and then heard that ‘the laughter guru’ was coming to Melbourne to present a Laughter Yoga workshop. I went along, met with Dr Kataria and was so impressed by how fantastic I felt, I straight away committed to doing the laughter club training and immediately thereafter started a laughter club.

My personal reasons were that as a young girl, adults seemed serious, stressed, upset and fearful, as if they had lost hope and life was a burden. From that awareness, I unconsciously chose to be young at heart and not let life beat me down. I kept it up as good as I could, to not get stressed out over work and adult issues. Sometimes people said I was like Peter Pan who was youthful, happy and an inspired person, living with faith and hope for the future, enjoying each day, one day at a time. Mind you, now I understand there is more to it than the simplified version of my earlier life, which was quite ungrounded. That was in part replaced as I learnt to stop judging unpleasant feelings and be authentic. Feelings are to be celebrated and not supressed, which is vastly different from the earlier me. Nevertheless, that is the story in a nutshell, as to why I was drawn to Laughter Yoga.

Cheerio for now, Lots of love and laughter, Lynette Mitchell xo

Disclaimer: Information shared here is intended to be supportive and 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

Stress, Suggestions and Using Laughter Yoga

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What does the word stress bring up for you? Very likely it will be negative because the media influences us that stress is ‘bad’ and we are directed to find relief from it with buying, eating, drinking, holidaying etc. Many people are so accustomed to living in a stressful manner and may not realise that there are ways to combat it. It can be that when we our time is restricted, it is beneficial to feel under pressure and we can achieve that without sending our bodies into a stressed mode. In fact it can be uplifting and energising, rather like self-testing or facing a challenge. Laughter and other things like mindfulness and meditation can help a lot, here’s my take on incorporating Laughter Yoga into your daily routine – Read More

John Mitchell & Vicki at Ferntree Gully Laughter Club
I have this much limitation laugh (which is very little) and this much potential (which is huge), at Ferntree Gully Laughter Club.

John Mitchell and Vicki sharing a favorite laugh, a tiny space between thumb
and finger indicating that little limitation
and next the arms go wide showing how much potential.

Laughter is the Best Medicine – Getting Back to Basics

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I  Googled these words ‘laughter is the best medicine’ and was pleasantly surprised that two full pages of images came up, with all sorts of interesting quotes. At times I forget that some of the general public are relatively unfamiliar with the concept of community laughter clubs and how we get together and have fun, laughing, singing, dancing about. We feel very connected with ourselves and each other also physically, emotionally and mentally uplifted following a laughter session. It is lots of fun and I am thankful to be involved with the laughter movement which started ‘by accident’ by an Indian Physician, Dr Madan Kataria twenty years ago in March 1995. Read all about it and the basics of why we get together and ‘laugh for no reason’ on my Blogger.