Personal Growth

Passion, Play and Laughter Yoga

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Passion, Play and Laughter Yoga Blog

Feeling into what to write about and the word Passion came to me as being a quality that all we all focus on living in our everyday lives. I have heard a lot about it and what I want to share are suggestions to embody it in our feeling nature, working through the mental constructs of what we have heard, observed, been told – our conditioning throughout our lives.

Years ago, attending business meetings, some coaches and leaders used passion as a most important element to live out of, and I suggest that we may hear this message with our heads, rather than our hearts. We take on suggestions and they become words, should, to do and become, without an inner motivation which can best come from our own heart centre.

We beat ourselves up, judge and thrash about trying to make it happen, losing motivation, which ties in with the last issue’s topic where we reach a motivational dip in our lives. What we do has to have a true meaning for us and when it does, we light up. We look and feel lit up and our whole character embodies passion in what we do, whatever that may be.

Perhaps it is simple, such as the joy of knitting or crocheting, collecting and the fun in finding those objects. It can be sport, which anyone of us can be totally absorbed in. If it is exercise, a danger is that it may become an empty habit we keep on doing, without stopping and rejigging, questioning why we do it. A lot of us, myself included, adore gardening, losing ourselves in that activity, whilst a majority of us no doubt, will express an urge to go outside and connect with nature, whether it may be heading up into the hills, or down to the beach. Or simply as we do, going to a park, meeting other doggie people for a chat, being outside, especially at sunset.

As in the way of all habits, they become habitual, another new ritual, like a religion, which may serve us at the time and over time, becomes, shall we say, fulfilled? As in we keep doing it and habits can be outworn, when it is time to release them and go in another direction.

There is nothing wrong in giving up on something. It is when the mind keeps us hanging on to things, which can be anything in our lives (let’s not take personal, worldly commitments into this, we still have to honour those commitments). At times we need to take the time to be quiet, still, contemplative, breathe, meditate perhaps, and reflect upon whether it feels ‘right’ to move on, as our time can be better spent in turning to another activity.

A friend shared with me how in the Philippines, there are better results because their healing approach is treat the whole body. Cancer is the one she spoke of and overall, the human body is looked upon from a holistic bodily approach. I loved hearing that!

We have a four-body system, etheric, emotional, mental and spiritual. Our body is intelligent and I have often heard it said many times over the years, that it can heal itself of just about anything, given the chance to do so.  

Coming back to the topic of Passion, Play and Laughter Yoga. It is not naughty to have fun. Our body is a beautiful, unique one. No two bodies or people are exactly alike and neither will t hey be alike all the time, because of the consistent changes that are happening, evolution in a nutshell.

I believe in living each day with love and enthusiasm and if we lose that, what do we have? Grumpy, disillusioned people walking the earth, projecting negativity and where does that come from? Within. We feel what we are projecting our first within ourselves. The same goes when we express or feel love, we are spirit living in a human body, lent to us by Mother Earth who is a loving, benevolent being. In order to give love, it wells up, is expansive and it flows from there, right inside our very own heart. Don’t try to fix the world, work on feeling love and a lightness, infused with passion, overflowing your cup into the world. The world needs it more than ever before and every person makes a difference. You do. I do. We all do. Let’s see if we can get in touch with the passion that has been covered over and get it happening again.

Laughter Yoga definitely helps to do that. It is very freeing. I will not say that it is the be all and end all. It is a wonderful, marvellous tool which we use to assist our body to be healthier and it works on the four body system, as mentioned before. How we do it at laughter club is fantastic as we are involved in playful activities, allowing our inner children to be released and expressed. We sing, laugh, breathe deeply and include positive affirmations. This all helps our overall wellbeing.

It is life changing for people who come along. At the same time, you can do it at home, especially with AI, which I am not a fan of. But if you Google about laughter yoga, many videos and much information comes up immediately for you to be able to do by yourself, if you have sufficient self-determination.

One of the benefits though is the social side of coming together with us or others in a group. Humans need connection with other humans. That I firmly believe. You are always welcome to join us.

So passion and play are crucial to live as if you are fulfilling your purpose in life. It may be a simple purpose too, to live each day to the best of your ability and to ground more love upon the earth. Simple as that. How about that eh?

Hobbies are good, to have an interest or outlet that really lifts you up, inspires you, something creative in particular I feel, not that I am judging watching TV or sporting matches, as they have their place. Choose something which helps you get in touch with your soul expressing through your body, where time stops, seems to stand still, are totally and utterly absorbed in the project, having a still mind and emotions. I find gardening works for me and a new hobby which I am revealing to the world here.

Sometimes we don’t know why we are doing something, at least I don’t. We may simply feel led, that for whatever reason, it feels right to do something, until it doesn’t feel right to do so. We can really miss that. Let me share that 19 years ago, right from the start of offering a free community laughter club and for four or five years, hardly anyone was coming, none at all a lot of the time. This seems to be a good example of following one’s heart. Somehow, I hung on, believing it had the potential of bringing people together, as I always felt it important to maintain positivity and hope in our lives as time passes. I had observed as a youngster that was not the case in adults and somehow, I made the decision, not to let it happen to me. Life can beat us around the ears and it takes conscious application to remain in a positive frame of mind at times. Especially when we are in our darkest hour. You know what I mean?

I have been dabbling in art all my life and would have given it up, and did not feel that I had a particular talent, except that I am dogged about things, hang on maybe too long as well. It is not about being good at it, the main thing is to keep on going. Once I had a bad argument and reacted to John, my hubby and greatest supporter. We were driving towards the city and he said that his previous wife was a real artist and I felt deeply hurt by his remark. I made him stop, jumped out of the car and thumbed a lift back home. This shows my low self esteem at the time and it is not a healthy habit to compare ourselves with another human being.

To be successful, I encourage you to work on your worthiness and monitor your reasons for whatever it is you are doing. You do it for yourself, because you are greatly loved and matter. Does it really make a difference after all, our judgment of what we do and whether we feel something is good or not, because if you are expressing yourself, feeling better for it, it has a purpose.

In my art I have done a lot over the years and each for a long time. I got interested in Zentangle drawing years ago and discovered that the loose, doodling drawings I had been doing for yonks, were very much in that style. Well at present I am passionate about combining my calligraphy, painting, drawing, positive words and affirmations into rock paintings. It feels important to write positive words or sayings and share them with people, as a reminder to keep your chins up – stay positive at all costs. It is alright to drop in doing so, as in steps forwards and backwards. Keep getting up, marching on, going forward and never, ever give up!!!

With my rock paintings, I feel absorbed, completely and utterly. I often listen to something while doing so and for me, it takes me into another space and time, as I feel very still and absorbed. This is what I am suggesting you may like to do, pick up an old creative hobby or a new one and get it happening. I had been doing a daily jigsaw on my tablet for a long time, which was very stilling for the mind and emotions, but not giving me the creativity connection which was missing.

Here is a photo of my rock paintings, as they are presently being expressed, because everything seems to be a new opportunity to learn and grow within myself. Isn’t life simply wondrous? Well it can be so at least.

What will you do?

I would love to hear and encourage you to give yourself a break and become totally absorbed in something which you can feel by the results of doing so, is highly beneficial for your whole body, the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual bodies.

God bless. Sending you love and passion in abundance. Wishing you well.

 

Laughter and Other Events

The Ferntree Gully Laughter Club meets at 11am on the 2nd & 4th Sunday of the month behind the library. We are also greatly appreciative of Ajne, Team Leader at the Ferntree Gully Library who loves and believes in what we do, hosting laughter and meditation sessions on the 4th Tuesday of the month at 2pm. I also facilitate regular spiritual growth classes and workshops, which you may want to hear about at some stage in your life.

First timers, please contact me, Lynette in case of a meeting change, and if you would like to read my email newsletter, receive the email reminder when the laughter club is on next, or even you may like to join the Facebook group (Google it or ask me).

Cheerio for now and be kind to yourself. 

Lots of Love, Laughter and Blessings. Lynette Mitchell. 

 

Psychological Winter Resistance, SAD and YES, I CAN help myself

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Psychological Winter Resistance, or Enthusiasm Plateau. 

Today I am sharing about Psychological Winter Resistance, also known as enthusiasm plateau, motivational dip or valley, self-sabotage, as well as Season Affective Disorder (SAD) and suggestions how you can help and support yourself. I feel these topics are linked, perhaps one is given insufficient attention over the other. That is regarding resistance which may be related to the seasonal change, as well as something I think we all go through at times, as we travel through life.

Let me talk first about how weather affects your mood; Understanding Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). You are most likely aware of this physical phenomenon, which is a commonly held and these days, accepted, actual condition that so many of us feel.

Weather conditions affect us, let’s face it, we are basically animal creatures, connected to the earth, dependant to an extent on the time of the year for our survival and feelings of genuine well-being. Recently I wrote about the Summertime Blues, which people experience at the end of summer holidays, when there seemed to be so much time to achieve things. Maybe we had a list of everything we wanted to do and yet, it all took much longer, perhaps our priorities changed due to unexpected circumstances.

Many of us are affected due to the shorter hours of winter and what it may mean. Less time to go and walk the dog at the end of the day, the wet weather, preventing us from being outside, especially gardening, where growth slows right down.

SAD is more serious than feeling down in the winter, is a type of depression. It can cause low energy, constant sadness, and a want for more carbs. If your family has a history of depression, bipolar disorder, or anxiety, you might be more at risk. I know several people who are affected and it has been a relief to understand the effect that the weather has on their mood, and they have become self-accepting, understanding of the situation, and able to deal with it.

SAD usually begins in autumn, continuing on throughout winter. Winter has been far colder the last couple of years and you will notice, both within yourself and observing people you know, more feelings of disparity because of the wetter, darker winter conditions. People who live in Alaska experience SAD more, having little daylight and conversely, it is rarer in very sunny countries.

People have had enough and are yearning for warmer weather and springtime. I have noticed the birds seem to feel the same way and are starting to their build nests while still in mid winter, brought about by some slightly warmer days.

Ways we can help ourselves move through SAD.

Sleep and diet are very important along with more light, exercise and implementing self-supporting routines, which all of us will benefit by when we create new life giving daily habits!

A consistent routine helps; the basics are very important. For instance, to develop supportive routines upon rising and retiring at night. In the morning I like to go outside and greet the day, even better to walk barefoot on the earth for six minutes, which is a grounding practice. Open the curtains as soon as you wake up and go outside as soon as you can to take in the morning light. It assists with our circadian rhythm. Have breakfast or morning cuppa sitting by a window. If natural light is limited, a light therapy box would be very helpful. I know people who use this therapy. It’s a great idea.

Diet

Hibernating in the winter can be helpful when we spend more introspection, preparing inwardly for springtime. Many put on weight, as most of us know, we can prefer heavier, warming meals, with more carbs and very little exercise. I suggest paying good attention to your diet, to have plenty of fruit and vegetables, whole grains and lean protein. Consult your health professional and ask about vitamins, as I heard taking Vitamin D and C is essential, as well as zinc and echinacea which will support our immune system, thus making us stronger, fitter and unlikely to catch colds and flu.

Sleep

Limit blue screens before bedtime and have a regular bedtime schedule, going to bed and rising at a regular time. Also to sleep in a dark bedroom.

Light therapy, talking to a therapist, taking certain medicines, and getting enough Vitamin D can make a big difference. These treatments can help people feel better despite the weather.

Stay connected

Resist withdrawing from social activities, staying connected with family and friends. Do find time to exercise, there are many free YouTube videos if you cannot attend an exercise class like we do. There are plenty around in the community. It is also ok to have fun, to be kind and loving to yourself and plan something to look forward to. The movies, library talks and activities, various groups. Make a decision to be involved in life with other people.

Laughter Yoga

Regular exercise releases feel-good endorphins and dopamine, which help improve one’s mood and energy levels. Laughter yoga, which we do at laughter club, does this also, and is an aerobic exercise.  You are welcome to join us any time and in the case of bad weather, we go behind the Ferntree Gully Library under the eaves, on the decking, where we are very protected. It is indeed extremely invigorating.

Psychological Resistance

That is, when we have goals, focuses and so on that are of prime importance and we feel flat, in a lull, unable to get involved and be moving effectively forward as would be required to achieve the level of success we wish to achieve. Many of us feel ourselves in a motivational dip in wintertime but it may be at any other time of our lives also, when roles, work, family, situations and the like come about. It may be that we are bored, not having sufficient stimulation, a multitude of reasons may be at play.

Resistance can also be for many other reasons, and we may self-sabotage our pursuits with negative actions and lack of enthusiasm. There may be excellent intentions and yet it can be too easy to break the good intentions in a moment. A familiar one is how we make resolutions to diet and lose weight, finding ourselves quickly giving in, letting ourselves down, coming down psychologically with negative self-talk.

There is always a reason for doing so and it may be outside of our conscious awareness. Subconsciously we may be in conflict and behave in a way that is diametrically opposed to what was planned. One example would be low self esteem or deep psychological trauma, which means we begin on a high note and have a fall, we feel a failure, then give up. The feelings of self-doubt can be subtle. Then we can have hidden away, the fear of success and what it may entail. It brings us to question whether we really do want success after all? We think too much and it can sound very rational, listening to the quiet whispering within.

Negative self-talk can cause us to fail, perhaps we are more comfortable where we are and for whatever reason, our envisaged achievements are drastically diminished or fail for the time being. Which just means we were not up for the change at the time, and we receive the learning from the new situation. Similarly, we begin something new, there is an initial rush of dopamine, providing excitement and motivation. Can you relate to wanting to do something important and not being able to get into the groove to do so? You have been waiting for the time when you could apply yourself and then, when it comes, you become distracted and can’t become absorbed as you would like to and had envisaged beforehand.

This may be in relation to anything in your life, perhaps work, where you can’t apply yourself wholeheartedly to what is required for whatever reason. Work can give us opportunities and experiences to work through, which are invaluable to our personal growth, our evolution.

How about resistance we are unconscious of? Often this can relate to past experiences and conditioning, trauma and fear make it that we feel frozen in time, unable to step forward. Some of us love new challenges and others may say they do but when push comes to shove, back away or put it off, perhaps losing the prime time in which to achieve whatever that was.

Much of our resistance, and many of us can relate more to the word procrastination, is due to low feelings of self-worth. This can be unconscious, due to our programming and habits of survival we have taken on throughout our lives. I am not even going there, suggesting we may pick up from other incarnations, which we bring forth into this embodiment.

From the negative ego point of view, it is doing its best to carry out our instructions to keep ourselves safe. From this viewpoint, when we let ourselves down, there may be deep seated programming which comes into action. I wrote about this in relation to enneagrams, programs that are installed to protect us, as a mother would protect her precious child.

However, resistance can be a ‘good’ thing to encounter and work through, which takes diligent application and determination. Ideally, it requires introspection, journaling, meditation, self enquiry, at times outside support such as a coach or counsellor.

New projects can raise our feelings of wellbeing and positivity and put us in an initial high when positive endorphins are released into the body. Rather like a honeymoon phase which inevitably passes away, when we move into the next stage of application.

Working through resistance, feelings of flatness, going nowhere, a dip or plateau, and mind you this can be applied to many situations in our life, we can come out the other side stronger. Many share feelings of agility in handling their challenges, feeling stronger, more self determination and psychologically fitter than before. Once we do so, we develop new, enduring habits which support us and are stepping stones towards our goals, future self and worldly endeavours. Life is meant to thrust us into new situations and of course, new things become familiar, comfortable, the old ways of doing things.

Personal and spiritual ways to support us.

This section is more geared for people who may have lost motivation, whether it is the winter blues, that of feeling flat, tired, without it being the serious medical condition of SAD.

The human body seeks comfort, the easy way to do things, to be in control, know what lays ahead and we love to organise our lives neatly into boxes or compartments, instead of being open to interruptions and life happening moments, periods, difficulties etc.

It may appeal to some readers who are drawn to meditation and self-support, to spend quality time in introspection, rechecking and reviewing your life. What effort and focus are you putting into it and are you doing your best to greet anew every day. Daily journaling, which I like to do last thing at night, and meditation are most helpful. Remember to be patient, kind and tolerant towards ourselves is imperative.

Self Determination Theory SDT

Acknowledge the dip or plateau without judgment, because judging one’s actions exacerbates the situation. If we manage to keep going, our self-determination becomes stronger, we build endurance. The alternative to doing so risks not evolving and as energy is moving, we actually devolve, we lose the gains we have made in this lifetime. That is not something I ever wish to bring about, not at all.

We can do all sorts of things to help ourselves or find a teacher or coach you resonate with. Imagine becoming the best, highest, brightest, version of yourself and work towards it. It may be you can develop strategies and organise your time better, or cut down on what you are doing, becoming more of a being type of person. I used to be busy being busy and prefer to focus on more coming from a centred state of being. When in that centred and aligned place, the doing comes out of the being and not the other way around.

Rekindle with your WHY

Don’t wait for motivation to come to you, because motion creates energy. When you put your energy and action into it, the path is slow to begin with and then you build up momentum, which will then help to carry you forward. Motivation is tied in with self-determination which is fuelled from within you.

To get out of the motivational slump, revisit your WHY. There needs to be a sold reason to begin with which set you up, your direction, which becomes lost as time goes on.

It is not happening now

We may be feeling things that are unresolved from the past and create self-doubt, which is dreadful. Stop listening to them and create a plan of action if you want to succeed. Above all be kind to yourself, lose the judgment and be happy to get out of your comfort zone.

That being said, it may well be that you hadn’t thought through before embarking on a project and did not know enough about it. It may be time to give it away, move on, or modify the goal or project.

My motto is to Never ever give up. We need to apply ourselves and learn to trust our feelings more than our thoughts. Not easy to know what is up or down at times. That is why the spiritual growth activities of meditation, journaling, introspective, positive affirmations – all of it, are advised and necessary.

Patience, Tolerance and Kindness

Okay, you have read it this far. Well done! There is a lot in all this, if it is of interest to you, as it is to me. Basically, live your life making progress and don’t beat yourself up!!!

When we meet

The Ferntree Gully Laughter Club meets at 11am on the 2nd & 4th Sunday of the month.

We are at the Ferntree Gully Library 2pm on the 4th Tuesday of the month and the Boronia Library 11am on the 3rd Saturday of the month. I also run periodic laughter yoga and spiritual growth classes and workshops. First timers, please contact me, Lynette in case of a meeting change.

Let me know if you wish to receive my email newsletter and an email reminder when the laughter club is on next. You may even like to join the Ferntree Gully Laughter Club Facebook group, or receive an email reminder when laughter club is on, let me know. Thanks.

Cheerio for now and be kind to yourself. Lots of Love, Laughter and Blessings. Lynette Mitchell.

Phone:         0425 799 258
Email:          lynette@laughterforliving.com.au

Laughter Yoga and 3 other ways to help you get over Fear.

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Laughter Yoga and 3 other ways to help you get over Fear.

Fear is Debilitating!

Laughter Yoga and other ways to help you get over fear, may be useful to consider and ponder, as fear is far too prevalent in today’s age and we are surrounded by it all the time.

There is so much fear in the world, it is impossible not to be affected by it and yet, you can live a life feeling joy and closer to nature. Let me tell you a little of how you can do so. Any advice shared here is intended to be thought provoking, enabling you to consider, feel into, ponder upon, implement and/or reach out to professionals if needs be. It may be the beginning of an area or time in your life which is timely for you to look after yourself, because we are unable to help others if we are not strong, which means we first have to attend to our own basic and healthful needs.

Danger is real, not imaginary. Look at the news on television. Many people refuse to watch it and I wouldn’t either, excepting John, my husband feels it helps him to stay in touch with what is going on in the world. It would be fantastic if good news stories were prevalent, instead of the shock and horror ones that are aired every night on the free to air channels. Apparently bad news sells and is more popular than positive uplifting stories.

I do enjoy watching some shows on TV, the animal and nature ones which are uplifting, entertaining and informative. But you probably agree, TV like social media, can take a hold on us and not let go. They are such time wasters and bad habits are formed, we get lazy, become couch potatoes, sit too long and it’s very unhealthy to spend an inordinate amount of time watching too much television and spending too much precious time checking our social media apps on our phone, computer or tablet.

The world is somehow geared towards us being and living fearfully. Which can be disastrous, where it is like the metaphor of a frog in a pot, whereby the water slowly comes to the boil, it is boiled to death, because of not noticing the temperature slowly rising.

That must be the reason why people hang out for their holidays and do activities to make them forget the world as it is, and provide relief from stressfully lived lives. Our challenges feel so difficult, when history tells us that there have always been seemingly insurmountable difficulties, appropriate for the age we live in. Difficulties, challenges and the like evolve and change according to the times and places.

Have you heard of or considered that our thoughts are not even original, as we are connected energetically with other people and things, which you may not even be aware of? People can come up with the same ideas and be travelling along the same path as others, following their inner guidance, and thoughts are little energy forms that zoom out from us.

Enneagrams are something that I have heard about, have a general idea of, enough to be helpful for me at present. Some people reading this may be experts in this area. What I feel to express here is that basically, human beings are animals, more evolved and with more on board of course.

We are creatures of habit, and I often write about patterning and conditioning which we take on throughout our lives and about releasing it, creating new positive, supportive patterns and habits, ditching ones that no longer serve us in our life where we are now.

Fear Related to Enneagrams

My understanding of enneagrams is how we behave automatically, in a protective way, which is more limited. When a traumatic set of circumstances has happened and something ‘bad’ happens in our life, the set of circumstances are recorded in our subconscious mind. If that set of circumstances happens again, we unconsciously expect the same result and react out of irrational fear. Even though intellectually we know there is no need to be fearful, think of the example of people who have massive fear around spiders, snakes, rats, or whatever. They may believe the person helping them to overcome the fear and it takes great courage to work through the subconscious, irrational fear they are facing and are able to transform it into a correct understanding of the situation, removing the ingrained fear.

Would you agree with this so far? What we need to do is create a future where we are living in more awareness, grounded in our body, connected to earth, nature and consciously able to hum away at living a productive life, irrespective of our life situation. If needs be, seek out a professional if the fear is debilitating, stopping you from living a fruitful life.

Realistically, fear and danger are real, we can benefit by having a respectful awareness of these two gremlins in our life, instead of avoiding or supressing these feelings. Fear can be a great motivator to learn to deal with and overcome it. A certain amount of stress and fear is normal, when we are being stretched, possibility having self doubt from our feelings of being unworthy. It is normal to have fears and challenges to work through and overcome; fear can make us give up, give in and not make any effort at all. Hold strong and don’t give up, never ever! There is always hope. It is not lost, maybe we’ve simply mislaid it along the way.

A healthy habit is to face our fears, which may be irrational and tied in with feelings of low self-worth, not wanting to fail etc. we can develop a good habit of facing fears, let us call them a common term, challenges and using that as a positive experience to develop self mastery in our lives. Yee hah!

Facing Fears

1st step – improve your self-talk and use affirmations.

It is important to face our fears, using positive self talk, such as ‘it’s unlikely to happen’, ‘I can do this’, ‘I am safe’. Basically, learn to switch things around, when you are able to understand and see that your outlook is irrational and apply yourself to lovingly, caringly, get out of your comfort zone (obviously without doing dangerous, unwise activities, using common sense) and try new things.

From my recent experience, I managed to overcome and clear an old fear, which was instilled in me following a bad car accident many years ago.

The fear was underneath my radar, I wasn’t questioning it, feeling nervous in a car on the road seemed normal and acceptable. This was both with my husband driving and when I was driving. Learning more about enneagrams, I started to positive talk myself ‘an accident is unlikely to happen’ being the main one and choosing to let go of being fearful of driving or being driven. I would also affirm to myself ‘I am safe’. It happened recently when my husband was in hospital for two nights after an operation and then unable to drive for 4 weeks. It seemed like a good time to get over my fearful self and switch things around, which was very quick in fact. I was surprised. I am now back to being a confident driver and not wimpish. They say be careful of what you wish for, and it was time to change the unconscious belief of being afraid of having an accident. It’s great! I am loving driving now again.

2nd step – be quick to act on inspirations

Especially if you know in your heart, have a feeling about, doing a new activity, whereby the feeling comes to you for a split second and then your rational mind steps in, persuading, thinking your way out of it in another direction. I imagine some of you lovely readers will get this. You have a feeling and if the inspiration is not acted upon straight away, the feeling becomes dulled and you have talked your way out of doing that thing which initially seemed like such a good idea. The negative ego is chit chatting with you and it’s purpose is to run the body, which it does amazingly well and keep you safe.

3rd step – come to laughter club

Give this a go, you will be stepping out of your comfort zone into an unfamiliar territory. This is a ‘good thing’. New people come from time to time and I encourage them to come at least two or three times, before deciding it is not for them. I am not alone in suggesting that you will not know if it will be a very positive and beneficial activity in your life, without coming more than once. Fair enough, people may know immediately it is not for them. Many people find it very uncomfortable, which is their body type/personality, set in their ways and very likely, inhibitions or deep-set fear such as unconscious trauma, may be at play here. Given time, people become confident, relaxed and embrace the light-hearted fun way that laughter clubs are renowned for.

For instance, we don’t always know what is good for us. I once was leading laughter at a nursing home and it was obvious that the people who were low care, joined in and appeared to be uplifted. It felt like a mistake that the activities organiser asked the residents if it was an activity they enjoyed, instead of seeing the bigger picture that in time, the magic works when people come together, laugh and sing. They did not give it a fair trial, which would have far benefited the residents in the long run. I am suggesting if you have resistance to coming along, look at the bigger picture. There are so many gains to be had from it.

Laughter yoga is an aerobic exercise with innumerable benefits. It isn’t for everyone and you will not have a clear understanding of it being ‘right’ for you, without attending a few times. And it’s free too! We go along to the Ferntree Gully and Boronia Libraries and the laughter club meets twice a month behind the Ferntree Gully Library.

4th Step – We are all in this together

Human Beings are creatures of habit and beneath our seemingly distant exteriors, hide ones who are genuinely kind and helpful towards each other. We have a need to belong, as we are mostly like animals who feel comfortable gathering together in packs, or tribes. A sense of belonging, which helps us feel happy and at peace, coming together and sharing with other like-minded people. It gives us more purpose in our life.

Essentially, and summing up, laughter yoga is a great physical exercise which makes us feel better. Our communication and listening skills improve. We become light-hearted. It is a rich experience. Everyone benefits. Yet again, I encourage and invite you to come to a laughter session in the park, or inside the Ferntree Gully or Boronia Libraries. It is never too late, and people have taken fifteen years or longer to do just that!

Please think about it. Come along and satisfy your human by interacting with other human beings.

Alternatively, if you do not have a social life, think about, feel into and enquire about, what would be a suitable group for you to be a part of. There are many in the community and the Knox Council is brilliant at supporting its residents. We love being in Knox. From what I see, all councils have the wellbeing of their residents at heart as well. Look after yourself. Get moving, grooving, do something you love and remember firstly, to love yourself. Warts and all!

When we meet

The Ferntree Gully Laughter Club meets at 11am on the 2nd & 4th Sunday of the month.

We are at the Ferntree Gully Library 2pm on the 4th Tuesday of the month.

Let me know if you wish to receive an email newsletter and a reminder email for the laughter club or wish to join the Facebook group.

Cheerio for now and be kind to yourself. A strong mantra that I use and hold in my awareness on a daily basis is ‘Patience, Tolerance, Kindness’. Try it for yourself and let me know how it works for you, or whether you need more assistance and guidance in using it, such as combining with one’s own breath.

Lots of Love and Laughter. Lynette Mitchell.

Phone:          0425 799 258
Email:            lynette@laughterforliving.com.au
Website:       www.laughterforliving.com.au

Can Laughter Yoga Improve Your Relationships?

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Yes, it can! Hello again and can you believe we are a quarter of the way into 2025? There is not time to waste in our lives, being lazy, selfish or self-centred. It is likely that we can all improve our relationships and learn to communicate better. Can we keep learning, forever and until we cease to live? We most certainly can! What is more, whenever we begin, or return to having the attitude of doing our best and making our life count, it will be perfect timing. My ‘Never ever, ever give up’ motto originated from the content of Winston Churchill’s speech in 1941, which was the year before I was born. I believe it applies to everything we are drawn to in our lives.

Life can be so complicated and yet from my experience, human beings generally complicate their own lives. We can have a useful attitude to co-create our life with God, the Universe, Energy (insert here what you believe in), instead of being a victim to life, rather it being a co-creation with the Universe. We view through our own filters, put there by experiences and life’s conditioning ways. Our needs, desires, ambitions, yearnings, patterns and beliefs create an overall experience.

Most of us go to work for a time and perhaps reach a stage of seeing our unnecessary busy-ness, when we may have felt like life was happening to us, rather than our contribution in it all. We may make a decision about turning our life around, developing a more peaceful, harmonious life, connected with nature, holding greater meaning and purpose.

This can be like entering a new stage, that of decluttering on every level, heading towards living our life as simply as we possibly can, depending on our circumstances and involvement. I often write about decluttering and that too, will take its own never-ending journey, bringing to our lives, enrichment and long-lost meaning.

Laughter yoga has a place in all of this, the journey, self-discovery, empowerment, connections with ourselves and others. The prime reason for this is within the power of laughter and as well, connecting deep within our own sense of self and others. Laughter yoga particularly assists us in overall feelings of wellness in all of our bodies, emotional, mental, physical and spiritual. Our social connections are enhanced when we laugh together with people, especially in a group setting, as we do during laughter sessions.

If you are a regular reader of my blogs, you will have heard me say how things may happen slowly, organically, minimally, as evolution is designed to be that way. We can also hold a keen focus, like tunnel vision, for change to take place quicker. Our body is complex and operates on many levels, subtle as well as what was mentioned in the previous paragraph. Subtle in so far as our feelings are a sum of everything, including our soul and higher spiritual bodies (some people will relate to that).

Therefore, our relationships do in fact improve if we are involved in laughter yoga group activities and even to a lesser degree, laughing together with people in our daily lives.

There are ways to laugh alone also and feel free to email, phone or message me, if you want to find out about doing that. For example, various YouTube channels where laughter leaders have innumerable videos available. One by the laughter yoga guru, Dr Madan Kataria, in particular has a simple one, focusing on the breath and very little movement. It need not be complicated at all, and you can easily incorporate it into your life, if you but choose. And I will add, feel better for implementing regular laughter into your life.

How laughter yoga improves our relationships is therefore first and foremost, to belong to a laughter club, otherwise to practice it alone and develop your physical body awareness.

From my awareness and understanding, how it helps is the impact it has on our feeling of overall wellness, because the body benefits from laughing in a plethora of ways. Our relationships with others in our lives may possibly improve from some of the following.

We benefit from having improved communication and part of this is in this social group situation, we generally share by chatting together over a cuppa afterwards at Rapture café, in Ferntree Gully. This offers opportunities to find out things we have in common, lending a natural and loving support to others. Many people who come along live either actively involved or sedentary, lonely lives. Talking is important to feel we belong and have shared realities with others. Humans have a need to belong, to find our ‘tribe’ as it is often called. It is such a small world. One gentleman member grew up in the town I was born into and knew my two brothers. We have many affinities and people always find this to be the case.

Seeing the gifts in other people is a pastime I like to be involved in, as everyone has something special about them. No doubt many people love to do that as well, meeting with and finding mutual strengths and interests. But if we are too busy transmitting, needing to talk, blah blah blah, we will not be in a receptive, listening space and we will miss this people person richness. It is something I have been working on, being receptive and less needing to transmit. Although I’m very outgoing by nature, it feels important to balance that with being quiet, which develops an attitude which is more in harmony and balance with life, people, interests and relationships.

Conversations take on a life of their own as we discover how to truly listen to others. During laughter club, we practice being present, breathing, watching, listening, laughing and this simple formula assists in improving our ability to relate with other people. This all takes place very naturally and we may not even be aware of it.

Essentially, and summing up, laughter yoga is a great physical exercise which makes us feel better. Our communication and listening skills improve. It is a rich experience. Everyone benefits.

Yet again, I encourage and invite you to come to a laughter session in the park, or inside the Ferntree Gully and Boronia Libraries. It is never too late, and people have taken fifteen years or longer to do just that!

The Ferntree Gully Laughter Club meets at 11am on the 2nd & 4th Sunday of the month for half an hour and afterwards, we head to Rapture Cafe, for a hot cuppa and chat. Belonging to the laughter club is quite a social activity and we behave like lifelong friends, sharing together when given the chance to do so. Do you feel like coming along and being part of our small group (usually 6-8 of us each time). 

Knox Library Laughter Yoga Sessions

We are at the Ferntree Gully Library 2pm on the 4th Tuesday of the month and the Boronia Library 11am the 3rd Saturday of the month and I expect not to be able to run it in June.

First timers, please contact me, Lynette in case of a meeting change.

You may like to receive an email newsletter or a free discovery call/chat. Please contact me to arrange a time for either. Additionally, I send out a reminder email on the Friday before the laughter club meets and there is a Facebook group which you can join, so as to stay  in touch.

Cheerio for now and be kind to yourself.

Lots of Love and Laughter. Lynette Mitchell.

Phone:          0425 799 258
Email:            lynette@laughterforliving.com.au

Equanimity From Laughter Yoga is Fabulous

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Laughter Yoga Provides Equanimity in Our Lives

Do you ever think about, ponder, focus on or are aware of the topic of equanimity? I do all the time, as part of my spiritual journey.

Equanimity is living in a state of balance, achieved by focusing on living in the present, self-aware mindful and with compassion. It may look like someone is centred in one’s being, remaining calm, grounded and centred, whilst experiencing challenges.

Equanimity is generally on board as we practice living in this form of self-mastery. It is not something we can choose in case of emergency; it is ingrained in our being through regular practice in our daily lives.

This is a wonderful topic and the cool thing about it is we can all improve in this area if it interests us and we can see the importance of living this way. Let’s face it, we are not alone and are nearly always in various relationships, whether they be family, business, work, social etc.

I feel that equanimity is a whole body experience, a feeling, spiritual thing and need not be a controlled mental state. This implies suppression and the heart is not involved, although there are good intentions present.

To effectively be in equanimity we need to centre ourselves first and act with clarity of intention and compassion. As I practice being in equanimity, in order to centre myself I pause, take a breath or two, allow myself to slow down and become aware of how I am feeling. To be in this calm, centred, mindful state of mind and emotions, I am better able to apply myself to every situation. It is not necessarily so simple, nor easy to do, which is why it is important to have the quality of equanimity on board in one’s personality and self expression. If you attempt to be that way in an emergency, failure is more likely to be the case.

There are many Buddhist references to living in equanimity, which is a state of balance where one doesn’t react to difficult situations. It is part of living in a grounded, mindful manner, without supressing emotions and feelings. Equanimity is a beautiful state to become endowed with, which has a positive, uplifting effect upon those around us in our everyday lives.

It is a non-judgmental, accepting way of being and it may be developed through the practice of laughter yoga. 

How laughter yoga helps you achieve equanimity

Did you know that laughter yoga is a practice that greatly assists us to live in equanimity? A lot of research mentions the benefit of being in greater equanimity when we come together doing laughter exercises. Isn’t that grand? Perhaps is another terrific reason to come along and join us for regular laughter exercises.

This happens organically, that is very naturally, when we come together in playful fun with each other. The way we perceive life upgrades to that of becoming self-accepting and it follows, we become more tolerant and accepting of others and of life situations.

Notwithstanding the times when we may need to walk away from things or people, this is not an airy-fairy way of being, where we become doormats and allow ourselves to be in abusive situations.

What laughter yoga helps with is slowly developing a more cheerful, fun filled, optimistic personal value, leading to living in far greater equanimity because of the way regular laughter can help us.

Some Aussies Involvement in Laughter Yoga

It feels like a good idea to impress upon you more about this, the fact that many people around the world work professionally with laughter yoga and also a great many who are making grounded differences here in Australia. They come from different backgrounds and fields of work.

I will mention three people, firstly to give a shout out to Merv Neal, a local, who filled in for me when I was on a retreat recently. He is responsible for initiating laughter yoga in numerable places which call for more equanimity in people’s lives. For example, it is being accepted as a fabulous activity in the wellbeing and healing area; he is involved in research conducting laughter for kidney dialysis patients and working with the Cancer Council. He co-authored a scientific study book last year which I love.

A prominent Melbourne laughter leader, teacher and academic is Ros Ben-Moshie, who has written two laughter books. Ros also teaches short course courses in Laughter, Resilience and Wellbeing at Latrobe University.

There are many more prominent Australians doing amazing work in the laughter yoga field, which is taking off, i.e. becoming widely known and accepted as a highly beneficial practice for us all to be doing.

The third one I will share with you is Annie Harvie who lives in Adelaide and has written The Giggle Game. Annie has taken this fun, simple, interactive card game all around the world. It is designed for early learners, and I highly recommend it to school teachers and parents. It is a simple way of bringing the exercise of laughing together to us all and in particular, children.

Thank you for taking the time to read this article and wishing you an excellent 2025. You are always welcome to join John, myself and the small group who come regularly to laughter club.

First timers, please contact me, Lynette to in case of a meeting change. You may even like to add yourself to the email reminder for the laughter club or sign up for my newsletter. My website has information regarding workshops, classes, laughter yoga and blog.

The Ferntree Gully Laughter Club meets at 11am on the 2nd & 4th Sunday of the month.

We are at the Ferntree Gully Library 2pm on the 4th Tuesday of the month March onwards and at the Boronia Library, 11am the 3rd Saturday of the month recommencing in May.

Cheerio for now. 

Lots of Love and Laughter. Lynette Mitchell. xo

Summertime Blues

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Read my summertime blues blog, how to do new things, lift yourself up

Hello. Are you prone to procrastination? I am at times, and it can be debilitating, taking my mind away from living one day, right down even, to one moment at a time. Instead, my mind may go around in circles, with a continuous background narrative of ‘having to do something which feels timely’ and yet I can’t get my act together. It can be difficult to be in the right mindset for the best focus to apply myself wholeheartedly to what is most important to be done or achieved.

Why do we do it, have this resistance? There can be many reasons why. I will bet you that some can be from feelings of low self-worth and a general lack of inspiration. A common theme is not wanting to start because we think that the result has to be perfect. This may equate to needing to be in the right frame of mind or being totally prepared, in order to give it our best shot.

I was like that in writing this article. I had written down something which felt like it would be a worthwhile topic to share with you and blow me down, could not find it. I have been tuning in waiting to receive an inspiration, like a bolt of lightning. Nothing came until today when two words, ‘summertime blues’, popped into my head. I Googled them, feeling curious and was moderately surprised to find out it is a thing! All this time, I had not stopped to ponder, and I will share the essence of it with you.

Summertime blues can be similar to the SADs, that winter condition which many people fall victim to, where days are shorter, with little sunlight, which our body thrives upon. People become depressed, flat and find it difficult to feel joy in their lives.

“The summer blues, also known as the summertime blues, are feelings of sadness and depression that usually occur during the last week of summer, especially when you realise you have failed to meet some goals you set for yourself during the summer.” – The Center for Connection, Healing, and Change, in Virginia, U.S.A.

In my view as we live in Australia, where it does get very hot for often long periods of time, summertime blues relates to existing feeling depressed, due to excessive hot days and nights. Over time we become exhausted when we are unable to sleep, which puts our bodies under extra stress, which never feels fully rested. We tend to put things off and our motivation is low, achieving less towards the end of summer, holding out for more comfortable weather. I feel most of us can relate to that, the summertime heat, humidity, discomfort, lack of sleep, increased anxiety, which seems endless. And to top it off, we may live in fear because of it being bushfire season.

The general way summertime blues is referred to regarding experiencing depression, which can be overwhelming, is when you come to the end of summer and realise how much you have lost or frittered away your time, without achieving what you had planned. Although you may actually have achieved quite a lot in hindsight; your list was unrealistic and in fact you did very well. This can happen when we are too hard on ourselves, judgmental to a fault, rather than being our best friend, supporter and coach.

Who amongst us can even remember back to those water restriction days, when people gave up on their gardens, developed ‘bucket back’ from saving buckets of water from inside, such as when running the shower, waiting for the hot water to come through and then carrying them outside to put on plants. Many of us would carry 10 litres buckets to various places in the garden and develop crook backs. It was very common.

In Australia, we also deal with the Christmas madness being in summer, which serves to compound the various stresses in our lives. For many of us we may have lost a loved one this year, or fairly recently. This can be a very sad and grief filled time, which may be difficult to heal from. We all need help and to be supported by family and friends, not forgetting professional help.

This seems like I am sharing bad and gloomy themes with you, for which I wholeheartedly apologise. Life is as it is and no matter what, we serve ourselves best if we can get on with it and believe in ourselves. We can be our best friend and there is always time to learn, evolve, continue on the battle, be courageous and speculate how we can live a better life, for example more interaction and pleasurable activities.

There are many free or minimal cost community support groups; neighbourhood houses providing low cost activities and friendship groups. This can bring a sense of belonging and purpose to people who participate.

Also, we are classified as animals. And as such, we also need to belong in a group, tribe, community, whatever, seeking and relating with other likeminded animals. This could be one reason why we feel so comfortable with our pets, most commonly cats, dogs and birds, and other smatterings like rabbits, guinea pigs, frogs, reptiles etc.

It is unwise to carry on with negative self-talk wherein you judge yourself if you feel dependant on something, someone, a pet, activity or anything. I often mention neuroplasticity to you, how our brains are wired to benefit and truly need the stimulations that everyday life can offer us, which has an overall, positive affect upon our whole body system. Humans are meant to have experiences, to feel joy and purpose and it is very positive to do so.

If we feel that our best times are behind us, that may stop us from feeling purposeful on a daily basis. Time for some tough love from me and you may wish to give it to yourself. If you are flatlined in your life, ask for some inspiration and look for your own answers. You will be led to enquire here or there, to join with other people in an activity, hobby or group and learn something new.

We welcome you to the laughter club, which has been transformative in many people’s lives. People come and go and what we do helps ones to remember about the importance of having fun, deep breathing and laughing regularly.

I invite you to ponder on what type of things you may enjoy being involved in. You may like to contact your local council for advice about community groups and local libraries have incredible opportunities with free activities and talks. I have tried a lot of things in my life, one being various art expressions. Alternatively, you may be perfectly happy to keep doing what you do, freshening up your attitude a bit, improving your involvement, growing, still learning. We do need stimulation in our lives.

Words may be inadequate to bring forth to you a positive impact, which may encourage you to find or do something which will make your heart sing. This is in reference to becoming involved in an activity which will help you to relax, to focus, spending whatever time you have available’ in it, whilst interacting with others.

Returning to the subject of procrastination, is there something that jumps out for you to attend to? Or even the prompt to actively apply yourself to your ‘to do’ list in a way that produces satisfaction?

A new list could be understanding there are ways to deal with those feelings of sadness or the blues. Getting back to basics, you can ground some new beliefs which will benefit both yourself and those around you. Your to do list could include bringing yourself from feeling isolated and reach out to others in however you need it to be. You may benefit from receiving the professional support of a psychologist, social worker, counsellor or develop other social connections which may be like going to yoga or an exercise class. Ask and you will receive ideas and come to realise your own answers.

Exercise more, incorporate it to fit with your lifestyle and it will most likely help you to sleep better, which is so important. Exercise can be simple too, chair exercises, walking, yoga. You can learn something new and can do that in the comfort of your own home online, if you are comfortable with that.

It is in your hands to make a difference to your life and find joy again. You have the power to bring back the joy if it has been absent in your life. Wake up and affirm out loudly “I choose JOY”.

Give yourself a lift and a break from what was normal and everyday things, unless it feels like the best thing for you right now. Prepare yourself for summer and Christmas and keep on growing, keep on keeping on and never ever, give up. Never ever!

Laughter Club is on 8th & 22nd December, with a picnic after at Wicks Reserve. We will be at two libraries in January and take the month off meeting behind the Ferntree Gully for the first time, returning on the 2nd Sunday in February.

Thank you to Barbara Oehring for being such a brilliant photographer and sharing this beautiful photo of John and myself. We appreciate you!

We laugh together as follows and YOU are most welcome to come along.

Ferntree Gully Laughter Club 11am 2nd & 4th Sunday

Boronia Library  11am on the 1st Saturday of each month

Knox Library   2pm on the 3rd Thursday of the month – note this discontinues in 2025.

Ferntree Gully Library  2pm on the 4th Tuesday of the month

First timers, please contact me in case of a meeting change. You may even like to add yourself to the email reminder for the laughter club or sign up for my occasional newsletter. A reminder as well, I can also support people, as I’m qualified as a counsellor and life coach.

Wishing you joy this summer and for a harmonious and love-filled Christmas season. Speak with you again soon.

Lots of Love and Laughter. Lynette Mitchell.

Phone:          0425 799 258
Email:            lynette@laughterforliving.com.au

A Mother’s Love

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A Mother's Love blog, written for Mother's Day 2024

Written for Mother’s Day, 12th May 2024.

Wishing you a meaningful Mother’s Day, reminiscing, grieving, celebrating, whatever that may be or bring up for you. I felt inspired to share and go within, feeling, as I, probably like most of us, have unresolved past stuff about my mum. It can feel raw, mixed up, filled with gratitude and regret. As we grow, our memories and perceptions usually change. Here it is for your reading and feeling experience. You are welcome to reply to me, especially if it stirs up feelings which you may need help with. Enjoy.

When we are young, for most of us, our mother is our survival as we are totally helpless, dependent babies and small children. Mum is warm, nurturing, always present, her love and attention protects and sustains us.

As young ones, she sustains us with her love and support, filling our lives as only she can, to the best of her ability, with the tools she has or had. No one is perfect, yet as little ones, we see our mum as all knowing, a Goddess, or an Angel. I know that I did at any rate and remember clearly seeing her like a queen in my life, with rose coloured glasses.

As we grow, we may draw apart, seeing her from more critical eyes. This can make us feel sad, regretful, in later life, missing her, the opportunities to be together.

What was or is your experience? Is your mum still living or has she passed away recently, or perhaps a long time ago?

It seems to be a common thing that I often read about when people share on social media, they miss their mum! No matter what age the writer is, or how long it is since their mother has died, they still miss her, even on a daily basis.

Yet our mum’s love, presence, wisdom, uniqueness, is everlasting. Somehow her energy continues to be felt and mum still lives on in your hearts.

Your experience may have been filled with judgment, which is natural as kiddies grow, piecing things together, forming their own personalities. We may grow up wanting to and trying to be different, to do it better, than she did. We unconsciously form limiting beliefs about our mother, which influences us for the rest of our lives.

I feel it is important to make peace with all of this, no matter your own experience. We need to heal within ourselves. Mum did her best, with what she had.

Stop blaming her or yourself for the pain and suffering you gave to each other, if that was the case. Forgive yourself and your Mum. Life is a journey, filled with richness. Experiences that make, break, test and strengthen us in wisdom. Learn from your experiences, share yourself with others, grow in wisdom and self-love.

Your life is a gift from God, whatever you conceive Him or Her to be. Be kind to yourself and allow the past to be let go of, to recede to where it belongs. Live in the present. Greet each day anew and yourself, others.

Our time is not a given. We can do better. Yes. We really can do better!

Our influence may be made positive from our footsteps upon the earth.

Ponder what have been the biggest influences in your life? Mum and parents figure right up there as being some of the biggest, for a time anyhow. Particularly mum’s, which unconsciously moulds us, with patterns, beliefs and programs.

We may leave our mother, become caught up in work, family, hobbies, fun, addictions. At times we miss the nurturing love, the special unique love that only our own mother can provide and the friendship that was possible between us.

Can you bring and embrace yourself with your own unconditional, nurturing love to be able you to feel thoroughly nourished on every level, within and to without?

There is still time, as long as you live and breathe, there is much growth that you can do. Then do it. Make each day count as an expression of your love and hope for the future, for humanity, for this our mother earth.

So much darkness is upon the earth. Do not give up the fight. Soldier on and remember the warmth of your mother’s love, allow it to feel your heart expanding in the night.

Rest up my dear and awake with love, hope and choose joy. Make it a habit each morning and throughout the day to remember to choose joy; it will become palpable, strong in your entire being. No matter what happens. Choose joy.

Love is the only thing that really matters and choosing joy can help us to express and be the vessel for sharing pure unconditional love. It will happen over time, each lifetime, it will increase.

Wake up remembering, be love, choose joy. Be love, feel love, unconditional love, not sentimentality, lose the sentimentality, believe in love. Love nourishes, each night ask yourself, was I kind, loving and choosing joy today?

My parting words to you are – forgive each other, light a candle, or incense, say a prayer, journal, be grateful for everything it was, whether you took the opportunity to embrace your evolution or otherwise. Resolve to do better every day and never, ever, ever, ever give up, for life is a journey and for ourselves and everything else upon Mother Earth. We are all in this together, as one.

Blessings and Love to You,

Lynette Mitchell xo

Are You on Automatic Pilot, or Are You Living Mindfully?

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Hello Everybody

We are back in the swing of the year now and as people settle into 2024, laughter sessions are going well. Laughing together is such a healthy thing and there are now more opportunities to do so, thanks for Your Library support in this area. 

I have been still working a lot on decluttering and minimising, being present, drawing, walks in the park, meditation, and more. What we make of our life can depend so much on what energy we put into it, the direction we are focusing on and being flexible and adaptable.

Over the years I have let go much wanting to be in control of my life and what happens in it. There seems to be a lot that is out of our control, and yet we can create opportunities, and take them up as they present themselves, out of the blue, unexpectedly.

Have you every been told to be careful of what you wish for? What we put out as a need or want in our lives, consciously or unconsciously, may come about and with it, unwanted consequences. I once heard a simple metaphor about this type of thing, which is if you were to throw a pebble into the centre of a still pond, it expands out and out and out, creating a ripple effect, bringing consequences with it. We may regret the outcome of our action and that is why we often say to be careful of what you wish for.

I feel it is important to have a clear focus and idea of the direction in which we are heading, which can be beneficial in living a mindful life. There is also the concept of co-creating with God, Energies, Spirit, the Universe, Upstairs, whatever you want to call such a positive, supportive, unseen, yet it may be felt, energy. Things are able to come into our lives as if by a miracle, when we let go the fixed viewpoint by which we desire for them to happen and experience in our life.

From my experience when we live in a manner as to be clear about the direction we are going, yet not entirely fixed upon exact details regarding what we want to have happen, is a far better way of doing it. The reason is we can imagine what we wish in a strong mental manner, rather than develop a feeling experience of our future, which is how we may better draw things into our lives, through our feeling nature. I admit it can be most difficult to know what we are feeling, because we are usually too busy thinking, having a strong mental body.

I will explain something here, which is similar. We often share with newcomers that the body does not know the difference between real and fake laughter. When we pretend to laugh, as a general rule, it develops into real, spontaneous, natural laughter. At the same time, even pretending to laugh, will positively change the body’s chemistry, for example releasing endorphins into the bloodstream.

As the subconscious and unconscious mind cannot differentiate between real and unreal, they absorb experiences, thoughts, feelings, intentions, everything, as if it were true.

That is why I feel we need to become very mindful, as shared in the previous edition of this newspaper, because we are constantly creating our lives without even realising it. That’s a bit scary isn’t it? When we watch a movie, read a book etcetera, we may well be creating future scenarios, literally, if we do not consciously tell our unconscious mind that it is made up, a story, and not real.

Unless we learn to think differently, we feel like a victim, that everything is happening to us, we are out of control of our lives, which is of course real but not true. But what we do not realise is that by our very unconscious way of living on automatic pilot, from our learnt patterning and conditioning, we are manifesting our lives all the time, creating things that we do not want to happen, without even realising it.

I apologise if it seems a bit complicated, it is what has come to me to share and I am not underestimating your ability to read and process what has been shared. We need to be the master of our own ship. This can be done by having firstly, the intention of living more awake, aware and conscious than ever before, practicing mindfulness, mindful meditation, walking meditation and developing a good relationship with ourselves, living and loving earth life, joyfully. Whatever feels right for us to do, to follow the breadcrumbs, the feelings, inspiration to do this or that, go here, or there. Have hobbies, love what we do, get and stay involved.

If you feel to come to the laughter club, you will find yourself energised, uplifted, mentally clearer, and be in the company of other likeminded, caring people. Attending a laughter yoga and meditation session at a local library will enhance your experience, as there is time at the conclusion of the laughter to practice mindful meditation.

Lots of Love and Laughter. Lynette Mitchell.

We meet as follows each month:

Ferntree Gully Laughter Club  11am 2nd & 4th Sunday
Boronia Library  11am 1st Saturday
Rowville Library  11am 3rd Saturday
Ferntree Gully Library  2pm 4th Tuesday

First timers, please contact Lynette to confirm, in case of a meeting change.

Phone:          0425 799 258

Email:            lynette@laughterforliving.com.au

Website:       www.laughterforliving.com.au

Loneliness Prevention Using Laughter Club Involvement and More

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Hello Everyone

I feel you will agree that we and people generally, have changed significantly in the last few years, as a result of the trauma, sickness, and isolation due to the Covid-19 virus. Many of us live fearfully, in more isolation and feeling alone nowadays. Especially as the Covid virus is still prevalent and I know of people who have caught it either again, or for the first time, as well as others who live in fear of catching the virus.

We must march on and use these negative opportunities looming down upon us to reach out to one another in support and comradeship. This is exactly what many social groups are about, in particular this one, the Ferntree Gully Laughter Club.

Human Beings are social creatures, not meant to be locked up, isolated, alone, apart from family, friends, workmates, or social groups. We can use ‘bad things’ that happen to us to grow, to evolve, to be more connected with positive energy, spirit, or whatever belief resonates with our good self.

In Brief, Five Major Benefits of Laughing

1 – Reduces Stress Laughter is an effective stress management tool and is the fastest way to reduce stress, whether it be physical, emotional, or mental stress.

2 – Mood Elevator Laughter releases feel-good endorphins of serotonin and dopamine. Our perception shifts, making one’s life feel better, as well as energising us more.

3 – Health Benefits Laughter is a cardiovascular exercise that promotes physical wellness on all levels.

4 – Social Connector Laughter connects us. In particular, here I am referring to attending a free laughter club. Laughers feel like family.

5 – Laughing Through Challenges We can all laugh in good times, but laughter yoga teaches people to laugh unconditionally even in hard times. It provides strength in adversity and is a coping mechanism that may help us be able to feel mentally positive, regardless of the circumstances.

In particular, this article addresses loneliness and point 4 – Social Connector, suggesting it is highly important that we have various social networks, to avoid that horrible loneliness feeling.

Social or Learning Groups and Activities

A laughter club may not be your cup of tea. If you care to look around, there are innumerable social groups, many of which you may feel comfortable joining. Councils and libraries could be a place to start, as there is a huge support for people not only in learning new skills but also speakers from various groups introducing themselves and their group. The University of the Third Age, or U3A as it is known, is remarkable and people who join up at the start of each year can easily book into many classes, becoming busy with a variety of activities. Have you checked your local U3A out? 

Laughter Club During Covid

Members and even international laughter club people came together, with great gusto and camaraderie. We met weekly on Zoom, which was excellent for several members, some of whom lived alone. Belonging to this laughter family sets a lovely pattern and awareness of the importance of involving ourselves in life.

This may mean perhaps holding a more outward attention and awareness of what we are involved in, besides coming to laugh, it assists us in addressing and monitoring that.

I feel it is important to live in harmony with ourselves, in the community, with family, also extending out into the world and everything we do and are involved in. We live in a duality on earth, which is always changing. You know, we can be too introverted, staying at home alone, happy in that for a while and we can then do the opposite when we realise that it has gone the other way, and we feel secluded.

Self-Care and Balance

Check in with how your self-care is currently and make the appropriate changes. We need to look after our bodies, which work hard and could probably do with better care, food, and attention than we provide for them.

I encourage you to look for and find that balance in your life. Enjoy life! Do what you love to do. Make time for some fun things, get outside in the fresh air, with nature, in the garden, whatever rocks your world. Life can be and has been difficult, and depressing, apparently going in a direction we cannot possibly fathom with our finite mind. Writing this reminds me of Desiderata, by Max Ehrmann, the words ”With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.”

When and Where?

Great news to share, John and I are both excited and grateful to bring you more opportunities to laugh, which is doing some laughter yoga and meditation sessions inside three local libraries. And one on 13th March at the Mount Waverley Community Centre.

Ferntree Gully Laughter Club – we meet behind the Ferntree Gully Library at 11am Sunday, on the 2nd 4th and 5th Sunday of the month.
Boronia Library – 11am 1st Saturday of the month
Ferntree Gully Library – 2pm 4th Tuesday of the month
Rowville Library – 11am on 3rd Saturday of the month.

For first-timers for the Ferntree Gully Laughter Club, please contact Lynette in case there is a meeting change.

Cheerio for now and all of us at the laughter club are looking forward to seeing you some time!

Lots of Love and Laughter. Lynette Mitchell.

Click Here for Ferntree Gully Laughter Club page

Minimising and Decluttering, Why and How Laughter Yoga Can Help You.

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Decluttering has been part of many people’s intentions over recent years and, quite a mini revolution in many homes. It has been a prominent buzzword and a whole range of businesses have arisen to cater for de-clutterers who embark on their own unique personal journey of letting go of possessions.

Marie Condo wrote Spark Joy, which helped create this enormous clearing out of stuff movement. I love her book, reading it opened my eyes and started me on a long journey to reduce material possessions. These include various hobbies and collectables such as ornaments of horses and elephants. (I am keeping the swans for now). I have accumulated a lot over my 81 years. Many people have referred to me as a hoarder. Does that ring a bell with you too? We can all be hoarders of a variety of objects and not others. Our interests can change, yet we usually accumulate more things, rather than letting go of what has passed to make room for the new.

I prefer the term ‘collector,’ it is kinder, and I feel has a depth of understanding, of emotions or reasons why we like to keep things. There is nothing wrong with having anything, rather it is our motives about possessing, collecting, hoarding, hanging on to things that is paramount.

Spark Joy helped me to value, respect and treasure my possessions, to treat them with appreciation and look after them as well. For example, to thank the clothes as we fold it and put it away, not to squish it into cupboards. To treat our belongings with gratitude and respect. Marie says that things last longer when we do so and treat things as energy, even a low level of intelligence. That is an interesting concept, who knows? Perhaps there is a miniscule of intelligence in everything, as everything is energy resonating at different wavelengths. And think about this, our possessions need our attention and energy, otherwise their energy is weaker. You can even feel it.

Why do we have Clutter?

We become who and what we are in our upbringing and influenced by our parents or caregivers’ behaviour. Added to this has been the outer influences in our lives, radio, television, printed material, and innumerable other things. Now there is Spotify, YouTube, Facebook, Blogs, all sorts of modern age apps and the list grows exponentially.

All these modern conveniences impact on most of us as a general rule. There is less time, less sitting quietly in stillness, more of being busy being busy. Our minds and lives become cluttered as we tend to rush and try to fit more and more into our lives.

Low Self Worth and Wanting a Happy Fix

A major reason we hoard or collect things to excess that is most commonly spoken of is due to our lack of worthiness. Oftener than not, it is out of our radar of awareness, as we struggle to cope the best way we can, in varying amounts and situations. We may not be aware of having a lack of feeling worthy. Many of us have unconscious needs to be fulfilled, as we struggle with feelings of unworthiness. Buying or acquiring something makes us feel better for a short time. We feel a little happier for a moment or longer, as we try to fill ourselves up with things. Then look for the next fix, like a drug addict. Shopping can be an addiction in this day and age.

The temporary fix may be objects or activities, we develop a life and habit to be so busy so as not to feel negative things such as sadness, anxiety, depression or empty. It is a big and complicated subject. The theory and scientific evidence are that there may be some underlying cause which is making us want a full house. It could be an unresolved loss in our life, something so horrible that we have not been able to accept or get over it is occurring.

Isn’t it wonderful that there is greater awareness about all this now? There are many hoarders shows on TV and a favourite of mine is Space Invaders. Peter Walsh is the presenter, with a psychology background who confronts participants as he uncovers usually traumatic experiences, which led to the deeply seated unbalanced obsession of hanging on to stuff.

Decluttering sure is interesting and has led to me to delve into the subject of becoming a minimalist.

Minimalisation.

I love this one, as I am learning that to minimalise which is like a higher turn of a spiral, a more evolved, less mental way of looking at our possessions. It is feeling based, less thinking involved, it is gentler, with one being able to do it slowly, gently, learning and appreciating ourselves and life itself. We can embark on an interesting journey where we develop a graceful relationship with the universe and discover our needs are less than what we thought they were.

What we really and truly need in life is unique to us and ever changing, as we discover how free-er we become with less accumulated stuff around us. People wrongly may have the understanding that a Minimalist is a person who has hardly any possessions. That may be so, but those who think that is what it boils down to misunderstand.

They can be frugal with an empty looking house, storage areas, etc, but consider this, it is not about forcing change, instead it is learning to live with less over time, which ultimately unburdens us.

Essentially developing this way of living is having a growing appreciation of what life has to offer and to value it, unburdening ourselves of much that gobbles up our time and money.

We can then feel enthusiastic about our future, to find time to do what is important in our lives and develop greater appreciation of who we are and our direction.

How Decluttering and Minimalisation Links With Laughter Club and Laughing

Part of the benefits of laughing together are psychological and social. When we come together in group harmony as we do, we feel many beneficial things. A sense of belonging, being loved, accepted for who we are, without judgment. Over time our sense of humour hones itself in ways that we do not ourselves notice. Simply put, many wonderful things change in our lives which naturally induces greater self-appreciation, as well as compassion for ourselves and humanity. As our belonging grows, we feel sucked into place and hold hope in our hearts. The hope is unique for each individual person.

Gradually, people who come regularly somehow feel a greater hope and connection with mother nature, with spontaneity. Gathering afterwards for a social chat and cuppa helps as we have an opportunity to share with others who feel like family. I firmly believe and have observed people feeling better about themselves, simply by coming and being part of the group and what it offers.

that over time these improvements add to the way we view life and, in this way, we ever so gracefully, with courage and conviction, let go of stuff we have gathered around us to feel better or to cover up feelings of inadequacy.

A Golden Rule to Live By.

William Morris’s famous quote is “If you want a golden rule that will fit everybody, this is it: Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.” I have also heard and live by an additional item, ‘Is it necessary?.” Many necessary everyday items these days and neither useful nor beautiful, possessing them brings ease into our lives. Necessary examples could be having a roof over our head, a car to drive, a television set.

Get in Touch?

Lynette is available to talk with you about this or other blog subjects, if you feel to reach out to her sometime. Also, she runs self-help classes, if you want to find out about that, you certainly can.

Cheerio for now and all of us at laughter club are looking forwarding to seeing you sometime!

Lots of Love and Laughter,

Lynette Mitchell.

How Laughter Affects our Judgment and Self-Acceptance

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Release the Judgment with Laughter Yoga

Did you know that Laughter Yoga can help us feel better about ourselves? Gently, gradually, with regular connecting at laughter club, we can become more self accepting and a less judgment person. We develop a tolerance as we accept other people, situations and things in our life and at the same time, lose self-judgment.

Many of us humans are full of crippling self-judgment, lacking in self-love and self-acceptance and the great news is that laughter helps lose that pattern. Our habits are developed from a very young age as a survival mechanism, even from a baby, we instinctively and unconsciously develop ways to have our needs fulfilled, even when so tiny and unable to express ourselves clearly.

Habits develop as we grow and for those like me who believe in reincarnation, habits are on board when we are born, where we pick up where we left off in our previous life. Our habits, strengths, tendencies and abilities make up our self-expression and it is a humungous subject.

As we learn, we are drawn to having pleasure and avoiding pain. In fact, it is said we learn best through painful times, which by far motivates us towards growth, rather than when things are going well. Most of us can attest to that.

Parents generally judge their kids, some lucky kids have kind, loving parents, but parents are frequently judgmental, although they want the best for their children. Parents often toughen us up with cryptic remarks, thinking it is in our best interest. However, it can also create the system where we learn to judge ourselves which can develop into us being quite judgmental. To cope, children develop the attitude of being self-judgmental.

Words can hurt and we cope the best we can, which may be to have a warped sense of humour as it may help us get through life. Of course, we may also learn to supress our feelings. Life coaching teaches us that we do things in order to feel free of painful memories or situations and can feel safer when we are not criticised. We can learn the habit of self-criticism, because subconsciously, we feel criticism outside ourself cannot then hurt us.

When we are moulded by feelings of being judged, we can feel that we are wrong and others are right, they are ok and we are not ok, and feel lost. It can be felt like a background whisper and we can feel isolated. We have taken it on board and our lives are filled with the taste of criticising ourselves and others and somehow, we do not feel okay within. We experience a harmful stress, (beneficial stress can actually be necessary at times, in order to fulfil a goal) a need to please, the list goes on.

The good news is that once we become aware of something not being ‘right’, we can begin to do something about it. Ideally we will work towards living in harmony with ourself and others once we do become aware that there is a better way. As we realise unhealthy habits, we can work on them and live a happier, more purposeful, fulfilling life.

How Laughter Can Help Us

Being in a group of laughter club people can make a huge difference in our life and how we feel about ourself. We can let go of anxiety tied in with self-judgment as we practice accepting each other and they of us. We acknowledge and honour everyone’s uniqueness, contributions and belonging in the group. We listen, we care and have drawn to us lovely people, who appreciate one another. Gradually, coming from feelings of being ‘not quite right’, needing to change to feel loved and fit in, we discover that we are, in fact, very ok!

Self-consciousness certainly effects our sense of purpose, our wellbeing, of feeling okay within ourself and laughing out loud can be a hurdle to overcome when experienced for the first time, especially in a group, to the full extent. When people first attend laughter club, they feel uncomfortable to some extent. Even I remember feeling self-conscious, despite embracing the new experience wholeheartedly.

My husband John frequently suggests to people new to the concept of laughing together as a healthy practice, “It will get you out of your comfort zone”. Which it does, gradually and gracefully. What happens is that at first most people will feel uncomfortable and choose to join in and experience it firsthand. Over time, people settle into the pattern and how the session is run, which is spontaneous and interactive with one another. Self-limiting inhibitions are removed and in its place is generally a self-acceptance from all the frivolity and role playing that we do.

Laughter Club is very social, we are a small number of people, about six or eight as a rule and like many other social clubs, there develops a sense of camaraderie and total acceptance of each other. I believe this helps us to accept ourself, to feel safe, nurtured and to feel we belong.

I am not saying that we will radically change into a completely different, non-judgemental person, full of self-love. I am saying it all helps in that right direction and being involved in laughter yoga provides the ability to let go of some things and feel greater inner peace and purpose. Some of us do not have connections with people other than one’s immediate family, neither go out for lunch or see a show or movie. In this way our club serves a purpose, after we meet, we generally have a cuppa at a café. Most of us come together in a social environment, which may be to see a non-professional theatre show, or go to Morning Melodies and have lunch. There is great friendship and some even meet up for a coffee at random times. These may include past members who are always welcome, held close in our hearts as we stay in touch.

Overall belonging to a laughter club enhances our lives, as we bear in mind the founder’s motto of ‘World Peace Through Laughter’. We would love to see you at a meeting and you are very welcome to join us and try it for yourself.

Summing Up

The Ferntree Gully Laughter Club is having its 18th Birthday in April and if you were to come along on a regular basis, I am confident to say that you could expect judgmental and low self-esteem issues to radically improve. Give it a try this 2023. What a momentous year it will be in many ways, if you embrace, flow and run with it.

Click Here for Ferntree Gully Laughter Club page

Birthdays, Anniversaries, Celebrations, Grief and Loss.

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Christmas, Birthdays, Celebrations, Grief, Loss

Do you love having birthdays? At laughter club, we do and celebrate member’s birthdays with a cake. It is an opportunity for people to feel accepted, loved, have a sense of belonging and sometimes, to get over self consciousness.

I feel to talk about the elephant in the room, because at this time of the year, coming up to Christmas, many of us will find the festive season very difficult. It is all right to be as we are, to take our time with healing and very likely, there will always be a hole, albeit a place of wounding in our heart.

You will no doubt agree that nothing will ever be the same since Covid struck us. I hope you find this piece of writing to be of some comfort and encouragement in your life. My sincere apologies if I miss the mark. I welcome you to contact me also if you need to talk and receive support.

My view is that life is about experiencing living to the fullest, growth, evolution, to be of service to ourselves and to all of life as we meet everyday things. We need to move on and feel as we feel, which is not go to into self-pity, instead to find joy in small everyday things.

Gratitude is another key, as we can be grateful for way more than we may imagine. Joy and gratitude open our hearts, allow us to feel a connection with our spirit, nature, and God, however you conceive God’s energy to be. We sometimes need to regain lost faith in life, after losses in our lives. The losses may be personal or the closing of a chapter, unrequited desires or work things going awry.

Okay so that is enough of the doom and gloom. I might add here that I speak from personal experience, as our son died three years ago. He was not sick very long and we all know that one’s kids are not supposed to predecease us, yet they do. We also in the last three years had a brother, sister and two brothers-in-law die. Losing one’s pets can also be the most devastating time for animal lovers. Who would disagree with that?

There is a gift in every situation and my understanding is that our hearts need to break, to expand them with deeper love and compassion. Another aspect is the opportunity to reflect on our life and relationships.

Now some cheerful stuff. We can choose how we feel, be self-determining and look to life in a positive way, no matter what we have been through. We can gradually work through healing and integrating our losses, looking forward with hope and understanding. We acknowledge what or who is missing in our life, incorporating new opportunities and a growing awareness of looking after oneself.

We are loved and supported by the Energies of life and can become stronger, more resourceful, after the most difficult times. In fact, I have heard and believe our spirit draws closer when we are in the deepest trough, which are our most incomprehensively difficult periods in our lives. I am not sure why that is. We can treat it like a working hypothesis, that there is great learning to be had each day. We have the opportunity to get up, start again, do better and be a loving, supporting, human being. I believe in you!

Looking After Yourself

You need to look after yourself first and foremost, as you are no good to anyone or anything else if you are not at your best. This includes having a healthy diet, enough sleep, taking time out for hobbies, meditation if you choose to, and in general, to understand that your body is important. It is a privilege and a gift from Gaia, our earth mother, and we must honour and respect it. It is normal to slip up and want to be lazy. Ask yourself if you are doing your best each day and if you like at the end of the day, sit quietly, review your day, and learn from it for the next day.

Part of self-nurture is about Neuroplasticity, to create new brain neurons, through having experiences in your life. Topmost I feel is the value of adding laughter to it daily. We need to interact with others, to hug, if it is appropriate, to be involved in art, singing, exercise. The following things are beneficial to rewire the brain.

Being artistic, which can take many forms. Laughing, singing, dancing, gym, or other exercise. Learning a new skill, a musical instrument, or innumerable things. The stimulation that travel can provide, also reading and even fasting, it is beneficial to rest your body and fast for 18 hours. Expanding your vocabulary and sleeping sufficiently. There are many things that will keep your body healthier and allay the effects of aging. I suggest we be vigilant and make every effort to remain involved in the process of living. Good luck to you! Thank you for your interest.

Ferntree Gully Laughter Club

Laughter club returns on Sunday 22nd January at 11am. First timers, please message, email or ring Lynette before you first come. Here is a link to the laughter club page.

Lots of Love and Laughter,

Lynette Mitchell. xo