Relax , De-stress , Re-energise , Team Bonding, Boost Creativity , Boost Immune System , Enhance General Wellbeing , Motivate Staff , Team Building , Feel Better, Work Better, Work Smarter
I hope you enjoy the video of me doing some housework in a laughter yoga kinda way this morning. Feel free to share this one with the kids, what an awesome way to do the housework and exercise with laughter.
So here we all find ourselves in the most unbelievable circumstances due to covid-19 aka coronavirus. There are times when I feel I am starring in a horror movie but thankfully us human beings do have the capacity to be super resilient and we will get through this thing! My ability to access laughter and to be playful is helping me immensely and I would love to help you to access this too and with Laughter Yoga I can do just that!
I have been wondering how I can help, what I can do to help others during this time and thanks to technology I can now do just that as it is laughter that will make a huge difference to so many of us in helping with stress and anxiety to name just a few of the benefits. Also the ability to connect with one another and laugh together as connection is so important.
Firstly I am going to be donating a few online laughter yoga sessions for front-line NHS staff. Also if you are on the front-line then feel free to come along to my zoom laughs as my guest as I would like to thank you for all that you are doing.
If you are a member of the public I am offering my laughter yoga zoom sessions by optional donation so if you can afford to donate, it will be gratefully received and if you are struggling financially right now then come along and enjoy a good laugh as you will be most welcome.
This year Blue Monday falls on Monday 20th January and as you can imagine it is a busy day for a Laughter Yogi. We love sharing laughter yoga for Blue Monday because it is our opportunity to lift moods, laugh away the stress, laugh off those extra pounds we put on over the festive season and make Monday the 20th in to the most positive and productive day of the Year 🙂 Oh and did I mention that Laughter boosts our immune system. There really is no reason not to laugh.
Our team of Laughter Yogis are laughing in offices throughout London with some large corporates opting for sessions throughout the Blue Monday week!
To book a laughter yogi for Blue Monday get in touch now! via our Contact us form or email us on info@laughteryogawellness.co.uk or Tel 07387 563 902 Just a few spaces remaining for a Blue Monday Laughter Buster.
Almost any meeting room can soon become a laughter room filled with Joy and merriment. Any workplace can soon be filled with uplifted, less stressed more bonded and happy staff and that combination = more productivity! Aha, HaHa 🙂
Check out this short video from our amazing laughter yoga leader training in London May 2019. We had participants from up North, Down South and that’s just the UK. We also trained new laughter yoga leaders from the USA and Switzerland. A very international training. This included our special extended experiential module which is effectively an extra 4 hours of training including running a live laughter yoga class with members of the public. Leaving the training room with more skills and experience than previously. We are registered training providers for Laughter Yoga International University and our training is fully certified and recognised nationally and internationally.
We have just created our new handy map to make it easier for you to find where our laughter yoga classes are in London along with how to book a space. Just click on the map to be taken to the live link to google maps where you can click on the logo for more info. Ha Ha 🙂
Our Laughter Yoga Wellness Training Academy are training new leaders throughout the year, may of them are in London so give us a call if you can’t find a club nearby.
We will soon be launching a new map via www.laughteryogaclasses.co.uk which will accommodate a more comprehensive list of opportunities to Laugh! for the health of it across the UK.
Google Map of our laughter clubs and classes in London
Finding a teacher that really resonates with you is my top advice.
Maybe seeing them working, going along to one of their classes, meeting them, chatting to them.
Possibly stating the obvious but going to a class ?
That is a pre-requisite of the training so pop along to a class in London and be sure that you are feeling the connection. We are in Finchley and Archway and soon to be adding another venue.
How big is the class?
When you train with us, you will be sure to have a a small enough group to really receive enough individual attention. Generally speaking never more than 6-8 in a class with one teacher. In the same respect you are learning to work with groups, we do that within a group. The class will not run with less than 4 participants. It is not a numbers game to us, it is our love, our passion and our life. We love our work, we live our work.
You then get the certificate 🙂 Yey and have the support of a good teacher behind you. Most likely a support network, and an opportunity to keep in touch, regular cpd opportunities which of course you will get with our Laughter Yoga Wellness Training Academy.
Why Laughter Yoga
It is an incredibly powerful holistic and complementary wellbeing tool that is so very needed in our often fast paced and stressful lives. As the saying goes “Laughter is the best Medicine” 🙂 and sometimes it really really can be. However laughter does not replace conventional medicine and we always recommend Laughter Yoga as a complementary method. I have heard many instances of people benefiting in amazing ways from practising laughter yoga. Laughter Yogis around the world are increasingly being called to work in therapeutic and medical environments, with cancer patients, dialysis patients, chronic pain clinics, psychiatric wards and other therapeutic settings.
Laughter Benefits
Team Building and Connection
Social Connection
Pain Relief
Ice Breakers
Ideal as an energy lift and boost during a long conference or training day
Why train as a Laughter Yoga Leader ?
Perfect addition to any holistic or therapeutic tool box.
Because you like to help people
To bring more laughter and joy in to your own life.
Start a Laughter Club for your local community.
Career change
Personal Development
Building confidence
Learning new skills
Learning to present the laughter yoga experience and enhancing you confidence to speak publicly about laughter yoga
Learning to work with and teach laughter yoga to groups
There are so many reasons and so many benefits in learning to become a laughter yoga leader. Imagine having such a powerful holistic tool to work with which can be life changing for recipients. You can really, seriously make such a difference to the lives of so many people.
Gaining experience.
The best way to gain experience as a new laughter leader is in running that laughter club, running regular clubs or classes is going to be your biggest teacher. You have the basic guidelines and the certificate and now the real learning begins!
Laughter clubs and classes are the place to try new material, and be creative, it’s all about creativity 🙂 You will learn something from every group you work with, you will gain the experience you need to eventually start working professionally. I encourage those I have trained to work together, to collaborate. Most of my new leaders come along and work with me that invitation is an open one and can really help building up confidence and gaining experience with a real group of participants:-) Stick with it, it aint easy but it is so so very much worth it. You also have the opportunity to see how people gain so much from our work, by seeing their journey over a longer period of time. You will also have to work harder at your regular classes, refreshing the content, getting creative in doing so, its the most amazing part of your training.
It is not easy starting your laughter club, getting word out, finding people to come along. I totally encourage and recommend, finding someone to work with, two heads are certainly better than one 🙂
Laughter Yoga Wellness training academy has their first Laughternoon CPD day in September, so very excited. A special day for in person support, fun and more for our existing laughter yoga leaders 🙂
Get in touch with us about our laughter yoga training here in London.
We have trained over 40 laughter yoga leaders from as far away as Oslow and Sweden here in London. A new training school with a fresh approach to laughter yoga training, support and development.
Our training school is based right here in the City of London. Angel and Islington, just one stop from Kings Cross. We run our laughter yoga classes in London Finchley and Archway and Angel.
Next training dates 23rd and 24th August 2018 in London and just one space remaining.
We are super approachable and super friendly, give us a call if you have any questions and better still pop along to a class and chat over a cuppa at an after class social in Archway.
An early start and a busy day for Odette aka Lady Ha Ha #ladyhaha on this International day of Happiness.
So the day started at around 7.30am with a laugh and a chat with Emma Bunton and Jamie Theakston on Heart London FM on the morning show.
Have a listen here
So what is it all about, International day of Happiness?
“In 2012 the first ever UN conference on Happiness took place and the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution which decreed that the International Day of Happiness would be observed every year on 20 March. It was celebrated for the first time in 2013.”
This year’s theme is Share Happiness – focusing on the importance of relationships, kindness and helping each other. Laughter Yoga is an incredible way to share the feel good factor. Just perfect 🙂
a quote by William James
We don’t laugh because we are happy
We are happy because we laugh
I will leave you with the thought of sharing something today that will help make someone smile at the very least and the easiest way to do just that is To Smile! because…
Smiling is infectious, you catch it like the flu When someone smiled at me today I started smiling too I walked around the corner and someone saw me grin When he smiled I realised I had passed it on to him I thought about that smile and then realised its worth A single smile like mine could travel round the earth So if you feel a smile begin don’t leave it undetected Lets start an epidemic and get the world infected ?
So this is what Lady HaHa #ladyhaha is up to in May and beyond 🙂
World Laughter Day has been and gone. We were covered live on Sky News and BBC Radio 2 , Claudia Winkleman chatted to Andrew, a laughter yoga newbie
Saturday October 6th Laughter Yoga CPD Laughternoon for Laughter Yoga Leaders trained by Laughter Yoga Wellness Training Academy. We take Laughter Yoga Training seriously and CPD events are vital in ensuring all our leaders are fully supported.
Laughter Yoga Classes in London Archway usually Saturday’s 11am to 12.30pm followed by our famous optional laughter socials. Next dates
Laughter Yoga Summer dates for public laughter yoga wellness classes in London. Our classes are held at Hargrave Hall, Hargrave Road, Archway, London, N19 . We are usually in the Upper Hall and you can pay £10 on the day or book in advance.
As the summer months tend to be quieter with festivals and holidays in full swing, we will just be running one class per month in July and August but subscribe to our mailing list as we may run a last minute outdoorsey class or two over the summer months.
Other dates for the diary (subscribe to our mailing list to be in the loop for any changes to these dates)
Laughter Wellbeing and Social in Archway
August 25th Archway, Sep 8th and Sep 22nd 2018
Laughter Yoga Finchley Club is currently monthly and dates vary. Laughter Yoga Finchley Mon Sep 24th 7.30pm-8.30pm (Please arrive 10 minutes before the start)
Advance bookings secure you a space. For Finchley this is advisable. Archway it is okay to pay on the day. Please bring correct change.
Join the hilarity, feel the goodness. Advance bookings via link below or £10 on the day. We are at Hargrave Hall, Hargrave Road, Archway, London, N19
All are welcome to join Lady Ha Ha and friends from Laughter Yoga Wellness Club and Laughter Yoga Wellness Training Academy to celebrate World Laughter Day 2018 in London on Sunny Sunday 6th May 2018.
We will be out spreading Love, Peace and Joy with Laughter around London This is probably the biggest day in the Laughter Yoga Calendar so we will be joined by many laughter yoga leaders.
We will most likely spread laughter on public transport as we go on a laughter flash mob crawl around the city visiting various places along the way.
Very excited to have worked with a Parkinson’s disease support group last month in London.
The call came through after they saw laughter yoga featured on BBC 2 “Trust me I’m a Doctor” You can see the video here. Laughter Yoga is a very powerful complementary wellbeing tool. Click to Watch Laughter Yoga on Trust me I’m a Doctor
I have been a fan of my colleague in the USA Gita Fendelman since stumbling upon her work with those suffering from chronic conditions. I had not realised that Gita is a parkinsons sufferer. This i found out when researching laughter yoga and Parkinson’s disease. You can hear Gita’s incredible story here and there is no shadow of doubt that Laughter Yoga is helping not just Gita but those she works with. Gita has found laughter yoga to be highly beneficial to her quality of life.
So up until now in addition to working with laughter yoga in corporate wellbeing, I have been very lucky to share laughter yoga with people who suffer from various illnesses and ailments including Cancer, Chronic fatigue syndrome, CFS/ME, Bipolar, Chronic Pain, Depression, Anxiety and more…… This was a first for me to work with a group suffering from Parkinson’s. I checked in with colleagues who had all had great results with such groups.
The most incredible thing to note is why Laughter Yoga is so good for those who suffer from Parkinson’s. When we laugh we release a cocktail of chemicals including dopamine into the system and this is big one with regard to PK and helpful for alleviating some of the physical and emotional symptoms of Parkinson’s. Parkinson’s starts with the slow degeneration of dopamine. Dopamine helps to regulate muscle function and movement. Dopamine supports our overall energy production and feelings of happiness. The symptoms of Parkinson’s occur as a result of a dopamine loss.
There can be various other symptoms connected to the disease such as low mood, depression, anxiety, pain which are all ailments and issues that laughter yoga can help with. Laughter Yoga is an instant stress release, helps to reduce blood pressure and lifts depression. It also boosts the immune system and increases circulation and oxygen levels throughout the body and brain. The endorphin’s we release when we laugh are said to be stronger than morphine which helps with any pain. We also know laughter can help boost our immune system.
So I was delighted to be contacted by a Parkinson’s Support Group in London for a laughter yoga session. After doing my research I planned a workshop that I felt would work. I gathered as much info as possible prior to the session. I was told that the participants were within different stages of the illness with one person in a wheelchair and all with differing degrees of mobility.
I planned a seated session where we were seated in a tight circle with a space in the middle to allow for movement. This way I could include everyone. Each exercise was prepared so it would be suitable for both seated and movement so those who could stand were encouraged to interact with those seated.
I arrived early and very quickly noticed there was one lady who was very obviously less mobile than the rest of the group, with her head down and she was sat next to a guy who was helping to care for her. A few people did not have any obviously noticeable symptoms so it was a very mixed mobility group.
Started the session with a song that I felt everyone would most likely know and took copies of the words to hand out. The song, “My Bonny lies over the ocean” turned out to be a good choice. I also took some egg rattles for a couple of reasons. We could create some movement and rhythm whilst we sung the song. This also allowed me to see how much movement people had at the start of the workshop. It was a lot of fun to shake the rattles as we sung creating lots of rhythm and movement. When we sing it instantly lifts our mood and raises the energy. Actually singing and laughter share many of the same benefits.
I handed out the egg rattles, and the guy helping the less mobile lady wrapped her hand around an egg rattle.
Everyone managed to shake the rattles, and we sang My Bonny. I also gave everyone the option of replacing the song words with Ha Ha’s and Ho Ho’s etc: so same tune, and laughter sounds.
The song did exactly what I wanted, and we were ready to roll. I managed to check out movement etc and then started the sharing of name intros followed by Ha Ha’s, sending lots of smiles and giggles around the circle.
For all exercises we had an option of standing up or remaining seated, greeting laughter where we greeted one another by shaking hands and laughing. Cell phone laughter (receiving the funniest call ever), laughing at our self, laughing at aches and pains and more.
The most incredible thing happened during this session and I felt like i was witnessing magic, the magic of laughter 🙂 The lady who appeared less mobile than the others stood up and joined in. She started off a little uneasy on her feet but I could not believe she had stood up. By the end of the session her head was up, she shared a few words too. It was almost like she had come alive. It felt like the group in the main really enjoyed the session and everyone remarked that they felt better at the end of the session.
This was one of my most personally satisfying sessions. I so so enjoyed working with this group and hope it will be one of many.
The way forward, I recommended telephone and skype laughter to the group and a daily dose of laughing for the health of it. The group were given various exercises and tips which they could bring in to everyday life. It will be fabulous if they choose to do some more laughter yoga sessions or if members of the support group can attend a local laughter club.
Following on from this session, I have been approached by a Dementia support group which is amazing.
In my research I have found the following articles really useful.
and the article below by my colleague in Australia Connie Costa
so we will be joined by many laughter yoga leaders.