Laughter Blog - Page 3 of 5 - Laughter Yoga Wellness & Meditation Services London, Bristol, Bath, Glastonbury & UK wide

Laughter Yoga Leader training in London spreading laughter and joy in the City

Laughter Yoga Leader Training in London August 2018 at our fabulous Laughter Studio in the heart of the city, the home of our London Training. Ideal for mainline trains coming in to Kings Cross, Farringdon and with hotels and hostels within walking distance to suit all budgets. London is easily accessible from all major London airports too making this an ideal choice for those travelling from Europe.

Laughter Yoga Wellness UK opened their Laughter Training Academy in 2017 and are going from strength to strength. Fast becoming the first choice for laughter yoga training in London where we run regular laughter yoga classes in Archway and Finchley.

Look our for these smiley faces near you, spreading happiness and joy

Big congratulation to our incredible new laughter yoga leaders, an international group representing Italy, Sweden and the UK.

We take our training very seriously and go the extra mile to ensure our trainees have the best possible start. The training school with a fresh new approach to help our students shine. Spreading joy and happiness further and wider.

Next Training dates released for Certified Laughter Yoga Leader Training in London August 2018

2 Day Laughter Yoga Leader Training in London August 2018 with Odette

Please visit our sister site for booking http://www.londongong.co.uk/event/laughter-yoga-leader-training-london-august-2018/

Laughter Yoga for Health and Wellbeing in London Laughing for the health of it

Laughter Yoga never ceases to amaze me and I continuously hear more and more stories about how incredible this very powerful tool is for so many people.

Laughter Yoga is and has helped colleagues, participants and clients. In this blog I share just some of their amazing experiences and stories.

One lady, I will refer to as “N” who suffers from bipolar sent me such a lovely email of how laughter yoga is helping her. It brought tears to my eyes when I read it. I know it is helping her and she very rarely misses a class but to receive her heartfelt email was just beautiful.

Laughter Yoga helps with Bipolar

“How can I describe laughter yoga? To me it is an invaluable happiness tool. I started laughter yoga about a year ago and have been a strict devotee since then. Every session brings me much joy and lifts my spirits by allowing me to laugh and play and regress back to childhood silliness. I have bipolar and have found laughter yoga a fabulous tool to lift my spirits when I’m feeling really down. Even when I feel fine, laughter yoga lifts you up and brings peace and calmness of mind. Odette is a fabulous leader whose laughter and joy for her work is infectious.”

Laughter Yoga reconnects us to laughter and joy

A guy I will call “George” also a regular at class. When he first came along I wondered if he was enjoying the class as he looked somewhat awkward and he was the last person I expected to come back again but then I received an email from George keen to know when the next class was. He had realised how he had become stuck in his intellect and had actually forgotten how to laugh. G had found the laughter yoga really helpful in reminding him how it felt to laugh. Regular Laughter Yoga classes helped George to reconnect with laughter and joy. The more we laugh, the easier it flows 🙂 Just like turning a tap on that has been off for some time. From this situation, I also learnt not to make assumptions about anyone’s experience and just because someone may look awkward at their first laughter yoga experience, one never knows what they are really experiencing and feeling inside. Laughter can be a very complex emotion and once we allow ourselves to push through our comfort zone, magic happens.

Laughter Yoga for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and ME

Celia arrived at class having been recommended Laughter Yoga by a forward thinking GP 🙂 C has been diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS which is also known as ME or myalgic encephalomyelitis) and C is also suffering from anxiety. She has not missed a class yet and has been coming along for a few months. I can certainly see a huge rise in her confidence. I wish I had taken before and after photos 🙂 We have a chair on hand for C so she can take a seat anytime during the class. Most of the exercises work well for those who are seated. C is enjoying the classes and I am really hoping she keeps with the LY as I have many colleagues who have remarkable stories of how Laughter Yoga has helped with ME.

Laughter Yoga as a Creativity Boost

Another one of our regulars, I shall call M. M just loves to Laugh and comes along to do just that and he often also joins us at our after laugh socials. A few months ago we had a fabulous group of laughers and the laughter meditation was a very very long one, truly very powerful. M totally reached that point of catharsis which is an incredible release and very powerful in it’s own right. So when M got home his writing just flowed. M is a script writer and he had reached a bit of a block with this particular script. The laughter yoga had helped to boost his creativity and got his creative juices flowing once more.

I also see many many changes with our regulars, far to many to mention but the most obvious one is how their confidence grows with regular laughter yoga practice. It is literally like seeing a flower bloom, just incredible.

So many of our regulars come along for help with anxiety, depression and probably most common of all Stress. Almost everyone mentions how they feel better and less stressed after a laughter yoga session or class.

For regular Laughter Yoga Classes please visit https://laughteryogawellness.co.uk/laughter-yoga-classes-and-workshops-in-london/

For further info or to book a Laughter yoga wellbeing Workshops for your group or business , please click to contact us today. We have experience of working with small/medium and global organisations, community groups, charities, hen parties. In addition to the incredible wellbeing benefits, our workshops are ideal for team building too!!

You too can learn how to help others and lead laughter yoga classes and workshops. We have dates coming up in October/November 2017 in London for Laughter Yoga Training Courses in London. We are also happy to travel to you to deliver our training courses. Please register via https://laughteryogawellness.co.uk/laughter-yoga-leader-training/ for further information and bookings.

Laughter Yoga for Mental Health Awareness Week in London Laughter Yoga, it's so much more than just a laugh!!

Very busy last week with no less than 8 workshops, mostly Laughter Yoga for Mental Health Awareness Week. Fabulous to see so many different organisations and corporations embracing Mental Health Awareness.

I would be really surprised if each and every one of us is not affected by MH issues at some point in our lives, be it us personally or someone we know.

I know how it feels to suffer the effects of stress, panic attacks and depression and I am thankful to have found Meditation at that time in my life. Meditation was my support tool until I had the strength to move away from an unhealthy working environment.

Actually all that pain and misery was to be the making of me, drawing me to explore complimentary and holistic health and wellbeing methods and tools that I now work with to help others.

I now run Laughter Yoga Wellness London & UK. We offer various holistic health and wellbeing workshops and therapies that help people feel better in the workplace, including Laughter Yoga Wellbeing Workshops, Sound Meditation, EFT, Massage, Meditation and more offerings being added all the time.

Did you know ?

Approximately 1 in 4 people in the UK will experience a mental health problem each year.

In England, 1 in 6 people report experiencing a common mental health problem (such as anxiety and depression) in any given week.

You can check out more unbelievable and interesting stats over at www.mind.org.uk

Fantastic Feedback from Imperial College where I held two laughter yoga wellbeing workshops for their Staff and Teachers as part of their #mhaw17 programme. How awesome, to be the highlight of their programme. Looking forward to more workshops at Imperial College.

Check out the lovely feedback

Thank you Odette, it was the highlight of our Mental Health Awareness Week programme. Something so different, fun and beneficial to staff stress levels and overall health. “

Some more feedback from participants at our Laughter Yoga Workshops for Mental Health Awareness Week with a few Media companies. All participants remarked on how less stressed they felt after the workshops.

It was lovely. Great to finish on Yoga Nidra

Fully enjoyed the session – really wasn’t sure how I would find it, but I loved it

Loved it !!

Great Fun, Feel energised and relaxed

I wasn’t sure what to expect, but loved it and feel very calm and happy now!

Really different and fun.

Really interesting session – never practised laughter yoga before and I definitely saw a difference in my mood.

I loved this session and would recommend this to everyone!!

Really good fun! Can we do it every Week?

It was great to get out of my comfort zone.

It was great! Very relaxing and uplifting!

Relaxed – like being a kid again.

Laughter Yoga is so much more than, Just a Laugh. Really this is a very powerful Holistic Health and Wellbeing tool.

Why Laughter Yoga ?

1. Elevates Mood
2. Reduces Stress
3. Strengthens the immune system
4. Relieves Pain
5. Social Connecter and Team Builder
6. Helps to improve efficiency and performance.
7. Energy Boost
8. Laughing through Challenges. It provides strength in adversity, a coping mechanism to help people keep a positive mental attitude regardless of circumstances.

World Laughter Day 2017 in London infecting London with Laughter and Joy

We had such an incredible day for World Laughter Day in London. Our day started with an hour or so of Laughter Yoga in the park. In the video you can see our laughter meditation in the very beautiful Victoria Embankment Gardens. It is fabulous with so many different types of laughs.

I think the sun must have heard our laughter and then it popped out to join us Ha Ha. We then headed to Trafalgar Square for some more laughter. A lunch stop and then laughter on the Tube until we reached our final destination at Piccadilly Circus.

A fabulous day with a lovely group of willing laughers, big ones and little ones. It was great to have a few toddlers in the group.

Until next year, when we will do it again.

A few more snap shots from the fabulous day.

We run regular laughter wellbeing workshops for members of the public in London on Saturday morning. Usually an hour and a half of rib tickling feel good laughter fun, often followed by an optional social. Contact us for private group bookings for your employee wellbeing or event.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month Mental Health Awareness Week 8th to 14th May

Mental health problems are all too common in the workplace and it is the leading cause of sickness absence. A staggering 70 million work days are lost each year due to mental health problems in the UK, costing employers approximately £2.4 billion per year.

It is good to see so many businesses, charities, universities and colleges all embracing Mental Health Awareness month with many events planned and I am pleased to say we have already booked in several laughter workshops.

Mental Health Awareness Week is on 8-14 May 2017 and this is one of our busiest weeks so do book in early!! https://laughteryogawellness.co.uk/contact/

Laughter and Mental Health

There are various scholarly and research articles on the subject of Laughter and Mental Health. Many of the known physiological and psychological benefits are supported by the medical profession and various research studies.

A few links to some interesting articles on the subject of mental health and laughter.

Therapeutic Benefits of Laughter in Mental Health: A Theoretical Review. by Yim J. For the full article please visit https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27439375

In Summary – In modern society, fierce competition and socioeconomic interaction stress the quality of life, causing a negative influence on a person’s mental health. Laughter is a positive sensation, and seems to be a useful and healthy way to overcome stress. Laughter therapy is a kind of cognitive-behavioral therapies that could make physical, psychological, and social relationships healthy, ultimately improving the quality of life. Laughter therapy, as a non-pharmacological, alternative treatment, has a positive effect on the mental health and the immune system. In addition, laughter therapy does not require specialized preparations, such as suitable facilities and equipment, and it is easily accessible and acceptable. For these reasons, the medical community has taken notice and attempted to include laughter therapy to more traditional therapies. Decreasing stress-making hormones found in the blood, laughter can mitigate the effects of stress. Laughter decreases serum levels of cortisol, epinephrine, growth hormone, and 3,4-dihydrophenylacetic acid (a major dopamine catabolite), indicating a reversal of the stress response. Depression is a disease, where neurotransmitters in the brain, such as norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin, are reduced, and there is something wrong in the mood control circuit of the brain. Laughter can alter dopamine and serotonin activity. Furthermore, endorphins secreted by laughter can help when people are uncomfortable or in a depressed mood. Laughter therapy is a noninvasive and non-pharmacological alternative treatment for stress and depression, representative cases that have a negative influence on mental health. In conclusion, laughter therapy is effective and scientifically supported as a single or adjuvant therapy.

Laughter and depression: hypothesis of pathogenic and therapeutic correlation. by Fonzi L https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20380236

Laughter is a very common behaviour in everyday life, nevertheless scientific literature is lacking in studies which examine closely its nature. The study aims are: to summarise the present knowledge about laughter and its relation with depression and to make hypotheses on its possible therapeutic function. In the first part of the review the main data existing about encephalic structures involved in laughter genesis, which show participation of cortical and subcortical regions, are reported and the effects of laughter on the organism physiologic equilibrium, particularly on the neuroendocrine and immune systems, are described. In the second part, scientific evidence about the influence of depression on the ability to laugh are referred, which suggests that reduction of laughter frequency is a symptom of the disease and that its increase may be used as a marker of clinical improvement. Finally, the main assumptions supporting the hypothesis of the therapeutic action of laughter on depression are examined: first of all, it has been demonstrated that laughter is able to improve mood directly and to moderate negative consequences of stressful events on psychological well-being; in addition, it is possible that the stimulation of particular cerebral regions, involved in depression pathogenesis, and the normalisation of the hypothalamic pituitary adrenocortical system dysfunctions, both mediated by laughter, can counteract efficiently depressive symptoms; finally, the favourable effects of laughter on social relationships and physical health may have a role in influencing the ability of depressed patients to face the disease.

Reasons to adding a laughter workshop to your event and just some of the amazing benefits from our laughter yoga wellness workshops.

1. Elevates Mood

2. Reduces Stress

3. Strengthens the immune system

4. Relieves Pain

5. Social Connecter and Team Builder

6. Helps to improve efficiency and performance.

7. Energy Boost

8. Laughing through Challenges. It provides strength in adversity, a coping mechanism

to help people keep a positive mental attitude regardless of circumstances.

World Laughter Day 2017 London May 7th spreading Love, Peace and Joy in London

We are already preparing for World Laughter Day in London with a fabulous Laughter Crawl and Flash Mob planned. We will be meeting in a Central London location and delivering smiles and laughter along the way with the message of World Peace to those we meet. We will be laughing on public transport, tube laughter 🙂 and visiting various locations in London.

Free to join us and open to everyone. We will be joined by members of our London Laughter Club, other Laughter Yogis and members of the public. All that is required is a willingness to join us in spreading Laughter, the message of Peace and Joy.

For a taste of what to expect, here’s what we got up to last year at one of our stops in Embankment Gardens. Fingers crossed for another sunny beautiful day this year. To join us please scroll down to registration link 🙂

Laughter Meditation on World Laughter Day

More info via https://world-laughter-day-london.eventbrite.co.uk/

World Laughter Day takes place on the first Sunday of May. This year it falls on 7th May. The first celebration was in India almost 20 years ago and was arranged by Dr. Madan Kataria, founder of Laughter Yoga.

Laughter Yoga says: Laughter is a positive and powerful emotion that has all the ingredients required for individuals to change themselves and to change the world in a peaceful and positive way.

Our mission to bring good health joy and world peace through laughter.

On this day the laughter club members and their friends and families get together in important squares public parks to laugh together and pray for world peace.

How Can We Bring World Peace Through Laughter?

Laughter is a universal language we all speak without any language barrier. Laughter Clubs are a powerful tool to connect people from different cultures and countries and provide social network of people who care for each other. By setting up laughter clubs all over the world we are creating a worldwide community of like-minded people who believe virtues like unconditional love and laughter generosity & forgiveness.

Formula is very simple -When you laugh; you change and when you change the world changes around you.

#laughteryogalondon #flashmob

Laughter Facilitator Support Network LFSN Support Network and forum for Laughter Professionals

We are a new forum for Laughter Professionals, created in August 2016 by the founder of Laughter Yoga Wellness UK. Although we are mainly UK based, we currently have 120 members from all over the globe including the UK, USA , Australia and South Africa.

A super friendly space for connection, support, collaboration and networking with colleagues.

All professional Laughter Facilitators, Laughter Yoga Leaders and Teachers are welcome to join our facebook support forum. A fabulous resource for laughter professionals from the various schools of laughter.

The forum is hosted on facebook so you will require a facebook account to join us. Membership is Free of Charge and only open to laughter professionals. When you apply to join via the link, we may ask you to send a copy of your laughter certification or accreditation.

Please click through to join https://www.facebook.com/groups/laughter.support.network/

Laughter Yoga for for Red Nose Day We made our laugh matter more so than usual!

Laughter Yoga with our London Laughter Club for Red Nose Day

We had a fabulous laughter class with all proceeds donated to Red Nose Day. Following on from the laughter we headed to The Bread and Bean Cafe in Archway where the laughter continued over a cuppa.

In total Laughter Yoga Wellness raised £74 for comic relief. We were part of a team of Laughter Professionals who held Laughter Clubs and events throughout the UK with a Team Total of over £700 raised by Laughter Yogis for Red Nose Day. Special thanks to my laughter colleague Maggie who inspired us all to get involved.

Join us for our next laughter on 15th April in Archway. Bookings via https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/laughter-yoga-london-wellbeing-workshop-and-social-tickets-31030251317

Laughter Yoga Wellness Fundraiser for Comic Relief Red Nose Day Make your laugh matter for Red Nose Day

We are fundraising for Red Nose Day Yey 🙂

Red Nose Day is on Friday 24th March.

Our original plan was to hold a Laughter Yoga and Gong Bath on 24th March. Unfortunately building works at the venue have been delayed so this will not be going ahead, however we still wish to support Red Nose Day and will be making a donation from our Laughter Club on 25th March.

Update, We raised £74 for Red Nose Day Woohooo 🙂

Our Fun Raising Page where you can see our final Team Total https://my.rednoseday.com/sponsor/LaughterYogaWellness

Laughter Yoga London Club for Red Nose Day

Blue Monday 16th January 2017 Laugh away the January Blues with a Laughter Yoga Workshop!!!

Laugh away Blue Monday this year with a Laughter Workshop.

Why Blue Monday is reputed to be the most depressing day of the year:

This day is apparently the most depressing of the year with people’s moods affected by their post-Christmas finances, the bad weather and the long wait for summer.

Researchers have dubbed it Blue Monday after finding that people are at their loneliest, debt levels are at their highest and the weather is at its worst, at this time of year.

A survey by the Co-op found that 26% of British people claim that this month is when they feel the most isolated

History of Blue Monday

Blue Monday is a name given to a day in January (typically the third Monday of the month) reported to be the most depressing day of the year. The concept was first publicised as part of a 2005 press release from holiday company Sky Travel, which claimed to have calculated the date using an equation.

In 2005 a television publicist persuaded psychologist Dr Cliff Arnall.to create a “scientific formula”

It was: [W+(D-d)]xTQ/MxNA – where

W is weather,

D is debt,

d monthly salary,

T time since Christmas,

Q time since failure of attempt to give something up,

M low motivational level and

NA the need to take action.

It really does not need to be Doom and Gloom as this is where us Laughter Yogis come in to play, literally 🙂 spreading Laughter, Joy and ooodles of Smiles and Giggles.

Contact us to lift the spirits of your workforce and make Blue Monday or indeed Blue January a Happy and productive time for your employees.

January in general can be a difficult month for many of us. This time of year, the January Blues! can make even the most energetic of us feel down in the dumps. Cold, dreary weather, lack of sleep, short days and too much food and drink leave us feeling sluggish and overweight.

Some tips to beat the January Blues in the office.

Call out the professional Joy makers 🙂 for a rib tickling laughter yoga workshop in your office or workplace. Contact us for a January filled with Laughter and oodles of Goodness. You will feel the benefits throughout the day ahead and learn some great tips on how to laugh for absolutely no reason.

What you can do yourself.

Focus on lifting your spirits, practising a prolonged smile and learning to laugh for no reason. If you are having a bad day, take a moment, take a deep breath and greet yourself in a mirror with a big beautiful smile, holding that smile for 20-30 seconds or more and inside you will be smiling back and amazingly it will pick you right up. Smiling releases endorphin’s that help to pick up your mood and release stress, just like magic.

If you book your January Laughter Workshop in 2016 we have a special rate waiting for you!!! Please mention Blue Monday when you contact us.