Did you know is that our inner sense of wellbeing is what makes us feel safe? I think this is a pretty important piece of info in these times of rapid change and eruptions of all kinds of freaking violence all around us. Worries and fears are so widespread that feeling safe might seem elusive. It’s a big thing. And it’s attainable.

Building up our own inner sense of safety is in fact vital for anything we set out to do successfully. Therefore feeling well should be our number one priority – I mean really on top of the entire list.

Especially among audiences of women in the Middle East this approach still comes across as promoting egoism, however, luckily more and more people realize that it has nothing to do with promoting selfishness. In fact it has been validated by scientific research. It is therefore safe to say that feeling well is actually the best possible contribution to all the people around us.

Apart from that, feeling good about our life and our selves is vital for maintaining good health. The more relaxed and content we are, the better the results we get in all areas of life. There are many reasons why wellbeing deserves to be our top priority, however, feeling safe seems like the biggie to me.

When people experience a lack of safety, they are unable to deal effectively with life. Something collapses within them. This is something we could observe very well where I live, in Egypt, during the 2011 revolution and its aftermath.

Fears about safety cause a lot of constant stress. Without a sense of safety there is no vitality or fuel for balanced growth and success, says author William Bloom in his book: Feeling Safe: “To feel safe you must find a way to do the things you enjoy.”

He encourages people to learn what he succinctly calls the chemistry of pleasure: “Every time you linger in pleasure and truly appreciate it, you do something immensely good for your health.”

Cultivating inner states of ease or appreciation doesn’t only feel good. According to 20 years of research undertaken by the Institute of HeartMath it activates the self-healing capacity of our bodies and allows our entire system to function at its best. And it’s easy.

Most people who come to me for Life Coaching sessions are seeking a way out of thinking and behaving that keep them stuck, frustrated and deeply unhappy. Most people say that they feel very stressed – in one area of their lives or another. They complain from a huge sense of being under constant pressure. And essentially they just all want to feel better.

In fact, most goals we set are ultimately aiming at making us feel more content, fulfilled and happy as a result.

What I do as a professional coach is to figure out what people appreciate, what they are good at, what they love to do, what puts a smile on their faces. And then it’s about finding ways through asking questions that could motivate them to consistently do more of it.

One great way of doing this is to reconnect to childlike playfulness that is still somewhere inside us. This in itself brings out a sense of more vitality and joy into our lives. This courage to be silly and laugh about anything for no reason is at the heart of Laughter Yoga.

Our emotions are meant to set us in motion, to get us going. They can usually be felt in the body. Feeling fearful or safe is grounded in the actual physical sensation.

The experience of safety is to feel physical relaxation and ease. To experience fear and insecurity is to feel physical tension and anxiety. This shows up in symptoms ranging from tense muscles, headaches, stiffness, sweaty palms, diarrhea, blinking, stuttering, explosive tension, exhaustion, fidgeting, anxious stomach, clinching in the chest, and so on. You can easily observe what your body is telling you about your emotions.

What it all boils down to is making a conscious choice between frozen toxins of too much adrenaline and cortisol blocking your system versus an attainable comfy feeling of well-being and pleasant flow.

Which one of these states do you prefer? And what can you do every day to feel just a bit better? Those are important questions to ask if you would like to feel more safe and happy.

We have lost touch with the playfulness, excitement and sense of awe that were natural to us as kids. And the majority of people I have come across seem to think that this is a normal part of being an adult. We have become used to our chronic stress as well as the numbness to it. However, it seems quite important to me to realize that this common condition can absolutely not be considered a natural state.

This is why I love Laughter Yoga so much. It brings out the childlike playfulness in everybody. Laughing simply makes you feel intensely alive. It cracks your arms and heart wide open. It washes stress and blockages created by pent-up emotions out of your system. It’s therapeutic. And on top of all this it’s pure fun.

In contrast, the habitual numbness to how we really feel inside our bodies, mind and soul is a form of resistance to life. It’s a self-defense mechanism; a coping strategy. Its aim is to protect us from uncomfortable feelings – such as old hurt of abandon and rejection; anger and shame, or just simply the disturbing feeling of being so very vulnerable and fragile.

Over the past years I have come to realize the many ways in which numbness as a form of resistance is prevailing in the systems of my clients and in mine as well. One of the challenges of professional life coaching is the recognition that whatever clients experience as issues is often a reflection of my own issues. This can be a bit overwhelming or upsetting.

The bright side of it is that as they realize their issues or limiting beliefs and intentionally start moving towards their goals in many new ways, I do the same. And that is a most gratifying process.

Recently I decided: enough is enough. This year is the time for me to radically reduce numbness and connect more deeply to my body and my emotions – even if this brings up the recognition of pain that was drowned. For me this is what embodiment of becoming more aware and awake is all about now.

At times it seems like an enormously difficult thing to do, given the many mental, physical or emotional strategies to automatically ward off uncomfortable emotions. The irony is that these are not comfortable states at all. Here a just a few from a long list drawn up by the inspiring young Life Coach Christian Pankhurst.

Being busy all the time; watching television; shopping; addictions to drugs, alcohol, sugar or sex; overworking; spending a lot of time on social media; avoiding intimacy; giving up relationships quickly; acting obsessively; cynicism; procrastination; inability to commit to anything; boredom; being frustrated easily; staying down and depressed; feeling all kinds of physical aches; worrying compulsively; shame over past choices; lashing out; thinking we know better than others; incapability of nourishing ourselves; resistance to action; running late routinely …….. or even what he calls the “New Age Bypass” to avoid emotions for made up spiritual reasons.
Sounds familiar?

Lately I felt astonished to observe how many people around me, even highly intelligent academics, seem to be totally unaware of the many ways in which they live on constant avoidance mode. At the same time they dream of finding their soulmate and living happily ever after, or making the one great business deal and become rich and happy.

When I dare to point out in discussions that the resistance mode and the numbness it produces are unlikely to produce the aspired results as no real opening happens, a typical reaction is denial. It makes me wonder how difficult it can be to see clearly that our habitual response to life cuts us off from the juicy feelings that make life worth living in the first place. It simply contributes to create much more stress. And on top of that it’s pretty unlikely to lead us to what we want to feel and where we want to be in the future.

At the same time more and more people feel an urge now to start living in different ways and to connect to themselves on a deeper level. While yoga, meditation and holistic healing arts are becoming more popular, there is still little awareness of stress management tools that can effectively do the trick.

I have not come across anything more convincing and effective than the simple system developed by the Institute of HeartMath. It allows us to significantly lower stress levels by shifting into uplifting emotional states. Resilience as well as a new baseline is developed through practice.

That means that when we become aware of feeling heavy emotions, we can consciously and easily shift now into a state of ease, appreciation or joy. And this opens the doors to much more emotional and physical wellbeing which leads to more inspired action.

While it’s empowering to be able to do that, I was inspired this morning by a realization on a deeper level: when we allow what’s happing inside without judging or resisting and simply give the energies that are there the time to move through us, change naturally unfolds as Pankhurst points out in one of his free webinars.

He put it this way: “Even ‘wanting to be joyful’ can come from ‘push’ and resistance of what’s moving in you now, so it’s important to realize that it’s not better to be joyful than to be numb, disconnected or depressed, it simply feels better. It becomes a preference not a need. When you can begin to feel good feeling bad, joy will come effortlessly into your being.”

I particularly like his following statement: “What if the purpose of your life was to enjoy it? By enjoy, I don’t mean, ‘be happy all the time’, but instead I mean: To infuse joy into every moment simply because you can.”

How different would life be if many of us could easily do this? What a wonderful world would this be? To infuse joy into every moment simply because we can ……. Sure seems to me like a vision that merits the response: “Yessssss we can!”

During a recently held Laugh Fest in Michigan, Laughter Yoga instructor Angēla Essick Dykes conducted a series of laughter sessions which were designed to unleash laughs and inspire a sense of pure, unbridled joy. According to Dykes participants do not need any mat or yoga clothes to do Laughter Yoga; all they need is to leave their inhibitions behind and have fun.

But the same was not true when she first came for a laughter session during a previous Laugh Fest. She loved yoga and took her mat and clothes with her. When the instructor said she didn’t need any of that, she felt rebuffed and still went through with it, but somewhat half-heartedly.

Dykes was hoping Laughter Yoga could help her work through a deep depression which came on after a near-fatal car accident in 2008. She broke 35 bones and everyone thought she wasn’t going to live. Her life as a marathon runner, professional counselor, graduate level adjunct professor, and student was gone in an instant. She describes it as a flip being switched in her brain that wouldn’t allow her to find or experience joy, even with therapy.

Even though her first round with Laughter Yoga wasn’t that great, she came back for a second time and felt different after leaving. The third time, she fully immersed herself in the experience and that’s all it took. She was hooked. “This flipped the switch for me,” she said. “I felt that joy again.”

Highly motivated, she trained to become an instructor and started leading the laughter sessions regularly for Laugh Fest. She has spread Laughter Yoga cheer to senior living centers, churches, and corporations, and this gives her great personal satisfaction and joy.

Source: http://www.ahealthiermichigan.org/2015/03/11/laughfest-laughter-yoga-helped-instructor-reclaim-her-joy/

I first heard about Laughter Yoga when I was working for a community clinic. I was preparing for a wellness group especially for women and I decided to include a laughter session to see what it was. After seeing the session in action, I thought it was a neat and unique exercise but after hearing the participants’ comments about how much they had enjoyed the session, I decided to look more into it and decided it was something I wanted to do. It took me about a year to finally obtain my certification.

I have struggled with low self-esteem issues for years, as far as I can remember and just the fact of becoming a Laughter Yoga leader was a big challenge for me. I never thought I could stand in front of others or even lead a group and obtain full attention. But after my training, I began offering free sessions. I started realizing that not only was I helping others but was also helping myself in my personal and professional life. After every laughter session, I feel more centered and with more energy to work or be mentally present for my family. Also, my mood is balanced and I am able to enjoy little things in life that I would take for granted. For example, now, I enjoy going to a circus, walking in the rain, making new friends and more than anything, laughing at life stressors.

Being a Laughter Yoga teacher has helped my confidence level and I feel that I am ready to face any life challenges. I have decided to make Laughter Yoga as my focus in the near future and will continue to teach others the importance of adding laughter to their day. Standing in front of crowds is easy for me now and I feel calm and comfortable talking, laughing, playing, singing and even dancing in front of others. I have regained joy in my life and it has helped my life in many different aspects. I have a healthy self-esteem, better communication and social skills thanks to the work I have done with Laughter Yoga.

With the 2 1/2 years that I have been practicing Laughter Yoga, I have noticed that I love my life regardless of my situation. Others have noticed a different me and I love being a role model to other individuals that are facing low self-esteem issues. I have seen a change in most of the individuals that attend my laughter sessions since many of them learn to cope with different life stressors or mental health issues. Even, my toddle daughter practices Laughter Yoga with me haha!

I am very thankful for my community that has believed in me and did not let me down when I was the only one practicing Laughter Yoga in my area. It was challenging to offer a session and people were initially puzzled about what I was doing. Now, everything has changed. Laughter Yoga is being more recognized and known for all the good benefits that it has to offer.

Mayra L. Avila, LCSW
Volunteer
Hope Family Health Center
2332 Jordan Rd.
McAllen, TX 78503
Phone: (956) 994-3319
Fax: (956) 971-9377
mavila.hfhc@gmail.com
www.hopefamilyhealthcenter.org

Grief is a natural reaction when one suffers a loss. People get emotionally distressed at losing someone they loved and cherished and it is not easy to overcome this anguish. In fact, it is essential that people talk and express their feelings. This is where Laughter Yoga helps as it is the most effective method to heal emotional distress, pain and mental agony. It is a great connector of people and helps to express emotions freely, thereby reducing suffering.

Yes, it is difficult to laugh while grieving, but Laughter Yoga makes it easier as it is a physical phenomenon, not a mental process. Laughter exercises coupled with deep breathing changes the physiology, thereby changing the mood state and helping a person to view the situation differently. The group dynamics of laughter facilitates an easy outflow of stress and depression thereby promoting healing and reducing the sense of grief.

Read this beautiful story of how a laughter teacher helped her participants get over the grief of losing their fellow member at a senior center.

Sylvie Dagenais-Douville: One of my regular participants in the senior residence, a retired medical doctor, with whom I have been laughing for the last four years, recently passed away leaving behind a legacy of laughter and joy. He was my “ambassador- in- residence”, who believed in the power of laughter so much that one day after a laughter session he walked into the office of the Activity Director and “demanded” I be on the schedule more often in the name of “health”!..And so I started going weekly to the residence to conduct laughter sessions for the members.

He always showed up just a few minutes before the beginning of the session because he would fit his nap before my arrival. After the session, he would always thank me for bringing laughter and sunshine in their residence. He would often add a comment to reinforce the scientific facts of the benefits of laughter. At the end of every year he would thank me for having brought laughter to them for a full year.

Being a man of science the very first year he referred to Laughter Yoga as my “non-sense”…Insisting on how much he loved Sylvie’s “Non-sense”!!! After every session we would have a short chat, about the ups and downs of life and he would share with me his great wisdom of 95 years. On his recommendation, the whole group would usually request extra “Laughter Cream” for their back to last until my next visit.

Last week, I waited for him before starting the session, thinking he might have had a longer nap, but he never came. Instead, his son came and gave me the sad news. The other participants assumed that it would be tough to lead a session. But they all wanted laughter desperately! So we did our laughter exercises.

I know that’s just the way he would have wanted to be remembered – not with tears but with a smile. Even as we laugh together in his memory, I can feel an angel watching over me and my Non-sense!!

I also suffered from depression and bi-polar disorder and was becoming more of a shell of a human being every day. That black hole inside of me just kept getting bigger & bigger.
Then, in 2005, I read an article about Laughter Yoga in the TIME magazine & thought “Wow, this is the best thing and I need to find out more about it.”

Well, I still wasn’t done drinking & drugging, so I put it on the back burner for a short while. Finally, in September of 2006, I had had enough! My depression was at an all time low and I couldn’t get through a day (hell, a few hours) without using some mind/mood altering chemical. I found a doctor who detoxed me and started treating my depression.

I also started going back to AA/NA meetings. But, I needed to do something different if there was any chance of staying clean & sober. Then, I remembered that article about Laughter Yoga and started researching it. I did my first certification training and immediately fell in love with it. I had finally found my purpose. I had finally found my passion. I had finally found my voice. I couldn’t stay sober/clean with just AA/NA alone. The hole inside of me was just too big & needed something besides AA/NA to fill it. Laughter Yoga was the perfect fit!

The principles of AA work perfectly with the philosophy & concept of Laughter Yoga and the Spirit of Laughter Yoga. I have stayed clean & sober since that day in September of 2006. Laughter Yoga was the ‘Game-changer’ that helped me do it-one laugh at a time….I no longer need to take medication for depression & bi-polar disorder. It filled that big, black hole inside me with love, peace, harmony, passion and a whole lot more.

Not only did Laughter Yoga save my life, but it gave me a life, as well. I now take Laughter Yoga into Treatment Center for Drug/Alcohol abuse, as well many other places to help people find health and happiness.

Like many lawyers I became slowly restless about my work. It was a niggling feeling that something within my work- life was not quite right. With my growing impatience I decided to learn new skills and spent the next five years working as a telephone counselor, Referral officer and later a trainer for Lifeline. But, once again my restlessness got the better of me and it felt like time to move on.

One day, while thinking about what to do next, I got an immediate answer which was “Start a Laughter Club.” I had no idea what a Laughter Club was and had never heard of it. I think Divine inspiration was the only logical answer! It sounded like a novel concept. Surely there was no harm in that? I started my search on Laughter Clubs and discovered the world of Laughter Yoga. I launched myself into yet another pursuit of this unusual idea of laughing for no reason. In February 2005, I flew to Melbourne and was introduced to Dr. Madan Kataria, the founder of Laughter Clubs and from there began my new journey

I attended the session led by Dr. Kataria in which we went through a series of stretching, breathing and clapping in rhythm with the chant of ho ho ha ha ha, followed by many fun routines designed to cause us to laugh. To my great interest I was told to “fake it until you make it” As a lawyer, I found this concept quite familiar!

Soon I found myself shaking hands while laughing with strangers, moving around and laughing, pretending to laugh while talking on my mobile phone, and generally behaving in quite a silly fashion. The 40 minutes or so were spent mostly in some form of laughter. It seemed the group kept the laughter flowing as we interacted with each other.

We then progressed to something called Laughter Meditation. We sat on the floor and to my surprise within 15 minutes I found myself laughing spontaneously without any clapping or movement or funny exercises. The laughter just poured out of my body by its self. We were then told to lie down to relax. The next thing I knew, I was lying on the floor and my whole body was shaking uncontrollably with laughter in a way I had never experienced before. Surely this could not be happening to a serious lawyer, even one led by a so called divine inspiration. The funny thing was that I thought I was already quite a good laugher!! And yet I had never laughed like this before…for absolutely NO REASON!!!

I could not remember ever having felt the sensation of laughter bursting out of my body, sometimes with the force of a mild explosion. It was like the laughter had a mind of its own. Yes, I was a person who laughed fairly easily when I perceived something was funny. During this session I had not heard one joke and I had seen no funny movies or comedy. Unexpectedly, I found my laughter triggered, by people around me. One glance at each other and one of us would start laughing spontaneously and the other one would follow in laughter apparently with out any control. This was truly a new and unusual phenomenon.

At the end of the two hours, I felt as if my whole body was energized and there was a feeling of lightness, as if all the stress and wait of concerns and thoughts had been lifted from my body and mind. To my surprise I felt unexpectedly and deliriously happy. Yet nothing in my external circumstances or my life situation had changed. The only thing that had changed was within my body. I had released a burst of laughter, energy and joy from within.

The other thing I noticed was the way I felt towards the people around me. I had been laughing for two hours with a room full of strangers and yet some connection had formed between us, particularly between those whose laughter I had fought and exchanged during laughter meditation. I had not spoken to these people and I knew nothing about them and yet they felt like friends. My internal critic was ominously silent, clearly lost for words!!!

What an unexpectedly amazing experience. Now I knew that I was hooked by Laughter Yoga. It was like a drug. I knew I wanted more. Highly inspired, I did my Laughter Leader training and armed with the certificate, I started my Laughter Club in 2005 with just 12 people. Soon, to my surprise I was receiving phone calls from people asking about my Laughter Club and groups and organizations requested I demonstrate Laughter Yoga and run workshops and short sessions in laughter. In keeping with the idea and worldwide mission of Dr. Kataria, Laughter Clubs are a free community program, so I did not charge people for the class. It was just a lot of fun!!!