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Laughology coming Dec 12th, 2009
Posted On 03 Dec 2009
By Chris Pollitt
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Universal Laughter in cooperation with Laughter Yoga in Vancouver present:
LAUGHOLOGY - A Canadian Documentary about laughter.
Location: Pacific Cinematheque
Time: 2:30PM Saturday, December 12, 2009
Cost: Pay what you can after viewing the screening
Laughology, directed by Albert Nerenberg, is a hilarious ground breaking look at why laughter is contagious and the birth of the international laughter movement.
The National Post called Laughology “screamingly funny” and the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) called the film “revolutionary, highly recommended and a completely new way of looking at laughter.”
Links:
Universal Laughter
Laughter Yoga in Vancouver
Laughology |
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A profound experience
Posted On 02 Oct 2009
By Chris Pollitt
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Here is an interview with Farah Nazarali about her experience with laughter yoga (LY.)
Q. How did you first hear about LY?
A. I heard about LY when I was in my yoga training. We had a session and it was so much fun, I laughed so hard and had a fantastic time. Then I came home and that weekend I cried a lot. What I understood from that experience is that LY is a very profound technique that not only brings joy but also releases things that are stuck in our subconscious or experiences that are stuck. It was after that profound experience that I decided that I wanted to pursue LY and become a laughter leader.
Q. What has LY done for you?
A. A couple of things. One is that LY has really helped me to experience the lighter side of life, to take things less seriously. Also, not that I don't experience negative emotions like anger, frustration, & irritation, but I find those experiences are much shorter and much less intense and my experience of them is very different. I think LY has helped me to be more present with whatever I'm experiencing whether it's joy or sadness. For me it's not just a fun, energetic experience. It's also embracing all of the experiences of life. It also helped me in my personal relationships, in how I relate to other people.
Q. Is there anything else you wanted to add?
A. I really wish that everyone could experience the benefits of LY. I would encourage people to try it because it's not something that you can describe or explain, it's something that you have to experience. I would encourage people to try it at least a couple of times because the first experience is not necessarily the one that will be profound for everyone. So just do it, try it, just go for it! |
Category(s): The Smiling Yogi
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Happiness! Matthieu Ricard
Posted On 04 Sep 2009
By thesmilingyogi
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Stay tuned for an interview with Matthieu Ricard, a Buddhist monk, and the author of Happiness. Matthieu will be hear for the Peace Summit, along with the Dalai Lama and other prominent world leaders.
To read more about Matthieu, follow the link below.
www.matthieuricard.org
Mathhieu will be giving a talk- The Roots of Altruism on Wednesday Sept.30 from 7-8:30pm at 515 West Hastings. Seating is on a first-come, first serve basis, so be sure to get there early! |
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Love at First Try!
Posted On 04 Sep 2009
By thesmilingyogi
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What follows in an interview with Chris Pollitt, a laughter leader from Vancouver.
Q. How did you find out about Laughter Yoga?
A. I was first introduced to Laughter Yoga by a video on YouTube of what looked like a crazy (yet happy) man doing some very bizarre and funny actions. I thought to myself 'this cannot possibly be a real thing -- surely this is just a joke.' Little did I know! Later, a group at my workplace had a local laughter leader hold a session for them. They liked it so much they had him back to lead a laughter session for the entire department. Curious, I went. It was love at first try! I had an absolutely awesome time -- such a good time in fact that I asked the others if they were interested in a monthly group. Several agreed and so I and another woman (she had taken a laughter leader workshop) co-led a monthly group for several months -- we even had a vice president of our company attend the group! When summer arrived attendance fizzled and so I decided to take a summer break with the intention of resuming the group in the fall. Then fall arrived. My co-leader had left the company and though I wanted to start again, no one seemed interested in getting the laughter group going again, so I let it slide. Then a year later, my wife saw an ad in the paper for an Laughter Yoga open house at a local Yoga studio . We went and I have been going weekly ever since then.
Q. How has Laughter Yoga helped you?
A. I can honestly say that Laughter Yoga has been one of the absolute best things to ever enter my life! Besides the chance to have a long and unrestrained laugh for an entire hour on a weekly (and sometimes more) basis, I have met an incredible group of people, many of whom have become friends. They have such a positive energy to them, I just love spending time with them. The second time Laughter Yoga entered my life (last fall) I was at a particularly difficult time in my life. I was struggling with several things including relationships and career. Along with music, sunshine, and family + friends, regular laughter through laughter yoga has been an enormous positive and stabilizing influence in my life. I am very thankful to those who have led me in laughter as well as those who come each week to share their laughter and energy. Laughter Yoga has helped me become a more positive person. It has also helped me keep perspective on life's problems. I tend to not get as stressed about bad things when they happen.
For a complete listing of Laughter Clubs in BC, visit LaughterYoga.ca and for a listing of Laughter Clubs wordwide, visit: LaughterYoga.org. |
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The more you do it, the better it is!
Posted On 13 May 2009
By Chris Pollitt
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Below is an interview with John Wallstrom, a Vancouver laughter leader.
Q. How did you hear about Laughter Yoga?
A. I read about it in the North Shore News. About a year later, I saw a newsletter in my daughter's home that mentioned an event where people would eat together and also laugh together. I thought that sounded fun, so I looked on the internet ,and I found a local Laughter Club. I liked it! So much so, that four years later, I'm still doing it and loving it!
Q. What has Laughter Yoga done for you?
A. It helps me have a more positive outlook on things. It puts you in a better mood. It boosts your confidence. It also helps to cheer up other people - so it's not just good for you but for others around you.
Q. What would you say to people who come to Laughter Club for the first time?
A. The more you do it [laughter] the better it is. You have to go frequently and practice it. Also, as I grew up as a teenager I was with a group of kids who had a lot of parties and I had lots of fun. Every Saturday, we would get together and dance and sing. The laughter sessions bring back those happy memories. |
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Laughter has changed me
Posted On 04 May 2009
By Chris Pollitt
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Below is an interview with Blair Coleman, a Vancouver laughter leader.
Q: How did you start with LY?
A: I heard about it at my brother's retirement party and I asked 'what is Laughter Yoga?' and my brother wouldn't tell me what it was. He just said 'come to class with me.' So the following week, he picked me up and we went together. At first I didn't like it. I was very uncomfortable. Even though it was uncomfortable, I kept going. I remember the first two months it was hard for me to laugh. I didn't really laugh much, but I kept coming back. Coming from my past with drugs and alcohol, I had some internal barriers to break through, but I'm glad that I stuck it out and now, I laugh all the time.
Q: What are the general benefits of Laughter Yoga?
A: It relieves stress, it lowers blood pressure, it changes a negative into a positive. It changes the energy in a room when people are doing Laughter Yoga. If someone's had a bad day, at the end of the class most times they are in a better mood and feeling better, feeling lighter and feeling less stress.
Q: What has Laughter Yoga done for you personally?
A: Wow! That's a loaded laughter question.  I have struggled with drugs and alcohol addictions, and for the most part I was not a very happy person. Laughter has changed me into a more happy, more positive thinking, more outgoing and more confident person ... I just can't say enough about Laughter Yoga, how it has changed me, and the friends it has brought to me in my life. I have bad days like everyone else but it's just great to laugh. We did a laughter exercise of "fighting to get on the bus" for example which was helpful.
To hear this interview along with others, please follow this link: DrishtiPoint.ca/?p=105 |
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A Daily Laugh for You
Posted On 04 May 2009
By Chris Pollitt
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I want to share a new video series that Chris Pollitt is doing. Every day, he goes out in search of people to laugh with. His videos are posted on-line.
YouTube.com/adlfy |
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NEWS!
Posted On 25 Apr 2009
By thesmilingyogi
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This blog will feature interviews conducted by Chris Pollitt, a Vancouver Laughter Leader |
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I am NOT my thoughts!
Posted On 06 Feb 2009
By thesmilingyogi
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Today's musing is on the subject of using Laughter Yoga in personal, intimate relationships. I think it is misunderstood- it doesn't necessarily mean that you laugh all the time, or that instead of arguing you laugh. For me, laughter yoga helps me to create distance between my thoughts and my identity. I have realized "I am not my thoughts". I can laugh at my thoughts, so there must be an identity- an "I" that is separate from my thoughts.
In a relationship, I have learned to apply this when I get frustrated- to take ownership of my feelings and not project them onto my partner (which is the easiest to do), and then to create some distance between the feelings and thoughts and me.
It is work that I do daily and though I haven't yet mastered it, I hope that in sharing it with others, it might help others in their relationships too. |
Category(s): The Smiling Yogi
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GLOBAL BELLY LAUGH DAY
Posted On 29 Jan 2009
By thesmilingyogi
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Today is GLOBAL BELLY LAUGH DAY Celebrations and I'm am sooooooo excited. It is a perfect day- the sun is shining and the fog is lifting- very symbolic of what happens with genuine laughter- the mental clutter in our minds clears up and our inner light shines through. Laughter Yoga (http://www.laughteryoga.org) has been such a blessing in my life.
The friendships I have made through Laughter Yoga nourish and inspire me and I'm so excited that collectively, we all have a website (http://www.laughteryoga.ca) that can help us promote and spread joy, peace, and health through laughter.
I will be blogging throughout the 15 week Laughter Challenge so that I can share with people my insights, reflections, and experiences of making laughter yoga a regular and consistent part of my life. Stay tuned! |
Category(s): The Smiling Yogi
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