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This month I met with the bright and delightful Dr. Kasim al-Mashat. Kasim has a background in counselling psychology and works at SFU’s Health and Counselling Services.  He provides individual/group counselling, and his work includes leading weekly Laughter Yoga for staff and students. I appreciated Kasim’s insights about Laughter Yoga based on his background in psychology, and dedicated meditation practice, and his passion for and health and well-being on all levels. My chat with Kasim included as much laughing as it did talking.

Seia:  How did you first learn about Laughter Yoga (LY)?

Kasim: I noticed someone who was laughing after [a meditation] retreat finished. His laughter was so genuine, so unfiltered. He told me about LY and to come try it out. I did the Google thing, looked up LY and figured maybe I’ll go try it.

S: What were your thoughts at your first Laughter Club?

K: [Laughter] The word that comes to mind is ‘zoo’. I thought ‘this isn’t for me’. My mind was challenged.

S: How did you feel after you left your first Laughter Club?

K: Very uplifted, and quite stunned. It wasn’t what I expected (holding yoga postures). It wasn’t easy for me to let go.

S: Have you ever gone to Laughter Club when you were feeling angry or sad?

K: Oh absolutely. That’s one of the gifts. I’ve entered [LY] different ways but always leave in a similar way, most of the time truly uplifted.

S: Would you describe yourself a being a generally happy person?

K: Certainly positive. It hasn’t been easy. LY keeps inviting me on that path of choosing wellness, choosing joy. It’s a choice it doesn’t happen by accident.  I choose laughter.

S: Did you choose laughter as a kid?

K: [Laughter], I think so. But I got serious.

S: Is the seriousness what turned you onto meditation?

K: It did. It was this quest for truth, a deeper way of being in life.

S: What does LY teach you that you didn’t get out of meditation?

K: They are both after the same thing, which is being present in the moment.  Laughter [is] permission to let loose, it recharges me for the sitting stillness.

S: What was your experience of Laughter Yoga Teacher Training you did with the founder of Laughter Yoga, Dr. Kataria?

K: Dr. K is truly a beautiful human being. It was such a gift to be with a group of people who wanted to dive into a realm of openness. It was a workout for the stomach too!

S: What are some other benefits of LY?

K: There’s a lot of research on the medical and psychological benefits, for me the big part is taking myself less seriously. It recharges my battery. It has added colour to live, I feel more creative. [Also], I don’t get colds as often!

S: If you could bring LY to any group anywhere in the world, who would it be?

I think we are all well connected. [I believe in] spreading laughter with whomever we’re with, wherever we are at.

S: If you could send one message to people about LY what would it be?

K: Give it a chance. I’ve never seen anyone not laugh!

Kasim is a certified Laughter Yoga Teacher. His next training is April 2012!

This week, Erol Herold and I sat cross-legged on the floor of Open Door Yoga Studio on Commercial Drive. He shared with me that the first time he came to Laughter Yoga he stood at the door but couldn’t bring himself to join the group. Getting past his initial uneasiness about Laughter Yoga allowed Erol to discover an enjoyable practice to laugh his mind calm.

Seia: What drew you to Laughter Yoga?

Erol: I sailed with a Captain (also a Laughter Yoga Leader) who said “come to Laughter Yoga.” Over the years, he kept asking me. I was always skeptical. [I thought] well that’s kind of just silly really. Why do you laugh, if you have no reason to laugh?

One day [years later] I came to the door and then I left.

Seia: Did you think they were acting really weird?

Erol: Yes. But when I went back, I enjoyed it and I kept coming back.

Seia: Do you think the mind is drawn to laughter?

Erol: Yes. [Laughter] separates stress from the mind, and the mind becomes calm, silent, beautiful, the real you.

Seia: If you didn’t come to Laughter Yoga for a month would you notice a difference, would you miss it?

Erol: I’ve never gone a month [without attending Laughter Yoga] since I started, I probably would miss it. It helps to come every week. The mind starts to understand the whole concept of Laughter Yoga.

Seia: What is the concept of Laughter Yoga, in your mind?

Erol: The mind produces constant stress, you react to that [stress] by laughing. You laugh with your mind, to your mind, and become one.

Seia:  Is that the ‘yoga’ piece for you – that ‘becoming one’ with yourself through laughter?

Erol: Absolutely,  yes. Yoga, meditation, Laughter Yoga – exercises for the mind, to calm the mind.

Seia:  And doing these Laughter Yoga exercises – with lots of movement and energy – you’re saying this calms the mind?

Erol: Oh, yes. The mind is a noisy instrument, constantly making noise. So what you do is make noise with your mind and you calm the mind down.

Seia: Like a release valve?

Erol: Yes, it’s a release valve of your mind.

Seia: When you were a child, did laughter help you with stress?

Erol: [Whenever] I had a group of people, I was clowning them.

Seia: Were you a class clown?

Erol: Yes, I was entertaining. [One day] I ran out of material. I was doing jokes and imitations and then I had nothing to say and I started laughing, superficially. They looked at me and I forced the laughter. The other people found it so funny – we all laughed. I didn’t know what Laughter Yoga was then.

Seia:  It sounds like you’ve always been in touch with the instrument of laughter.

Erol: We all are. Everybody. The only problem is we are not aware of it.

Seia: Do you think we are more in touch with it when we are kids?

Erol: Absolutely, when we are kids everything is more natural. As you grow up you start identifying with what your mind says and you drift from awareness.

Seia: Would you say that laughter brings you to a state of enlightenment?

Erol: Yes, because when you laugh you are fully present.

Seia: What is one of your favorite exercises?

Erol: I like spontaneity. Just let go! If you don’t know your next movement -it’s beautiful.  You may be a little excited, but something will come.

Seia: If you were to meet the founder of Laughter Yoga, Dr. Madan Kataria, what would you say?

Erol: I would just laugh, because I would feel at home with him.

Learn more about how you can Laugh Your Mind Calm. Check out the book Laughter, Tears, Silence: Expressive Meditations to Calm Your Mind and Open Your Heart by Pragito Dove.