Laughter Yoga Events

Fellow Amazing Laughers!!!

 Hamilton Grooves with Laughter Yoga Club at Hamilton Waterfront Stage– Pier 8,
47 Discovery Drive, Hamilton, ON
every Sunday,
from 10:30 – 11:30 am

Hamilton Waterfront is home to the Trolley, Hamiltonian Tour Boat, Outdoor Roller/Skating (Ice) Rink and dining establishments including Sarcoa, Williams’ Fresh Café, the Waterfront Grills, and Scoops Ice Cream Parlour.

Cost:
$5 each or buy 10 classes for $50 and get two free classes to pay for the stage rental.
Please bring water as laughter is a cardio-vascular workout. Laughter yoga is great for everyone, whether you’re sitting in a chair or standing and moving around.
(we meet inside at Williams Fresh Cafe on the upper level during the colder months,
then we take our laughter outside depending on the weather to the Hamilton Waterfront Stage).

Laughing outside offers you the opportunity to increase Vitamin D and Serotonin levels, promote imagination, sleep better, increase gross motor and larger muscle development, escape indoor germs and bacteria, and strengthen your immune system.

Dress according to the weather and comfortably for ease of movement and breathing. Street clothes are fine.
Bring your family and friends, all ages are welcome.
Dogs are an added benefit so bring your furry friends as well, especially if they like to laugh.

Be prepared to have the happiest day of your life so far by tapping into your inner child, meet like-minded people and laugh like you never have before.

I look forward to a long and beautiful laughing experience with you.
If you have any questions or thoughts please call me direct at 905-574-1765 or check out my website.

Laughter is music to the soul!

Laugh Stress Away with Child-like Play

 

MORE EXCITING NEWS! I will be having another leader training April 21 & 22, 2018 at the Admiral Inn. I’m looking forward to laughing outdoors at Dundurn Castle. The energy and ambience of this historical site will enhance our experience to new laughter heights.

2 day Laughter Yoga leader training

I must say they are the happiest group of newly trained leaders, inspired to change the world in a HUGE way.

             Testimonial from Sandy Carlin, kneeling on the floor with a chicken hat on her head

“A week ago I had the great fortune to spend a weekend taking the Laughter Yoga leader training with Kathryn Kimmins. It was a life changer.
First, let me say what an amazing person you are! You not only led us through all the intricacies of Laughter Yoga, with laughter sprinkled throughout and seriousness when needed, but you also gently guided each and every participant to bloom in their own fashion. And you were dealing with your own personal situation at the time, without letting it intrude on us.
Very good, very good, yeah!
I now find I’m much more open to laughter and happiness in all aspects of my life. An unexpected bonus is that after the first day, I realized that my painful, stiff neck and shoulders which had been bothering me for over a month had disappeared. A week later, I still have full range of motion in my neck and absolutely no pain or stiffness. Laughter yoga healed where other medical options had not! Am now in the process of putting together a plan for my first Laughter Yoga session with students this week!! – can’t wait to do it! (but also a little nervous)
Very good, very good, Yeah!!
Will keep you posted,
Sandy”

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EXCITING NEWS! On May 6, 2018 we will be celebrating World Laughter Day at the Hamilton Waterfront, Pier 8, at the waterfront stage from 10:30 – 11:30 am. Please join in on the hilarity of life and live each day after with more joy, love and peace in your heart!
We will be laughing rain or shine so dress accordingly.
See you there laughing!

World Laughter Day was created in 1998 by Dr. Madan Kataria, founder of the worldwide Laughter Yoga movement. The celebration of World Laughter Day is a positive manifestation for world peace and is intended to build up a global consciousness of brotherhood and friendship through laughter. Its popularity has grown exponentially with that of the Laughter Yoga movement now counting thousands of Laughter Clubs in more than 100 countries.

When you laugh, whether a little or a lot, do you celebrate that you’re creating opportunities, dancing with life, exchanging energy, supporting economies, feeding families, lessening poverty consciousness, demonstrating courage, validating life, eradicating fear, inviting magic into your life, and lifting humanity higher into the light?
I thought so.
You are loved and admired!

Love & Laughter blessings,
Kathryn (BIG HUGS!)

Join the wonderful community of Laughter Yoga. Search for a club nearest to you and join in with as much enthusiasm as the rest of us

Laughter Brain Training

 What is Laughter Yoga & How can it help you?!

In today’s world, people want to be healthy, they want to be happy, but instead they are getting stressed out , depressed, getting less sleep, more negative thoughts and feeling isolated. Does this sound like you? Are you someone who wants to move on and bring more laughter and joy into your life? You are in the right place. Laughter Yoga is a revolutionary idea – simple and profound. An exercise routine, it is sweeping the world and is a complete wellbeing workout. Developed by a medical doctor from India, Dr. Madan Kataria, it has spread across 72 countries. Proof laughter IS contagious….

 5 Benefits of Laughter Yoga

Good Mood and More Laughter: Laughter Yoga helps to change your mood within minutes by releasing certain chemicals from your brain cells called endorphins. You will remain cheerful and in a…

View original post 198 more words

She Who Laughs Lasts

A wonderful testimonial on the power of Laughter Yoga

Traveling Light

Yesterday I awoke and noticed snow falling softly outside my window. It made me smile. It was actually gathering on the ground for the first time this season. The cool winds of change I have been feeling of late seemed to have suddenly delivered winter. I decided to change up my regular morning regimen and attend the Montreal Laughter League instead of doing my usual yoga and meditation. I figured the laughter would provide a work out of its own, so I suited up and headed out. I had been meaning to join the Laughter League for some time, having noticed their poster up at Burritoville. They meet on the first and third Sunday of every month and I was glad to be finally dropping in. It was only about a ten-minute walk from where I am living right now. As I approached the door I noticed a gentleman…

View original post 958 more words

Laughter Yoga and Our Inner Child

“I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination”!

One can never possess what one has not imagined first. Albert Einstein’s most essential mode of discovery was what he called Gedanken – imagination games and thought experiments. He spent time every day dreaming

One day he imagined riding on a sunbeam into the universe. He mentally traveled into eternity and discovered himself returning to the place from which he began.

He concluded that if he traveled forever in one direction and returned to the place he began, the universe must be “curved.” And so was born his theory of relativity.

“Laughter makes us more imaginative and creative. It improves our sense of humour.”

~~~~~Albert Einstein

The human brain has a left and a right hemisphere. The left side of the brain is analytical, logical, and concerned with learning skills. The capacity of the left side is LIMITED. The right side of the brain is concerned with intuition, imagination, inventions, music, art, creativity, Meditation and healing. The power of the right side of the brain is UNLIMITED. One of the easiest ways to stimulate the right side of the brain is by playfulness. By being playful, it will unfold the unlimited potential of your being.

Creative geniuses are child-like (not child-ish – there’s a difference). Children are open to life; they accept miracles as a natural part of life. Children honor their dreams instead of squelching them, are naturally curious, follow their interests, go wherever their hearts lead them without asking why. They play for the sheer fun of it with no outcome in mind. They don’t worry about “looking silly” or “being right.”

Children give themselves permission to play, believing anything is possible and having few self-doubts. They paint elephants pink and grass blue; they color outside the lines; their pictures, as their lives, have no limits, no boundaries, no barriers.

“Children’s laughter, like their play, springs from their whole bodies.”
~~~Richard Lewis

The essence of the Laughter Yoga system is to cultivate childlike playfulness. This playfulness stimulates the right brain activity which is the seat of creativity. This helps to generate new ideas and new insights about workplace issues and problems.

We’ve all heard the clique “Laughter is the best medicine”. Well, I am here to tell you that it is not just a clique. Science has stepped up to prove the health benefits of laughter that humans have suspected for millennia. It raises your endorphins and serotonin levels, lowers stress hormones and blood pressure and boosts the immune system. Laughter is also a great way to increase ‘productivity and creativity’.

Psychologist Alice M. Isen and colleagues conducted a study with a group of college students to determine how laughter affects creativity. Each student was given a box of matches, a box of tacks, and a candle. They were asked how they would affix the candle to a corkboard so that when the candle was lit the wax would not drip onto the corkboard. Before attempting to solve the problem, one group of students watched a comedy film of television bloopers. The other group of students watched “Area Under a Curve”, a math film. The researchers found that 75% of the students watching the funny bloopers solved the problem correctly, whereas only 20% of students who watched the math film got it correct.

Fun, humor, laughter and playfulness all help our creative spirits. We can suddenly see the world in a different way and seeing things differently helps break old patterns, develop unique ideas and innovative ways of doing things. The good news is that you don’t need comedy or jokes to laugh! Here’s where Laughter Yoga comes in. The science has shown that simulated laughter produces the same physiological effects. So we can simply choose to laugh! Or fake it until you make it! The more you do this the easier it becomes. Eventually, there is no faking. The memory of your body and brain kick in and you are able to laugh genuinely more often with less effort and the effects on your creativity will be evident! 

Leave your adult self at home and experience the playfulness and joy you felt when you were a child.

Hamilton Grooves with Laughter Yoga meets every Sunday, upon request,  outside at Sam Lawrence Park, Hamilton, ON. from 2:00 – 3:00pm.
We meet on the west side of the drive way into the parking lot on the grass under a canopy of trees.
Everyone of all ages are welcome. Bring water to remain hydrated and a blanket and chair for our meditation.
Cost:  free
For more information please call me direct at 905-574-1765 to book.
Check out my website: www.laughyourselfhealthy.ca

Shanti, Agape, Namaste,
Kathryn

Laughter Yoga for Health Restoration

• Hosted by National Association of Professional Cancer Coaches
• Being held outdoors in a beautiful Park – Like Setting at the Battlefield
Park Labyrinth – 60 King St. W. Stoney Creek
• Indoors if Inclement Weather
• The 1st and 3rd Monday of every month
• 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm
• Free of charge
• Wheelchair Accessible
• Reduce Stress & Anxiety
• We welcome Cancer, Heart & Stroke Patients, and anyone feeling the need to restore their health
• Professional Coach on site

Laugh along with Kathryn Kimmins from Laugh Yourself Healthy on July 21 and feel all the better for it by tapping into the Best Medicine, Laughter and your child-like spirit!

Contact information:  (C)905-574-1765 (H)289-396-3961

lolheals Born at Laguna Laughter Yoga on the Beach

Laughter Brain Training

http://www.lolheals.com The Laughter Yoga Institute on Laguna Surf Resort with Jeffery Briar ans friends — with Jeffrey Briar and Marva Greenleaf in Laguna Beach, CA

Curious About Laughter Yoga?

What is Laughter Yoga & How can it help you?

In today’s world, people want to be healthy, they want to be happy, but instead they are getting stressed out , depressed, getting less sleep, more negative thoughts and feeling isolated.

Does this sound like you? Are you someone who wants to move on and bring more laughter and joy into your life? You are in the right place.

Laughter Yoga is a revolutionary idea – simple and profound. An exercise routine, it is sweeping the world and is a complete wellbeing workout. Developed by a medical doctor from India Dr. Madan Kataria and it has spread across 72 countries.

You can laugh with special guided techniques: It’s easy. Anyone can…

View original post 9,220 more words

Laughter Yoga as a Holistic Approach to Alternative Medicine

What is Laughter Yoga?

Laughter Yoga is a unique form of exercise that was founded in 1995 by Dr. Madan Kataria, a medical doctor from Mumbai, India in the form of deep yogic breathing (no poses). Its popularity is quickly spreading as people realize how it benefits all aspects of physical, emotional and mental health by helping people deal positively with stresses caused by any trigger from grief to chronic illness to everyday life.

We were born with the gift of laughter. Laughter is a natural medicine. It lifts our spirits and makes us feel happy. Laughter is a contagious emotion. It can bring people together. It can help us feel more alive and empowered. Laughter heals people, inside and outside. It releases tension, depression, soothes pain, relaxes muscles, clears the mind, and makes the spirit soar.

Research supporting laughter therapy:

A growing body of research supports the theory that laughter has therapeutic value. For years, the use of humour has been used in medicine. Surgeons used humour to distract patients from pain as early as the 13th century. Later, in the 20th century, Norman Cousins started studying the effect of humor on physical wellness. After years of his prolonged pain from a serious illness, Cousins claims to have cured himself with a self-invented regimen of laughter and vitamins. Whenever he would laugh for ten minutes he would gain two hours pain free sleep. In his 1979 book, “Anatomy of an Illness”, Cousins describes how watching comedic movies helped him recover.

Dr. Gita Suraj-Narayan, senior lecturer at the School of Social Work and Community Development, and also a Certified Laughter Yoga teacher, was inspired to carry out research exploring the bio-psycho-social impact of laughter therapy on stroke patients and to empower rural communities using Laughter Yoga with cognitive restructuring as an alternate form of therapy.

What she found was a reduction in post-stroke depression, anxiety, panic attacks, flat effect (failure to express emotions), diabetes, asthma, high blood pressure and apathy, often characterized by lethargy, irritability, sleep disturbances, lowered self esteem and withdrawal, and a reduction in stroke-related pain. It helps with enhanced mobility and the ability to walk without walking aids.

Gelotologist, Dr. Lee Berk of Loma Linda University has been called upon by major medical organizations, such as the Society for Neuroscience and the Endocrine Society to share his findings from one of his studies that showed that laughter decreases stress, lowers blood pressure, alleviates pain, and boosts the body’s immune system by releasing beneficial hormones such as dopamine, oxytocin, endorphins, serotonin, cortisol, estrogen and testosterone.

Psychiatrist Dr. William Fry from Stanford University began to examine the physiological effects of laughter in the late 1960’s and is considered the father of gelotology. One of his most famous studies indicated that 20 seconds of intense laughter can double the heart rate for three to five minutes, an accomplishment that would take three minutes of strenuous rowing exercise.

Over the years, researchers have conducted studies to explore the impact of laughter on health. After many studies they have witnessed a decrease in stress-related hormones and a boost to the immune system in participants.

Today more than ever before, people are turning to Laughter Yoga for therapy and healing. Medical journals have acknowledged that laughter therapy helps improve the quality of life for patients with chronic illnesses. Many hospitals now offer laughter therapy programs as a complementary treatment to illness.

Currently there are over 8000 clubs in 80 countries and growing every day.

Laughter Yoga Health Tip

          Hearty laughter causes the brain to release endorphin, a natural morphine that is also responsible for the ‘runner’s high’. A typical laughter yoga session can provide two hours of pain relief without drugs, making it easier for patients to retain full control of their mental abilities and keep their spirits high.

A friend of mine came to his first class and for the first 10 minutes he felt unsure, uncomfortable. Then we got into some serious, child-like  heartier laughter with a great group of women. At the end of the session I asked him how he felt and he said, “I felt younger and younger, like a 6 year old, relaxed and free”!

Ten minutes of hearty laughter leaves the body and all major organs super-oxygenized.
Ongoing cancer research shows a strong relationship between oxygen in our cells and the development of cancer. Ten minutes of laughter also has a sudden and dramatically powerful effect in strengthening the immune system.

Ten minutes of HEARTY laughter MAY deliver the equivalent of 10 minutes on a rowing machine .

Pita Pit says, “Hamilton Grooves with Laughter Yoga”!
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A reminder about my upcoming Certification workshop on becoming a Certified Laughter Yoga Leader in Hamilton on November 28 & 29, 2015!
There are still a few seats left! If you’ve already registered then please disregard this reminder.

Click here for more details:
http://laughyourselfhealthy.ca/workshops.html

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College Students Have A Giggle Fest (VIDEO) AMAZNG, heart felt
http://huff.to/1lLRz4n via @HuffPostCollege

P.S. The secret to living the life of your dreams is to start living the life of your dreams now to any degree that you can!

Have a very happy filled laughter week, ahead!

website: http://www.laughyourselfhealthy.ca

Humour, Health & Coping

Inspired Wellness is a speaker series in support of Breast Cancer Support Services.
Free admission on Monday, June 2 from 6:30 – 9:30
at First Unitarian Church of Hamilton

Guest speakers Canadian Actress, Catherine Silverglen
and Kathryn Kimmins.

Sex, Humour and Health

Please join us for this exciting event on Thursday, May 15. There are three great speakers talking about 3 interesting topics, Sex, Humour and Health.