René Descartes - true or false?

My thinking pose - ha!

'I think therefore I am' most famously stated by René Descartes - based on a series of dreams in which he found his grounds for pursuing true wisdom through his pursuit of science.

'Thinking', was the very basic truth he found based on these visions.

This is, of course, a very brief account of his very profound discoveries and ways in which to look at logic and science...

Many great philosopers have come and gone and some have even had a word or two to say about laughter - and a lot about the philosophy of humour!

The definition of humour is that it is a person's ability to perceive something or someone in a more funny way. It is brainy work and thinking, the work of our intellect, that is required in order to find humour funny and in order to laugh at comedy.

So, in order to bring more laughter into life we have to think a lot to find comedy funny but to stop thinking too much about why we laugh in order to find more things funny as in comedy and humour... Woah! that's a bit of a mind-boggler...

Over the past week I have watched a great deal of comedy, incl. Eddie Izzard, Peter Kay, Michael Mcintyre, Friends, Red Dwarf, Robin Hood - men in tights, Blazing Saddles, Bruce Almighty, Friends - you'd think I watch TV all the time but I don't.

All of what I have watched is very different in the sense of its humour and comedy, some is subtle, clever, daft, inappropriate, potically incorrect etc. All of it made me laugh out loud!

So what makes comedy funny?

I have not always laughed at comedy because 'I was too clever for it' - you probably know what I mean by saying that...

Sometimes we think too much about it instead of just being with the laughter, and with less judgement in thought more laughter may indeed arrive. Imagination and creativity is being nurtured when we laugh, and we find more things funny in real life. We don't take ourselves too seriously and we don't get angry at people when we THINK they laugh at our expense.

H. C. Andersen - not The Thinker but puts thought and imagination into fairytales for children and grown-ups.

Often people come to laughter clubs or laughter sessions with the very same issue, they don't laugh anymore, they don't have a sense of humour. Sometimes they even say 'Make me laugh!' - but guess what? In Laughter Yoga we don't make people laugh. We help people find their own laughter, their own joy, inside.

It is easy to laugh when we have comedy and people around who can make us laugh but let's face it, the news is full of bad, sad, horrible news and rarely things that are funny and encouraging to read.

When our laughter dwindles away, when it becomes less and less active we find less fun in life in general and laughter dwindles even more.

However, when we laugh we nurture our inner spirit of laughter and joy, and we play with fun and lightheartedness, we cultivate our laughter in a way where we can enjoy life with all its magic and miracles.

A key reason to learn Laughter Yoga and practice Laughter Yoga is to find that inner spirit and allow for it to surface and have fun - in all parts of life! There is so much bounty in Laughter Yoga - ask me why and what and how.

Don't wait for others to change you, don't wait for others to make you laugh or make you do anything - laugh and stop thinking too much about why you laugh.

'Be the change you want to see in the world' a great leader once said.


And on a final note, wishing you health, wealth and happiness plus unconditional laughter:

'I laugh - therefore I am, more than when I think.' thought by a 20th century pocket-philosopher, me!

Cultivating play - especially for grown-ups!

How much do we continue to be playful once we enter adolescense?

For some reason it seems young men and perhaps men in general maintain the ability to be playful to a higher degree than women do - or at least that is how it often comes across to the female gender...

I can only speak from my own experience, of course.

I bet the male population has heard the phrase 'oh grow up' far more often than the female population!

Hahaha - it is lovely and fun to have a childlike side and a fun-loving perspective on life!

Playing is fun and playing is an essential part of life - at work, in relationships, in life in general!

Playing doesn't necessarily mean telling daft jokes and being comical, being funny through intake of alcohol, or daft in any unflattering way, playing when being adults is about unleashing creativity and unblocking the right side of the brain in order to access an unmeasurable idea pool.

When laughing, and in particular as in Laughter Yoga, we do exactly that!

We let go of inhibitions that are built up in the left brain side along with conditions we are supposed to adhere by and ways to act and behave in specific situations.  All the learned behaviours that we have adopted and adapted to over the years of growing up.

It is wonderful to be able to inspire playfulness and joy in others and I have much respect for anyone who is willing to learn laughter and play at an adult age - we really need it, we really need joy in this world of seriousness and anxiety.

Our world flourishes with joy and laughter - let's make laughter and joy count - now!

Laughter Yoga is a true advocacy for play, song, dance, laughter - all the elements of joy, try it today, don't wait until one day when the time it right, because if you look in your diary there really is no 'one day' and 'the right time' is never right.

Find laughter or ask for laughter via www.unitedmind.co.uk - we are all in favour of a good laugh in any language!

PS this blog is not promotional in any way but sometimes I can't help mentioning the work I love so much.

Study leave and summer???

Life unfolds in wonderous ways if you just watch, listen, learn and stop watching and move - as long as you keep your senses open to the miracles that constantly happen around us.

The rain, the grass, the trees, the sun, the bees, the flowers - the spiders that hide in the corners this time of year and make teenage girls jump and scream!

Oh yes, there is no way I ever get a chance to notice these little wonders!

The tiniest of spiders that are considered lucky - they are the young spiders that brings witness to the older spiders' productive breeding season...

In Denmark we call them 'Flying Summer' because they crawl out on branches and make a small thread which once it is long enough the wind will sweep the little spider away to new places.

Of course, it is a bit early in the season to talk about 'flying sommer' because they do not take off until late summer or early autumn.

So why mention them now?

A similar thing happens just now......

Now is the time where young people go on study leave for the final GCSE exams in their secondary school experience - next step on the way is 6th Form or college or whichever choice these amazing and talented youngsters make.

Exam time is a stressful time in a person's study no matter age and level of study - it is a testing time where we set ourselves unprecedented expectations and of course the young people in our care - we want them to do well!

How fantastic it would be to find Laughter Yoga on the curriculum for any future exam-go'er!  The way in which we can deal with stressful situations following a good set of laughter exercises has tremendous value to anyone who try this practice.

As Dr. Madan Kataria expresses it in his writings:

'Laughter is one of the finest, most economical and easy-to-practice anti-stress measures. Laughter is one of the best muscle-relaxants. Laughter expands blood vessels and sends more blood to the extremities and muscles all over the body.  A good bout of laughter also reduces the levels of stress hormones, epineprine and cortisol.'

I look forward to Laughter Yoga and Therapeutic Laughter being added to the standard learnings in all schools around the world - now THAT is a vision!

Good luck to you all!

A Thought on Possibilities and Love...

Almost 15 years ago I went to an introduction to a course that teaches you the reality of who your and and how you can be your own natural and powerful self.

Looking at life without always blaming circumstances and removing responsibility from the self, a journey in self-discovery, looking for possibilities instead of road-blocks and obstacles.

It was a great choice for me at that point in time!

I do apologise to anyone who on my journey felt a bit intimidated by the constant 'going-on-and-on-and-on' and my excitement about the programme.

Had I not completed the training I might not have ventured on this journey of life-changing possibilities and met with so many amazing people with a different perspective on life than the traditional ways you learn when you work in traditional business with traditional methods (no offence to anyone - I loved my work, I'm just extremely happy to be where I am now).

The course taught me about letting go of upsets and other people's stuff which I can't change even if I wanted to, it taught me that expectations are the root of many upsets and that it doesn't mean that it's wrong it only means that there are different ways of looking at 'what's there'...

Today I have an amazing business where I work with wonderful people from around the world, people who trust that I am the business partner and teacher they expect hahaha and I get the loveliest feedback on my trainings and workshops, I feel humbled and the sense of 'I'm not worthy' cos I learn, too, every time I teach and every time I meet new people.

The key is, that with an open mind, you meet people and relate to people in a loving way no matter the walk of life, circumstances, background and all that stuff we all bring with us.

Life unfolds in a magical way and although I don't know how everything ends in the end - I know that I choose to be happy and content with everything I have and have not at this moment in time!

My life is full of love, my love, my daughter, my family, my friends, laughter, and I firmly believe that it is all there for a reason - and the reason is not for me to cling onto it but to share it to the best of my ability, and grow with it and grow with love and in love!

CHI!

The Laughter Blog - back on track...

And so it happened that a few years passed without blogging - although, FaceBook status writing often has taken the shape of a minor blog... So much to say in such a little space!

On with it! Blogging, yes.

What is it all about - The Laughter Blog?

My original idea was to share with anyone who would incidentially drop in any thoughts on laughter and how to embrace a joyful way of being in a society that is hugely dependent on the opposite - even with a highly focused community agenda stating happiness and health is top priority!

Well, I am not a politician and able to say what is in fact being done, but instead I know what works for me, how to deal with challenges and take action - I would have made a terrible politician...

Laughter, then!

The message is clear - laughter brings us together, no matter background, perspective, ability etc.

For that brief moment we laugh, we connect and are at peace.

Then why is it that so many of us choose not to laugh and by saying that, I really mean 'choose' because it is a choice.

The trouble is, though, that most of us don't see that but rely on circumstances to dictate out outward expression and therefore remove the responsibility from the self.

'Make me laugh' - how many times have I heard this... and how many times have I replied by telling people that I am not here to make you laugh, I am not a comedian, I am only here to inspire you to find your inner sparkle and joy, and to express it as a big laugh!

How can that possibly be possible?

I believe the challenge is to find a way of laughing when there is no one around to make us laugh and in that way laughing becomes a conscious choice.  Even if there is nothing to laugh at we still have the deeply ingrained ability to laugh and feel joyful - how you do it is what is the initial hurdle...

For 14 years I have known about Laughter Yoga, and I have practiced it for 10 years.

What is great about Laughter Yoga is that it is an expression that is not based on religion, politics, background, ability or any other profitable onsets - it is purely a way of exercising those inner chuckle-organs and become joyful from regular laughter.

By exercising I mean 10-15 minutes as a minimum and by regular, I mean daily.

But... who wouldn't want that?

With all the different types of positive thinking alerts, attraction of the Universe, thoughts become things etc. - we are all looking for something that works!

Laughter Yoga works!

It is not a cure all but it comes pretty close...

Through daily practice of Laughter Yoga and the different breathing techniques taught through the Laughter Yoga teachings your mindset changes and once your mindset changes, the world around you start to change.  Not necessarily because it changes physically, however, through your changed mental attitude the world is becoming a tad more inviting, inspiring, nurturing, exciting, evolved around the joy you are beginning to feel sprout inside your being.

Wow! it sounds like I'm on a mission to spread laughter - and guess what!?!?! I really am cos I know what it means to me - but it is your own choice.

Have I repeated any of my past words from past years' blogs? If that's the case, please bear with me while I get up to scratch on my writings and start where starting needs to be started.

Wishing you lots of laughter and longevity!

Experiences in Life, Love and Laughter

Long time no posts!

It has been a couple of years since last blog and lots of things have happened in the meantime.

One thing that never cease to surprise me, though, is how some people completely lack the ability to understand how change comes from within and that maintaining a negative attitude is only self-harming in the long run and only few will stand up for it...

Is it because laughter creates powerful changes in our mind state that some people avoid laughter in order to uphold their dramas and negative stories? The fear of change coz it may mean giving up the negative thoughts and stories we believed for so long were our 'life'?

Last year I was involved in an amazing project, exploring different aspect of experiences and how they can be interpreted differently when you creatively join music and video. What a fun and fantastic project - that in the end turned into 'sour grapes'...

Experiences embrace all the events we enter into on a daily basis and whether we call them good or bad, they are nonetheless experiences, and 'good' or 'bad' is merely a stamp we attach to them because we want to blame someone else if things go in a different direction than expected...

Experiences are about all the things we go through - laughing, crying, loving, not-loving, enjoying, disliking, screaming, quiet, withdrawn, outgoing, thinking and so on... They create us as individuals and we choose our life perspective from the total sum of our experiences.

And we can change our perspective!

People go through hardship and sad times but we can choose for those experiences to NOT seep through our being and create a negative persona, we can choose to learn and move on - creating an open space of opportunity for new experiences.

In the name of experiences the blogger wrote:

Monday, July 5, 2010

We don't need laughter on this planet. Just Whisky! :)

Let's ban laugh from our lives. Up the glasses and cheers. This is life ... Water of Life as Whisky means...
Posted by at 5:50 AM 0 comments

The foundation for Experiences is completely different, embracing emotions and feelings on all levels. Who on earth ever got long-term joy from drinking?

We do need laughter - and we need lots of it. One reason...? To combat negativity and fear of change.

The world is changing and people are adopting new and positive ways of viewing life, changing their negative thought patterns and creating the change in life around them.

Never underestimate the power of a good laugh!

Blog Delays...

Back after summer holidays realising a blog may not have been the best of ideas - or is it?

This summer has brought a lot of fantastic news and among it - eight new Laughter Yoga Leaders in the UK and Greece.

To step into the Dr. Katria Laughter Yoga footsteps is still pretty groundbreaking - even after 12 years of working the magic around the world.

In the UK it is still a strange way of expressing yourself in a far-too-much-kinda way. So - what makes us Brits so different from the rest of the world?

Well, being a non-Brit in the UK I think our inhibitions as "islanders", and as such being separate from the rest of the world, is SO ingrown that anybody who is slightly OTT or behaving in a different manner from the well-polished British way, is deemed to be somewhat peculiar and people tend to put on an overbearing attitude or simply look the other way.

But - does that mean British people don't laugh? No way! Brits have a great sense of humour but not everyone is born with it and not everyone laughs at the same joke...

So, why not learn to laugh without it? Without having a reason to laugh? This is where it starts being a bit strange to many, because most of us are brought up believing for a fact that we have to have a reason to laugh!

Hey - we do it anyway!

Congratulation to the seven British people who trained to become Laughter Yoga Leaders this summer and who are now changing the face of Britain!

And - just for the record - I love the UK and the people of the UK of which I am one!