| Laughing Buddha |
| LAFF LINES |
| THE LAUGHTER YOGA NEWSLETTER PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY LAUGHTER YOGA USA EDITOR: KHEVIN BARNES Email: BellyLaughers@ Aol.com |
| FEATURED LAUGHTER YOGA TEACHER We salute another Laughter Yoga Teacher from around the world. ____________________________ LYNDA TOURLOUKIS What is your name? So far on the journey I have arrived at Laughable Lynda, it keeps me from getting to serious with myself. Legally however it's Lynda Tourloukis How did you discover Laughter Yoga? Looking for something better than all the drama I took my husband for a birthday present to the Humor Project in New York, he says it was one of his favorite gifts. I heard about Laughter Yoga and knew I wanted to know more, yet in the meantime I was imagining all kinds of funny poses. When I had decided the new year was going to hold something more for me I remembered the laughter yoga and looked it up online. I was signed up in minutes for the leader training and the teacher training. When the most unbelievable snow storm cancelled the training I was on the next plane to San Diego laughing all the way. What is the greatest reward you've received from Laughter Yoga? Only one are you kidding? Zero to ha in 3 seconds flat! I love that I can fall so easily and instantly into laughter and that is so rich and full. Generally now when I come into a room they all start laughing (those that know me of course- the rest join in quickly). I would have a complex if it wasn't such a compliment. Where do you practice/lead Laughter Yoga? The daily laughter call I host at nine has been such a blessing in building the laughter everyday. The mirror is also another tool I use because I always have someone to laugh with and the weekly laughter club I host keeps me committed to the real deal. Trainings really lift me into a whole new reality of fun and joy and what an inspiring kind of thing to be able to lead others into their own laughter...that's how I roll Your Laughter Yoga goals? It seems when you are in the laughter zone it all just materializes instantly. I set plans and ha ha ha the direction changes. When I get really intentional however and just get excited I keep my focus on ways to send the laughter outward and use it to promote leadership and show others it doesn't have to be hard when you laugh. I suddenly have a publisher for a project I have been passionate about and hope to direct my writing toward the ways laughter has been a blast in my life and some of the things that have resulted. I am also planning to create the Chicago Coalition of Chuckles for laughter leaders/teachers and CLL's in our area for support and resource. You just create more when you get together with others and everybody wins. Do you have a website or contact email? www.youcansayyes.com www.followthelaughter.com www.labyrinthlessons.com www.parkridgelaughter.com email: Lynda@youcansayyes.com woohootime.com is coming soon! A favorite Laughter Yoga exercise? So many exercises...and you want me to choose....ha ha ha. I first began liking the one meter because it built up and let it all go, though now I love to simply laugh for no reason....it so ignites others around you and that is a gift that comes right back! |
The Interactive newsletter for all who laugh AUDIO VIDEO COMMENTARY PICTURES & WORDS |
LAUGHTER An evolutionary perspective We believe laughter evolved from the panting behavior of our ancient primate ancestors. Today, if we tickle chimps or gorillas, they don’t laugh “ha ha ha” but exhibit a panting sound. That’s the sound of ape laughter. And it’s the root of human laughter. Apes laugh in conditions in which human laughter is produced, like tickle, rough and tumble play, and chasing games. Other animals produce vocalizations during play, but they are so different that it’s difficult to equate them with laughter. Rats, for example, produce high-pitch vocalizations during play and when tickled. But it’s very different in sound from human laughter. When we laugh, we’re often communicating playful intent. So laughter has a bonding function within individuals in a group. It’s often positive, but it can be negative too. There’s a difference between “laughing with” and “laughing at.” People who laugh at others may be trying to force them to conform or casting them out of the group. No one has actually counted how much people of different ages laugh, but young children probably laugh the most. At ages 5 and 6, we tend to see the most exuberant laughs. Adults laugh less than children, probably because they play less. And laughter is associated with play. We have learned a lot about when and why we laugh, much of it counter-intuitive. Work now underway will tell us more about the brain mechanisms of laughter, how laughter has evolved and why we’re so susceptible to tickling — one of the most enigmatic of human behaviors. Robert Provine, Ph.D., is a professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. He is completing a book entitled “Laughter” that is scheduled to be published this fall by Little, Brown and Company. |
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ISSUE # 6
| LAUGHTER SOUND BITE A ROAR FOR LION LAUGHTER |
LAUGHTER YOGA LEADER TRAINING IS NOW AVAILABLE BY PHONE!!! GAGA BARNES HAS TAKEN HER INNOVATIVE "LAUGHTER YOGA ON THE PHONE" TO ANOTHER LEVEL. YOU CAN TRAIN AND BE CERTIFIED IN 7 WEEKS WITH ONE SESSION PER WEEK. CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS! |
| CROWDED ELEVATOR LAUGHTER With THANKS to the Carlsbad Seniors Laughter Group |
The celestial Buddha named Hotei or
Pu-Tai is best known as the jolly
Laughing Buddha. In China, he is known
as the Loving or Friendly One. He is
based on an eccentric Chinese Ch'an
(Zen) monk who lived over 1,000 years
ago and has become a significant part
of Buddhist and Shinto culture. Because
of this monk's benevolent nature, he
came to be regarded as an incarnation
of the bodhisattva who will be Maitreya
(the Future Buddha). His large
protruding stomach and jolly smile have
given him the common designation
"Laughing Buddha."
Pu-Tai is best known as the jolly
Laughing Buddha. In China, he is known
as the Loving or Friendly One. He is
based on an eccentric Chinese Ch'an
(Zen) monk who lived over 1,000 years
ago and has become a significant part
of Buddhist and Shinto culture. Because
of this monk's benevolent nature, he
came to be regarded as an incarnation
of the bodhisattva who will be Maitreya
(the Future Buddha). His large
protruding stomach and jolly smile have
given him the common designation
"Laughing Buddha."
| PHEATURED PHOTO OF THE MONTH |
| LAUGHTER YOGA SALUTE TO THE SKY |