I have stepped up, along with Laura Lou, Diane and Matt a few local laughter enthusiasts, to keep the Belmont Laughter Club going. I will be leading on the third Sunday of each month and attending the other Sundays, when I can, as a laugher versus a leader. It is so awesome to attend other clubs and be a participate. It not only frees you to truly laugh for no reason other than your health, because you can completely turn off the 'thinking mind', but I also learn so many new things from other leaders. We each have our own style, but regardless of those small differences we think you will have fun! So join us some Sunday at 4:15 pm and learn to let go and laugh yourself to freedom and health!
This will be Portland's 6th Annual World Laughter Day Celebration! World Laughter Day (WLD) is always celebrated on the first Sunday in May. Portland's own motivational humorist, Gail Hand has hosted a WLD event each year in Portland since 2004 and last year was the first year Gail & Andrea combined efforts. It was such a success that we will doing it again!!World Laughter Day 2009
When? May 2, 2010 at 12 Noon (rain or shine)
Where? the Whole Foods at NE 15th & Fremont
Why? For the pure joy of it! We set aside this day to send a message of joy & hope. We want to get more people laughing & urge the world to lighten up!
Who? All ages; Anyone ready to laugh or who is interested in learning the tools of Laughter Yoga
What? Laughter Yoga. Prizes. Fun and fellowship!
We hope to spread the joy of laughter to more people during World Laughter Day. Will you help us by forwarding this information to someone you know who might be interested? Thank you for your support!
Awakenings Laughter Club to celebrate first anniversary
Portland, OR—
The Awakenings Laughter Club has been filling a small studio in SE Portland with peals of laughter since last October. Led by Andrea Crisp, a certified Laughter Yoga Teacher and Holistic Health Counselor, the club currently has members ranging from ages 23 to 70. All ages are welcome and regular attendance is not required. Some members come alone, some in pairs; some every week, others only during the summer or whenever their schedules allow. But everyone enjoys the many scientifically proven health benefits of hearty laughter.
The club at Awakenings is currently the only free, regularly scheduled laughter club active in the Portland area. The Awakenings Laughter Club meets every Tuesday morning from 7:10 to 7:40 am in the studio at Awakenings Wellness Center at 1016 SE 12th Ave. The weekly club is free, although donations are collected for the use of the space. Members will be celebrating the anniversary all month long. Everyone is invited to join in the fun this month or in the future! Members wish to thank Jim Davis, the owner of Awakenings, for his initial and ongoing support. For more information on the free club or other Laughter Yoga events in Portland check out http://www.portlandlaughteryoga.com.
The unique concept of Laughter Yoga was created in 1995 by Dr. Madan Kataria, a physician in Mumbai, India. He realized that laughter truly could be "the best medicine," and started working with a small group of people in a city park. They discovered that anyone could laugh for 15-20 minutes without depending upon a sense of humor, jokes, or comedy. It has since grown into a worldwide movement with more than 6000 clubs in over 60 countries around the world. The concept of Laughter Yoga has been featured on Oprah, Dancing with the Stars, Wife Swap, CNN and the BBC. For more information on the movement check out Laughter Yoga International’s web site at http://www.laughteryoga.org.
Club members laughing during the laughter meditation at the 1 Year Anniversary Celebration!
Check out my guest blog posting on "Laughter & Auto-immune Disease" at the local Portland blog "My Life Works Today" (MLWT). MLWT is a local non-profit who's mission is to inspire individuals who are living with all forms of lupus and lupus-related illnesses by being a strong resource of opportunities reflecting the potential and well-being of Oregon and SW Washington communities. This is my second guest appearance on the MLWT Blog.
I was so please when Maria contacted me to be a guest blogger earlier in the year. My late husband, Jeff, suffered from Lupus and died from Lupus related complications at the beginning of 2005, so sharing my knowledge with this target group has extra special meaning.
Laughter Yoga is a unique new physical activity where anyone can learn to laugh for no reason at all! It is a perfect blend of playful and energizing laughter exercises. These laughter exercises are interspersed with gentle yogic breathing and stretching exercises, rhythmic clapping and chanting. Laughter Yoga, a growing phenomenon started in 1995 by Dr. Madan Kataria, a Mumbai, India physician, has people getting together to laugh for no reason at all, other than the health and fun of it. Since then, Laughter Yoga has grown into a global movement with more than 6,000 clubs in over 60 countries!
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 seratonin levels, lowers stress hormones and blood pressure and boost 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 were Laughter Yoga comes in. The science has show 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 eaiser 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!
Statements here have not been approved by the FDA. None of the suggestions given here on this website or offline by Portland Laughter Yoga nor Andrea Crisp are intended to diagnose or treat. Please consult your physician before starting any new exercise routine. Click here for more information on Laughter Yoga contraindications.
Friday, July 30, 2010 at 2:29PM 
I have stepped up, along with Laura Lou, Diane and Matt a few local laughter enthusiasts, to keep the Belmont Laughter Club going. I will be leading on the third Sunday of each month and attending the other Sundays, when I can, as a laugher versus a leader. It is so awesome to attend other clubs and be a participate. It not only frees you to truly laugh for no reason other than your health, because you can completely turn off the 'thinking mind', but I also learn so many new things from other leaders. We each have our own style, but regardless of those small differences we think you will have fun! So join us some Sunday at 4:15 pm and learn to let go and laugh yourself to freedom and health!
