How can I possibly put into words, my second visit to Bangalore, India. A series of intense emotions filled my heart, every step of the way.

From the first moments of my visit to Bangalore last August, for Laughter Yoga Teacher training, with Dr. Madan Kataria, I  knew that I would be returning. Bangalore felt familiar, although very different than anything I’ve ever experienced. I felt safe, welcomed, honoured and blessed with every breath I took, with every day that passed, Bangalore and it’s people grew closer to my heart…like a second home!

This time was definitely not different. The excitement was overwhelming as I landed, greeted by a familiar smiling face, Arjun, Dr. Kataria’s driver. I could feel that great things were going to happen, and I was looking forward to the All India 3-day conference. It promised to be a grand event, and it sure was!

The first evening, I joined my teacher, Dr. Madan Kataria, at a Laughter Club in the park. Greeted by the joyful eyes of the group, I met a fellow Laughter Yoga teacher , Jorge, who came all the way from Mexico to join the experience.

The second day, was …well…WOW! So many people gathered, rushing to register and awaiting with joy and enthusiasm for the conference to begin. A new friend , and fellow Laughter Yoga teacher, Doreen, from Canada, joined Jorge and I, as the three International speakers.

A warm and festive welcome, with dancing , singing, clapping and cheering! The conference had begun! The 3 days were unforgettable. The experience was like no other! We bonded with 500 people, through the energy of laughter and joy. I saw some old friends and met so many new ones. The connection with people was so genuine and based on the mutual respect and appreciation that we all have for the Laughter Yoga movement for world peace and well-being.

We learned and practiced laughter exercises, watched videos from all around the world, and best of all, shared our personal experiences with each other. It was incredible to hear people’s stories up close and personal, and witness the depth of emotions through their eyes as they spoke about how laughter had changed their life experience.

500 people bonded, laughed, danced, sang, cheered, and loved together. The energy of that is undeniable and everlasting.

Jorge , Doreen and I had the chance to spend a little more time together and visited Bangalore, still in the joy of what we had come away with at the conference. Beautiful experiences found us, and we had the chance to put our talents and our positive energies to good use! We took every opportunity that came along to spread laughter and joy to every place we went.

…and now, to share a few of those special moments with all of you, Jorge has created an amazing video. May the energy of our joy touch you too.

Until next time, Bangalore! Love and laughter…

This Wednesday & Thursday, November 25 & 26th 2009, was the opening of Laughter Yoga Cyprus!

I was delighted and overwhelmed by the great response and turn-out for our first sessions.

On Wednesday, our Laughter Club had a perfect balance of people from all different ages, and backgrounds. It was amazing to witness the bonding and the joy of this wonderful group coming together for the first time, to laugh!

Thursday's group was even more ready to go! I am sure that the laughter from the previous day, left the room full of positive energy, and we all surely felt it at our second session. The group bonded immediately and laughed, laughed, laughed!

I am truly blessed to have the support of so many people willing to share their laughter with me. Our common ground is the willingness and the commitment to learn new ideas and to work towards our wellbeing, in mind, body and spirit! I saw immediate change in many of my new laughter friends, change in their faces, bodies and energies from the time they walked in, to the time they left. What a beautiful experience!

Our sessions...

On both days, we started with a short introduction to what Laughter Yoga is all about. We explained the many benefits laughter can bring to our lives, from health to fitness and of course to our minds.

It was obvious that many of my new laughter friends were able to take full advantage even from the first session, as they relased a lot of emotional stress with their wonderful laughter. We all worked very well together, and got off to a wonderful new start.

Our chant was a big hit! The words " Very good, very good, YEY!" echoed louder and louder in the room with the joyous sound of laughter.

Our efforts showed results and we were all more than willing to show ourselves and each other appreciation! "Very good, very good, yey!"

Towards the end of the session, as we had all worked so hard on our laughter, I surprised everyone with a grounding dance. This is a simple dance with arm moves and " HO HO HA HA "exhalations, as we followed African drum beats. It normalizes our energy after a laughter session, to avoid feelings of emptiness, sadness or even anger due to the release of so much emotional stress. It was exactly what we all needed and some of us even got a little funky with our dance moves! Fantastic vibes!

To end the session; a candle lit room, soft Indian meditation music and a guided body relaxation. It was 10 minutes of releasing our bodies and minds to the soft flow of our breath and enjoyed being in the moment.

Live life with love and laughter!

This Laughter Yoga video is a compilation of various news reports shown on popular U.S television, as well as documentary by John Cleese, U.K, when he visited Mumbai for a personal experience with Laughter Yoga, joining some free Laughter Yoga Clubs. The full John Cleese documentary is also available by clicking 'videos'.

A wonderful part of this video is the presentation of some Laughter Yoga exercises in different parts of the world. It shows us that, although we all come from different backgrounds and cultures, we all still laugh the same! Just by watching this short video, you will come to a basic understanding of what Laughter Yoga may bring to your life and maybe get a few chuckles too! Enjoy!