Laughter Workshop: "Laughter Yoga"

Laugh for No Reason

Free your Laughter with Laughter Yoga

In this workshop, you discover the joy of laughing for no reason. An experienced laugh leader proposes a series of Laughter Yoga exercises that produce laughter without the use of humour. Why wait for the joke when you can laugh at will and enjoy the benefits of laughing as much as you desire?

You will have the opportunity to throw off inhibitions and laugh more intensely and longer than your usual everyday laughter, enhancing your ability to express your feelings through the body, while freeing yourself from the fear of being ridiculous. This is made possible by the stimulating effect of laughing in a group — laughter is contagious, and the more the merrier.

Laughing for no reason makes you happy for no reason. You come to realize in the instant that you don’t need special circumstances, a pile of possessions or success in your goals to be happy. This is freedom, freedom from seriousness.

Laughter from the body, rather than from humour and the intellect.

The workshop does not use humour to provoke laughter. What is the secret? We pretend to laugh in order to provoke real laughter. It is like a child’s game of make believe. Like actors in a play. Laughter is generated directly by the action of the body.

When we use humour, the intellect first recognizes a funny situation, and this triggers laughter in the body. In this workshop, we do the opposite. We start by laughing, and this produces a humorous feeling. “It’s not because it’s funny that we laugh, it’s because we laugh that it’s funny”.

Child’s play

We are not “forcing” laughter, but rather playing with laughter. Laughter and play go hand in hand, are complementary. While the action in the workshop is centered on laughing, the spirit of the workshop is that of the playful child. And the experience can serve as an inspiration, pointing to the direction in which you want to take your life: less serious, more playful.

Increasing your laughter capacity

The workshop replaces stress, worries and anxiety with an inner smile. You will feel more relaxed, energized and happy. Just as a physical workout develops your aerobic capacity, a laughter workout develops your capacity for playfulness. It is like “inner jogging”, a “laugh workout” or “laughercise”. And if you repeat the experience regularly, for example, in a weekly Laughter Club, you may even become a lighter, more optimistic and laughing person in general.

As “laughter is the best medicine”, your mental and physical health receives a positive boost. Too much stress is bad for your health, and laughter provides a natural release from stress. It can even spur your creativity, as the best new ideas often seem funny at first, and conversely, being in a mirthful mood creates a space for the emergence of innovative, creative ideas.

Connecting in organizations and Team Building

Laughter is said to be “the shortest path between two people”. Group laughter in organizations, in schools, associations, senior residences, etc., can serve to break the ice between strangers, or bring people who know each other closer. In the workplace it serves as a teambuilding exercise, helping to defuse stressful situations, and generally promote a positive and productive work atmosphere.

A therapeutic meditation

Laughing for no reason is based on a meditation technique called Laughter Meditation. Therapy focuses on changing undesirable behaviours. Laughter meditation reinforces what is positive in you, rather than trying to change negative behaviours. This is the principle behind “positive psychology”, the scientific study of the sources of happiness. When you laugh, your “problems” simply disappear. Your body is too busy laughing for you to be able to think about problems. And the practice of uninhibited expression can lead to lasting changes in behaviour, a greater freedom to be oneself, without judgment. Laughter meditation therefore serves as a “therapeutic meditation”.

Laughter Yoga

The Laugh for No Reason workshop was developed in the 1980s by John Lejderman based on the technique of Laughter Meditation as advocated by Osho Rajneesh. It turned out that in India, in 1995, Dr. Kataria invented a similar approach and called it Laughter Yoga. The Laughter Yoga clubs he launched became a worldwide phenomenon. John was both inspired and influenced by this development, so that the two approaches are now essentially the same. The “Laugh for No Reason” workshop is a combination of Laughter Yoga and Laughter Meditation.

Request for information

receive a free laughter recording for laughter meditation

Request for information

receive a free laughter recording for laughter meditation

TO ORGANIZE A LAUGHTER YOGA WORKSHOP IN YOUR ORGANIZATION IN PERSON IN THE GREATER MONTREAL AREA OR ELSEWHERE IN QUEBEC, OR ONLINE WITH ZOOM, click here to send a request for information.

TO RECEIVE AN INVITATION TO THE NEXT PUBLIC ONLINE LAUGHTER YOGA WORKSHOP by Zoom, leave your contact details in the form below. You will also receive a link to a recording of laughter you can use to do Laughter Meditation yourself at home.

Your email will not be used for purposes other than laughter events and our mailings are few and far between. Cancel at any time.