"Make it for Maggie" Fundraiser

"Very good, very good, YAY!"



These words echoed through the room as nearly thirty women gathered in the spirit of joy and love to participate in a special Laughter Yoga session as part of the fundraising event called "Make it for Maggie." The project originated as part of Maggie's Month, a philanthropy project intended to get families involved in working together on things that make a difference in the world. My good friends Tracy and Kat took this idea one step further, orchestrating an amazing community event that involved many, many families, and many, many people!

The idea was this: a couple of dozen women volunteered their time and skills to teach classes in their particular area of expertise. Kat and Tracy organized the classes in a venue which allowed for multiple classes to be ongoing simultaneously, then sold tickets to the full day's events. For $15 you could come and take as many classes as you wanted, all day! All of the proceeds went directly to Maggie for her medical treatments.

I was honored to be a part of this amazing event, and taught two classes during the day. I made my debut as a raw food instructor, demonstrating (among other things) how to lovingly massage kale leaves (yes, you read that correctly: massaging vegetables. ha ha ha!) to break down the tough cellulose fibers and create a stunningly beautiful, tender, healthy, and delicious raw kale salad! Beet and apple salad and raw energy bars rounded out the vibrantly colorful and tasty menu, and I had a fantastic time sharing my experiences with raw, living food!

My second class was, of course, a wildly fun Laughter Yoga session. More than twenty five women joined me on the stage (!) for a fun-filled hour of joyful expression through laughter.

Maggie, age four, is undergoing hyperbaric oxygen therapy as part of her treatment for cerebral palsy. And so one of the exercises we did was hyperbaric laughter therapy, in which we envisioned laughter molecules infusing every cell of our bodies, just as the 100% oxygen chamber infuses oxygen into the body during the pressurized treatments. Laughter molecules, indeed! Ha ha ha!

In all, the day was a remarkable success, raising enough money for several treatments for Maggie and bringing together a talented, caring, wonderful group of women for a memorable day. Tracy and Kat, you are an inspiration to us all; thank you so much for organizing this fantastic event! My world has been expanded by you and by the spunky spirit of Maggie, her mom, and their journey.

I am reminded of a quote by Leo Tolstoy: "The sole meaning of life is to serve humanity." Indeed, this is why we are here, to contribute in some way, big or small, to making a difference in the lives of others.

Laugh on, my friends!

Laughter By the Falls

Pictured here is the Snake River as it passes through downtown Idaho Falls; the falls here are THE Idaho Falls! On sunny, warm days, our laughter club meets on the Greenbelt amidst the trees pictured on the right side of the above photo. Amazingly, we had lovely warm weather today and laughed outdoors in the grass--even without jackets! Extraordinary autumn weather...what a gift!

Crazy Hat Day!

This week's Laughter Club was "Crazy Hat Day", gearing up for Halloween!

Idaho Laughter is ON!

Yahoo! The "Laughter By the Falls" Lunchtime Laughter Club has officially launched! There were eight of us for the inaugural session last Tuesday, and today, the second session, twenty two of us laughed together in the sunshine! (The above photo doesn't include those who had to dash back to work immediately following the session.)

While there are hundreds of laughter clubs in the U.S., and thousands of laughter clubs around the world in more than 65 countries, there was not--until last week--a laughter club in Idaho. What a joy to remedy THAT situation! Here we come!

We've been blessed with idyllic autumn weather thus far--a blessing from the laughter gods, I say, haha!--and have been soaking up the sunshine in the park along the river in downtown Idaho Falls. (The location is the southwest corner of the intersection of Memorial Drive and E Street, just where Riverside Drive turns into E Street.)

Laughter yoga incorporates laughter exercises with yoga breathing techniques, and the sky's the limit when it comes to inventing laughter exercises! Today, among other things, I took us on an imaginary field trip to celebrate fall harvest. We mentally traveled to a farm, where we smelled flowers, discovered we were allergic to those flowers (ah-ah-ah-CHOO-hahahaha!), picked apples (reaching for the top of the tree, naturally), hauled heavy pumpkins from a pumpkin patch, chased the chickens that had gotten out of the coop, and then, for the grand finale, we pretended we WERE the chickens. This last exercise had me laughing so hard I could hardly stand up. I don't know about you, but I'd venture that you haven't lived until you have been in a group of people strutting around a public park making chicken sounds and flapping your elbows like wings. HAHAHAHAHA! It was hilarity, indeed. Even now, hours later, I am rendered nearly incapable of typing as I double over with uncontrolled laughter at the memory of the scene.... { *snort* ~ *tears streaming down cheeks* ~ HAHAHA!}

My favorite activity today, though, was the "celebrity" laughter, in which we formed two lines about six feet apart, as though we were lining the red carpet. One by one, we took turns walking through the "crowd", reveling in the applause, while the rest of us cheered and whooped and clapped wildly with genuine appreciation and joy! Talk about affirming--what a feeling to be celebrated in this way, for no reason other than just being YOU! Wow! I wish I could create this kind of "laughter line" for everyone in the world; wouldn't it be amazing if EVERYONE could feel this kind of love and appreciation from everyone else?



The laughter yoga session today concluded with a marvelous laughter meditation, as pictured here:



...and then a guided relaxation, which was once again enhanced by the delicious warmth of the sun's rays on our faces as we melted into the earth.

Oh, my, what a wonderful day. Simply perfect! Come join us next week--every Tuesday at noon--for another fun-filled hour! Next week's theme: Halloween! Ho ho ha ha ha!

Press Release : Laughter Yoga comes to Idaho Falls

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Laughter Yoga comes to Idaho Falls

Idaho Falls, Idaho, October 6, 2010— Laughter Yoga, an exercise and health regimen that is sweeping the world and has spread to more than 65 countries, has come to Idaho Falls! Free Laughter Yoga sessions will be held every Tuesday at noon on the Greenbelt, near the corner of Riverside and Memorial Drive.

The free sessions, open to the public, combine laughter with yoga breathing exercises for a one-hour workout session that includes 30 minutes of laughter. “Laughter truly is the best medicine,” says Anne Timpany, Certified Laughter Yoga Teacher and leader of the laughter sessions. “We all know that laughing feels good, and now scientific research is revealing the full range of physical and mental health benefits that come from the practice of laughter.”

Laughter Yoga is a wellness workout that enables people to laugh as a form of exercise. “Adults often realize that they just don’t laugh as frequently as they did as children,” says Timpany. “With Laughter Yoga, we are choosing to laugh, rather than leaving laughter to chance. And what people find is that contagious laughter erupts very quickly, bringing light-hearted levity and joy to the group within minutes.”

To bring together people who want more laughter in their lives, Timpany has founded the “Laughter by the Falls” Laughter Club, in which free Laughter Yoga sessions will be held weekly. Free laughter club sessions are the heart of the Laughter Yoga movement, which originated in India in 1995 when a medical doctor, Dr. Madan Kataria, came up with the idea to start a laughter club so that people could experience the health benefits of laughter. Since then, more than ten thousand laughter clubs have been formed around the world. Laughter clubs provide a rich social network that cultivates emotional wellness and a sense of connectedness that is key for human happiness.

The “Laughter by the Falls” Laughter Club and free laughter sessions are open to everyone. “Come as you are,” says Timpany. “No yoga experience is needed. All you need to bring is a willingness to laugh and have fun. If you’re not sure, just come by and observe for a little bit—you can giggle from the sidelines if you prefer, no commitment required.”

“Laughter by the Falls” will be held every Tuesday at noon, beginning October 12, 2010. Weather permitting, the laughter sessions will be held outdoors on the Greenbelt near the corner of Riverside Drive and Memorial Drive. On inclement weather days, the group will move half a block east to the Unitarian Universalist Church on 555 E Street and meet in the lower level yoga room.

Timpany recently completed training with Dr. Kataria, founder of Laughter Yoga, and will be scheduling additional Laughter Yoga classes, workshops, and programs throughout eastern Idaho this fall. For more information, call 208-351-1241 or email Anne@LaughingAnne.com , or visit www.laughinganne.com. More information about Laughter Yoga is available at www.laughteryoga.org.

Idaho's First Laughter Club!

I am extraordinarily pleased to announce that Idaho, at last, will have a Laughter Club! The "Laughter on the Falls" Lunchtime Laughter Club will meet on Tuesdays at Noon on the Greenbelt in Idaho Falls, beginning October 12! We'll meet near the corner of Riverside Drive and Memorial Ave for outdoor Laughter Yoga sessions--free and open to the public! The inclement weather location will be half a block away at the UU Church, 555 E Street, in the lower level yoga room.

There are more than ten thousand Laughter Clubs worldwide, in more than 65 countries. Here is the list of laughter clubs in the US; HOORAY to see Idaho on the list at last! Read more about Laughter Clubs on the Laughter Yoga website here....

The Levity Project Comes to Idaho Falls!

Previously, I mentioned the Levity Project's "Grocery Store Dancing" micro-movement; now, it's coming to Idaho Falls!

Meet me at Fred Meyer grocery store on Northgate Mile on Tuesday, October 5, at 5:30 p.m. and dance with me in the aisles--just for fun! This town is in serious need of some levity, so let's get our groove on! Come one, come all, and bring your friends! The more, the merrier. (Volunteers to hold the video camera are also needed, so if you or someone you know feels like observing from a safe distance, come anyway and you can shoot the video! Thanks!)