Joyful Living

Cancer Patients Benefit From Laughter

By guest contributor Jillian McKee

Stumble into a laughter yoga class and you might feel awkward or uncomfortable. After all, a group willing participants that is lead by an instructor through a series of rhythmic clapping, chanting, breathing and laughing is not considered normal.

Laughter yoga creator, Dr. Madan Kataria, gets to the heart of your discomfort, "I told them this is not a laughing matter. It is a very serious thing that we've forgotten to laugh." And so it was created to restore the balance, and positive health effects that come with laughter.

College Student Forum Tons of Fun!

We had an amazing time at the United Methodist Student Movement Student Forum 2011 in Evansville, Indiana, the end of May. Our son, Taylor, is on the steering committee that organized the event, and we couldn't have been more thrilled to be a part of it.

It's always energizing and inspiring to be around youth that care about their faith and the future of their church and of this world. And these college students have that energy, drive and passion to make positive change happen.

Laughter Court Is Now In Session!!

Imagine sitting in a courtroom every day and being responsible for taking down what everybody says. That's what court reporters do. And do you think they need some stress management from their job? That's an understatement!

We laughed with court reporters at their annual conference in Sioux Falls, SD, in June and had a great time introducing them to a new way to release stress in their day - laughter! Not only did they lighten up and have fun - but after listening to judges and lawyers all day they were very good at taking instructions! Hahaha!

Gerontological Conference

We had the pleasure of sharing the many benefits of laughter at a conference designed for professional nurses and care providers involved in the care of gerontological patients. It's so fulfilling to share a simple way for professionals to create a connection with their patients through laughter. And what a fun way to end a conference with something fun and memorable. They left feeling positive, relaxed and full of laughter.

One of the items on the agenda was working with seniors with dementia and we were grateful to share laughter and breathing exercises that may help relieve anxiety, and promote more social connection between care provider and patient.