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.

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.

A Healthy Gift For Employees - Laughter!

Dan and I had a great time laughing with some awesome employees for Wellmark Blue Cross/Blue Shield's Employee Appreciation Celebration. We led two thirty minute sessions over the lunch hour that resulted in cascades of giggles down the halls as they all went back to work.

First we had everyone kick off their shoes to get that immediate feel of childlike playfullness. Then we proceded to giggle, chuckle and hold our noses through laughter exercises that ranged from chicken laughter to smelly bathroom laughter. Hahaha!