Laughter Yoga Blog By Dan & Jill Johnson

Laughter Yoga is a unique idea where anyone can laugh for no reason! In fact, Laughter Yoga is a form of integrative therapy. By using simple laughter exercises in a group, and as we maintain eye-contact and cultivate childlike playfulness, the laughter quickly becomes genuine and spontaneous.

We call it Laughter Yoga because we combine the laughter exercises with gentle yoga breathing, pranayama, as a form of stress management and physical fitness. As we breath and laugh deeply we increase our supply of oxygen bringing all the health benefits to our body and mind. It's a scientific fact that the body doesn't know the difference between a real laugh or a fake laugh, so whether your laugh is real or simulated you receive the same health benefits.

Laughter Yoga was developed in 1995 by a medical doctor in India, Dr. Madan Kataria and his wife Madhuri, a yoga teacher. It was started in a park with only 5 people and in 13 short years has grown to over 6,000 laughter clubs in over 60 countries. We want you to know that whenever, and where ever you're laughing, someone on the other end of the planet is laughing too. It's truly a global movement of peace, joy and good health.

Laughter Celebration!

Still Laughing After All These Years

Jill and Dan Johnson, Laughter Yoga Leaders Dan and I are celebrating our ninth wedding anniversary with a bang! Hahaha! We feel so blessed to have found each other ten years ago at our twenty year high school reunion. Once I asked Dan to dance and he said yes, falling in love was the easiest thing either of us had ever done. And Laughter Yoga was the perfect addition to our relationship encouraging us to laugh, love and forgive each other every day.

We encourage all of you to laugh with your partner, your spouse, your dog or yourself. Unconditional laughter leads to unconditional love. And isn’t that what it’s all about?

Add comment (1)

Laughing Staff!

Budget Stress Relief

Dan and Jill had the pleasure of bringing stress relief to the Holy Cross Lutheran Church staff meeting the end of June. The staff spent all morning on scheduling, programming, budgets and business. Then they experienced laughing for no reason with Laughter Yoga and their budget took a back seat for awhile. Hahaha!

This staff was young and had a willingness to try something new. So between their number crunching in the morning, and laughter after lunch, they were a fun crew to expose to the benefits of intentional laughter.

Add comment (0)

A New Chapter In Laughter!

Goodbye To Our Laughter Buddy Jason

The S Jill and Dan Johnson, Laughter Yoga Trainers, USA ioux Falls Laughter Club held a ice-cream social at a local park to wish our dear friend and laughter buddy, Jason Freeman, farewell and best wishes on his big move to San Diego. Jason has discovered his true passion and voice and has started his own business, “Follow Your Own Lead”. By opening up to a willingness to self-discovery he has opened the doors to his own life and unleashed a great voice from within himself. Yay!!

And he’s going to pursue that dream in the beautiful city of San Diego. That’s a looooong ways from South Dakota. So he better get ready to laugh with all his laughter buddies when we come to visit him in February. Hahaha!

Add comment (0)

Nurses Week Celebration!

Laughter Yoga for Nurses and Nursing Aides!

Dan and I had a great time last week celebrating Nurses Week with nurses and nursing aides from Sanford Hospital Canton Inwood. Sharing Laughter Yoga with these gals was a fun treat - especially since Jill’s sister, Heather, and her niece, Elizabeth, were part of the group! Dan also has a connection with nurses through his adoptive mom, Shirley, who was a nurse. Their house was always filled with special needs foster kids that his mother was equipped to serve through her love of nursing.

Add comment (0)

Laughter Teacher Training

A Week Long Workshop That’s Peaceful and Exhilarating? It’s True!

I recently had the opportunity to attend Laughter Yoga Teacher Training in Chicago. The leader of the training was Dr. Kataria, the creator of the concept of Laughter Yoga. Our training was the largest he had ever facilitated with over sixty students.

Sixty students is a great number of people to motivate and keep engaged in any type of activity! This training lasted five-days and was filled with sessions which often stretched from early morning into the evening.

Yet, I was continually amazed by how the whole week brought out the absolute best in me and how everyone around me was also buzzing with energy and excitement. Dr. Kataria’s presence, love, and wisdom inspired us greatly. In addition, we were laughing for extended periods of time throughout each day. I felt all of this laughter buoyed my mood, made me very relaxed, and allowed me to pay close attention to all I was being taught.

Add comment (0)

More Articles...