Confessions of a Laughter Yogi: We All Need Help to Lift Ourselves Up Sometimes

Posted byLaura PenningtonPosted inBlogTags:, , , , , ,

A couple of weeks ago, I was meeting with my dear friend, Laughter Ambassador Kara Sherman, who I attended laughter yoga leader training with. She is also my website creator and my go-to helper whenever I come across anything I can’t seem to figure out myself when it comes to the technical side of things for my site, YouTube channel, video editing, and the like. She’s also kind of my shero, as she can and pretty much does do anything and everything! As I was talking with her, I was confessing to her that I was finding it difficult to laugh after a discouraging event that happened the preceding day. She graced me with the pick-up that I needed with the simple statement of “I understand”, and we had a good laugh together which completely turned my day around. So, Kara, if you’re reading this – THANK YOU for the pick me up – you’re the BEST!

Confession time – though I am a laughter yogi at heart, and I always try to look at the positive in every situation, there are times when life gets the best of me, and I find it hard to laugh, so I wanted to write a post about the fact that this is completely normal, and some advice on how to turn it around. Even as a “laughter professional”, I sometimes run into scenarios where I need help from someone else to get some laughter going and lift my mood, so just know that if this happens to you – “I understand”, and it happens to the best of us! This doesn’t mean you’re a negative person, it just means that you may need to reach out to someone to help give you a boost of joy – there’s definitely no shame in that! In fact, it can be extremely healing and cathartic for both individuals since we are all here for the purpose of loving one another and helping each other along while here on Earth.

What I’ve found is that when something happens that is particularly challenging or difficult for me, it can be hard to muster up some laughter on my own. However, calling on one of my laughter buddy friends almost always does the trick to lift my mood, turn my frown upside down, and put a positive spin on things. As with my example of Kara completely turning my mood around, connecting with a laughter buddy can be so constructive and helpful.

Everyone needs a helping hand once in a while, and we are all here for this exact reason – to help and to love one another… to pick each other up when necessary, dust each other off, and love each other to the best of our ability. Therefore, it is often the case that by asking someone for help you are not only benefiting yourself, but you are also gifting the individual you asked with the pleasure of doing something that they were designed to do and enjoy doing. It’s nice to feel needed, and it’s nice to put a smile on someone else’s face, so never hesitate to reach out to someone when you’re in need, whether it be for a mental boost, listening ear, or someone to help put things in a positive light when you’re having a hard time doing so.

Laughter yogis LOVE to help others – especially when it comes to helping them to laugh and bring some joy into their lives! Thus, we are always grateful to lift one another up when needed. That’s what we do – it’s who we are. This is what is so great about being involved with a laughter club or being a part of a laughter family: you always have someone to rely on to make your day better, and you are able to make their day better as well by simply asking for help or by returning the favor when they need a pick me up. Laughing with a laughter buddy, even if it’s just for a quick 5-minute pick me up, can work wonders to lift both participants moods, cultivate gratitude, increase a feeling of connection, completely turn one’s day around, and to brighten a person’s light that may have been dimmed a bit due to a recent event or happening. It’s truly a beautiful thing to behold and experience.

If you’re not already a part of a laughter yoga family or club, I encourage you to get involved! Not only can you experience all of the health benefits of laughter yoga by practicing it regularly, but it is a great way to make friends who are always willing to show up when you need them to make your day brighter.

To learn more, follow along with my blog and videos on this site, follow Loving and Laughing Laughter Yoga on social media, and subscribe to the Loving and Laughing Laughter Yoga YouTube channel! Also, check out the events/announcements page on this site for fun events and exciting news in the Laughter Yoga realm! Sending love and laughter to all of you!

Ending note: FYI…I wasn’t kidding when I said that Kara can pretty much do anything! She is a laughter ambassador, professional musician, a freelance creative, a creator on YouTube as Laughter Yoga Together, and she volunteers with Laughter Yoga USA. I’m not even done yet! She is also the founder of Thinkroot Records, a record label and music licensing site, and she releases music under the pseudonym Kara Square. Additionally, she is an admin and active member of ccMixter.org, a global remix community. There’s more, but I think you can see that I wasn’t exaggerating about all of her incredible talents and gifts! If you’re looking for help in any of these areas, I highly recommend her! She is truly amazing at what she does, and she is a joy to work with! Here is her info:

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