The Levity Project Takes Albuquerque by Storm!

As part of our weekend at the 2010 All America Laughter Yoga Conference, a series of spontaneous public events was sponsored by The Levity Project, a non-profit organization whose goal is "creating social change through public acts of creativity, laughter and celebration. The Levity Project has sponsored events all over the country, and Albuquerque was ripe for some fun!

First, about 100 of us converged on the downtown Albuquerque Trader Joes, where we all entered the store anonymously and began to shop. At a signal from the coordinators, everyone began to dance in the aisles, engaging with customers and staff and simply having a blast. Many customers and employees seemed to enjoy the fun, a few going out of their way to say that we had made their day, while others said, "Who are you people?" and "Please come to my workplace and do this!"

The young man in the green t-shirt pictured below was just one of several customers who happily joined the fun! (Can you find Mary in this photo?)

Next, we walked into a crowded outdoor shopping area and began a "Laughter Party" on a street-corner, putting Hawaiian leis around people's necks and inviting them to laugh with us. Cars stopped, people laughed along, and it was ten minutes of pure unadulterated laughter.

The family pictured below wandered by the laughter party and got right in the spirit of things.

Finally, small groups of volunteers wandered the streets, stopping random passersby and saying "You are amazing!" with gusto. Most people seemed to greatly appreciate the sentiment, although a few appeared slightly apprehensive about being accosted by anywhere from 4 to 10 strangers loudly affirming their amazingness. Still, it was a fun social experiment that went off without a hitch.



The Levity Project creates many events that are quite similar to "flash mob" events that have been well-documented on YouTube and elsewhere. The founders of the project feel that bringing laughter, play and celebration to the streets is a means to world peace, personal change and an improved sense of connectedness. Feel free to visit their website and contact them if you'd like The Levity Project to come to your town, or if you'd like to play along!

Laughter Yoga Jail Photos

Mary, Madan Kataria, and Keith

Fun Friday: Laughter Yoga in Albuquerque

Here are some images from a very fun Friday at the 2010 All America Laughter Yoga Conference here in Albuquerque.......

Here's Mary in the Friday evening costume parade as a tomato........

We also did some circle dancing (Dances of Universal Peace) at the end of the night.....

This is Mary with some of her cohorts who were here for the Laughter Coach Training. The second person from the left is Katie West of The Levity Institute, who offers the only Laughter Coach certification in the world (and Mary is well on her way to graduation and certification!)

And finally, the man who made Laughter Yoga a worldwide reality, Dr. Madan Kataria....

Laughter Yoga in an Albuquerque Jail

Over this long weekend, we are ensconced in Albuquerque for the 5th Annual All America Laughter Yoga Conference. Prior to my arrival to the conference yesterday, Mary spent three days training to become a Certified Laughter Coach as a compliment to her new certification as a Life Coach, so stay tuned for more details about our new business venture as coaches!

Yesterday afternoon, our teacher Dr. Madan Kataria of Bombay, India and Jane Davis of Hope Howse brought twelve of us to the Bernalillo Metropolitan Detention Center for a Laughter Yoga session with 90 inmates. This is the largest county jail in New Mexico, and thanks to the work of Jane Davis and Hope Howse, we were allowed entry to the jail and access to one of the pods where 90 inmates are participating in programming geared towards improving their life skills.

Although many of us, including myself, experienced some level of trepidation and anxiety when entering the facility and the pod itself, the ice was quickly broken after Dr. Kataria gave his introduction to Laughter Yoga and the science of laughter and we began the participatory portion of the program. While some of the men hung on the side and only marginally participated, the majority wholeheartedly took part, laughing uproariously, smiling and enjoying more than an hour of the cohesiveness and joy that group laughter can engender.

While we were aware that these men could have been incarcerated for anything from a DWI to aggravated assault or various violent crimes, it also became quickly apparent that they are, of course, as human as the rest of us, and being given this opportunity for a wholesome hour of laughter was a boon to their spirits and their mental, physical and spiritual health. The level of enthusiasm was contagious, and we all shared some very genuine laughter followed by a brief period of handshaking and socializing before our group of 12 had to take our leave.

Mary and I have offered Laughter Yoga sessions in universities, health facilities, senior centers, private parties and other venues, but this may have been the most satisfying session we've ever participated in. Many of the men were obviously very grateful for our visit, and the plethora of hearty handshakes and thank you's were heartfelt and extremely sincere.

Driving back to the hotel and the official beginning of the conference, we were all high from the experience, and many of us are now considering bringing Laughter Yoga to our local jails and prisons, both for the inmates and the officers. Stress is a common state in the jail environment, and bring some relief to those who most need the stress relief was truly a joy and an honor. Any of us can make a mistake or a wrong choice in life, and when seeing those who are incarcerated through the lens of "there but for the grace of God go I", one realizes the essential humanity of these men and the extent to which they, too, deserve the gift of laughter, joy, and unconditional positive regard.

Laughter and New Friendship in Texas!

After a fine day of exploring the area of Spring, Texas and The Woodlands, Texas, we have made new friends, done some fun Laughter Yoga, and taken in some sun and warm weather that our bodies have been craving. We began the day with Huevos Rancheros at a small local Mexican place, Keith had a free healing session from a new-found friend, and we even managed to attend a outdoor Haiti earthquake benefit concert.

Amazingly, our connections here were all made via Facebook, with no face-to-face contact until we actually arrived to the area! The Laughter Yoga session (pictured below) was thrown together almost overnight by a wonderful, giving and wise woman named Annie Linnea Sherwood (pictured in turquoise below). Our new friend Annie is a world traveler preparing to publish a beautiful book about her adventures in the Sahara and beyond. She recently befriended Mary on Facebook and swiftly secured space for our Laughter Yoga session, pulled a group together, and even arranged for us to park in the driveway of an eccentric hair stylist who was open to us plugging in and spending two nights! 

Tomorrow, we head to Rosansky, Texas to visit the Echowood Community, a small sustainable community who have generously invited us to spend some time and get to know one another!

Luckily, Keith's back is feeling about 80% better, and Mary and Tina are simply their usual wonderful and happy selves, but happier since laughing with friends at long last (and a big, plush rug for Tina to nap on while the humans laughed up a storm).

Another stellar day on the road in the Lone Star State, made especially memorable by laughing and enjoying the passing of time with new friends.