CULTIVATING THE INNER CHILD

On average, children laugh about 350 times a day. They are veritable laughter fountains. Adults, on the other hand, laugh far less: somewhere around 17 times daily. Alas, the heavy responsibilities of adult life weigh heavily upon us. Hence, stress and stress related illnesses are on the rise.

One of the reasons that adults do not laugh as often as children, is that they forget to play. Playfulness in an innate gift that people of every age possess. It is a life-giving trait that can keep us healthy and happy. It is just that we grown-ups do not practice it often enough. Just as a muscle that is not flexed grows weak, so our childlike, playful sensibilities diminish if not practiced.

So what do we do? We need to cut loose a bit more. It doesn't mean we should shirk our responsibilities, but we need to create more balance in our lives. The more stress we've got, the more we need to play. Laughter club is a great way to do this. Getting to act silly with others is a fabulous way to develop a more advanced playful nature.

Once you practice this, you'll develop a sense of silliness and have the courage to boldly play—even apart from the safe zone of laughter club. To bring you inspiration on this front, I decided to go for a dinosaur ride today. This lovely little guy is sturdy enough for adults and yet I've walked by him for years and NEVER taken a ride. Well, this afternoon I decided to seize the day and not let this delightful opportunity for fun pass me by. My fabulous roving photographer husband captured it all so I simply HAVE to share the pics with you. May they inspire you to cultivate your inner child today!

Oh, what a wonderful ride! Woo hooo!Gidddeeeeupppp!!Okay now for the treacherous dismount...Thank you, Mr. Dino, let me give you a pat on the head.Oh, I love him so much!See? Now I have no stress! And the best part about all this is that as a Laughter Yoga professional, this is not goofing around, this is professional development!