LAUGHFEST EARLY-BIRD RATE

Hi Laughers,
I just had the most amazing weekend. The planning committee came to my house and we laughed and did some intensive planning for the upcoming LaughFest of the Midwest, May 15-17, 2015. We are thrilled with the variety of life-affirming, joy-boosting, silliness-enhancing, laughter-freeing opportunities this event will afford. And though the past two LaughFests have been great, we are confident that this one will be the best ever!

This year, we have a theme. It is: Free Your Inner Laugh. There will be a variety of experiences, lectures and workshops designed to lose the bonds of stress upon you so your inner laugh will finally be freed.  This weekend is the vacation you've been waiting for.

We recognize that you may not yet have signed up because you weren't sure exactly what the weekend would entail. So we've put together a detailed schedule with lots of additional information. Click here for that PDF document: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B66AGyTuWqsnTXd5eS1ZRnNfdVU/view?usp=sharing

Let me just highlight a couple of really exciting things. We have two pre-workshop opportunities for you. Come early and learn more!

1. First is the Lynda Tourloukis will be leading a workshop called The Game of Laughter. This original game takes you into the heart of playfulness to help you learn more about yourself and expand your effectiveness. And it is fun beyond belief. Learn more here.  

2. Secondly, I have been convinced to offer a Certified Laughter Yoga Leader Training class. It will take an interesting format that will include an ecourse, a full one-day class AND the weekend LaughFest. Together, it is the best value because it includes much more than a traditional certification course with a wide variety of learning opportunities. Please consider coming. If you are already a Laughter Yoga Leader and would like to reinvigorate and learn new skills, contact me at laughinglauragentry@gmail.com and I'll hook you up with a fabulous discount. Call for more details: 563-880-2699.

We will also have the Peace Candle at the LaughFest. This is a symbol of the peace and unity that laughter brings. It is traveling around the world this year to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Laughter Yoga. Lynda Tourloukis will be bringing it from the Atlanta laughter gathering. After the LaughFest, it will head off to London. The event will begin and close with ceremonies to welcome this candle and hold us in solidarity with laughers everywhere. World peace is possible—one laugh at a time.

Best of all, we've extended the Early Bird discount just a wee bit out to April 10th so that you'll have time to consider all of this new information. We encourage you to register by mail to save us the Paypal fees. This enables us to offer you the lowest price possible. That mail-in form is part of the schedule. Thank you, and thank you for contributing to World Laughter.

See you at the LaughFest! We'll free our inner laughs together. Ha ha ha.

Laughingly,

Laura & the LaughFest Team

NEW BOOK, YOGA ARTICLE & LAUGHFEST

Hi Laughing Friends,
I'm so happy to share some Laughing News! Here are three things designed to bring a smile to your face.

1. NEW LAUGHING BOOK

There is a brand new book out about laughter called

God Laughs--Why Don't You?: Making Use of Humor in the Practice of Ministry (Healthy Clergy Make Healthy Congregations)

It was written by Stephan McCutchan. He's covered a lot of hilarious topics for ministers who recognize their need for laughter. Funny and insightful, it is a real treat. I know about his amazing book because he asked me to write a chapter. My quote about laughter is also featured on the back cover. If you are a clergy or you know one who could use a lift, I encourage you to click the link below to check it out.

2. YOGA ARTICLE

The Iowa Yoga organization asked me to write an article about Laughter Yoga for their Yoga as Medicine issue. I was grateful to be asked because this is such an important topic and a great way for yogis to learn about Laughter Yoga. You can read the whole magazine for free! There are lots of interesting articles including mine. Here is the link: http://issuu.com/yogaiowa/docs/yia-winter-2015/0

3. LAUGHFEST 2015

The LaughFest of 2015 is coming soon! Yes, it will be May 15-17—the most wonderful time of year in which the trees are sprouting their brand new leaves. We are holding it at the retreat center in Ferryville, Wisconsin again. The nearest airport is LaCrosse, Wisconsin. If you've been a regular at this event, reserve your spot by getting registered right away. If you've never tried it out, we invite you to give it a whirl. This is your opportunity to have a laughter vacation, meet new friends, and acquire some new wellness tools to make you healthier and happier—right here in the Midwest! And it's as affordable as can be since it's held at a retreat center that serves delicious food.

This year, we have a very exciting new speaker of Linda Tourloukis and many returning speakers like Rev. Jane Voigts, Dr. Terri Reasoner, Dr. Kathy Phelan, Deb Olson, R.N. and me, Laughing Laura. There is room for more so go to the LaughFest page and pitch an idea. You may just be one of the speakers this year! You can lead an activity, too. We aren't just looking for lectures. We want our participants to have a whole host of happy experiences. There is an early bird discount until April 1. Don't miss it!

CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE LAUGHFEST PAGE

If you are interested in training as a Laughter Yoga Leader or a Laughter Yoga Teacher, please let me know. If we have enough students, we'll be adding these classes to the LaughFest. LaughingLauraGentry@gmail is my contact (even though this email sends out from yahoo).

Have a Laughing Day! YOU are amazing!