HAPPY HOUR WITHOUT THE HANGOVER

I'd like to tell you about a laughter yoga resource I recently had the pleasure of reading. It is a book to help you lead a successful laughter club by Meg Scott. Beautifully illustrated and exuberantly written, this manual is sure to inspire.

Meg is not only a certified laughter yoga leader, she is also a laughter leader through World Laughter Tour. Clearly, she's had a lot of experience leading laughter clubs and now she's sharing her wealth of knowledge through this concise book.

Why should you host a laughter club? How can you jump start it? What props can you use? How about some new and exciting laughter exercises? Meg explains all this and much more. She even provides a permission slip, which you can photocopy and give participants so that they can give themselves permission to laugh!

Here are some testimonials Meg's already received for this recent release.

"I received your package. Your LY guide is INCREDIBLE! A TRUE WORK of ART and LAUGHTER!

It is beautiful graphically and in content and a great resource for LY professionals. I Love it and admire your skill and talent."

—Gaga Barnes

Founder of The Laugh Line

www.LaughterYogaOnThePhone.com

"Way to go, Meg. Your creative ideas and engaging exercises have breathed fresh fun into my weekly LY classes and trainings. Thanks for providing a fantastic resource for the laughter community."

—Jen Mathews, CLYT

Co-creator of The Laugh of Your Life CD

www.optimysticinstitute.com

“Meg Scott’s cheerful guide is chock-full of useful tips and inspiring tales. This handy manual gathers together a lot of great tips and ideas in one concise, convenient package. Kudos and praise to Meg for creating an excellent resource for the newly-minted Laughter Yoga leader. Perhaps the best 'after the training' booklet currently available for the novice Laughter Yoga Leader who wants some practical (yet fun) advice and support in starting and operating a laughter club destined for success.”

—Jeffrey Briar, CLYT, CLL

Director of The Laughter Yoga Institute

www.lyinstitute.org

Happy Hour without the Hangover

A Laughter Yoga Professional's Guide to Leading a Successful Laughter Club

50 inspiring pages of advice, ideas, new exercises and tips to boost your

Laughter Club fun!

$12.95 includes shipping in U.S.

Order form for Happy Hour is found at: http://www.laughteryogawithmegscott.com/

For details about discounts on 10 or more copies email megscott35@yahoo.com

SEMINARY BLOG FEATURES HOLY HILARITY

I was just featured on the blog of my seminary, Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, Calfornia. The reporter was interested in learning more about how my laughter yoga work informs my faith and ministry. Read the article below or click on this link to visit the PSR site.

December 1, 2009

It’s not often that one’s spiritual practice inspires others to call the police, but Laura Gentry’s (MDiv and MA 1997) unique approach to happiness and spirituality isn’t typical, either. She and about a dozen others were sitting outside Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Lansing, Iowa, chuckling, emitting belly laughs and chortling in the sunshine when a passerby called the police, thinking they were all drunk. Gentry’s antics were hardly due to inebriation; she is a certified laughter yoga instructor as well as an ordained pastor and leads a church laughter club in joyful exercises every week. Thankfully, Gentry cleared up the misconception, and the reporting police officer even joined the church.

In an age of dwindling worship attendance, Gentry has found a powerful tactic to inspire solidarity in her Midwest church: humor. Although some may balk at reading Scripture with a smile, Gentry maintains that laughter is actually an appropriate—and fulfilling—response.

“To me, it’s a no-brainer: Church is a joyful place, so we should be laughing,” Gentry says. “The Good News is good news, and we should remember to be happy about it.”

Three years ago, the stresses and challenges of ministry threatened to overwhelm Gentry. It was then, when she was considering leaving ministry, that she discovered laughter yoga, a practice that originated in India that has more to do with ha-ha’s and breathing than with twisting one’s body into pretzel poses. The release she found when tapping into a childlike state of hilarity rejuvenated her ministry and inspired her to start a laughing club—the source of her run-in with the law.

The change in pace has garnered the nation’s attention, from articles in Lutheran magazines to an appearance on Oprah. Wanting to spread her ministry even further, she founded the Iowa School of Laughter Ministry, where she certifies other laughter teachers. She has also produced several laughter workshops on CD (including one for commuters) and an album of giggle-inspiring songs.

“Laughter is a great force for democracy, just human beings laughing together, no matter their background or social status or even religion,” Gentry says. “It’s like the gospel, bringing all of us together, where we’re all one in Christ Jesus.”

Much of her laughter practice is without political or religious overtones, but Gentry says that simply laughing has helped her along her spiritual journey.

“The Bible says we have to be like a child to enter into heaven. We’re children of God and don’t need to take ourselves so seriously,” Gentry says. “Developing a childlike playfulness enhanced my spirituality in ways I didn’t expect. To be silly opens up a new way of thinking: I don’t have to do only what is expected. It demonstrates that with God, all things are possible.”

Gentry gives some credit to PSR for encouraging her to try new things in church. She performed some “wild dances,” she says, in chapel, and that freedom helped her carve her own niche within her current church. “PSR was a great place to experiment with ministry,” Gentry remembers. “It helped me think outside box and push the envelope”—a practice she applied to her Iowa preaching, which she believes revitalized her church and her own dedication to ministry.

Although the hard work of ministry can wear on even the most enthusiastic religious leaders, Gentry has advice for avoiding that burnout. “I want to tell current PSR students, respect what you’re trying to do, find your own voice and honor who you are,” she says. “That’s the PSR spirit of independence, to be your own minister.”