LAUGHFEST INTERVIEWS—PART 4

Jill and Dan Johnson—the "laughter couple"

Jill and her husband Dan have become affectionately known as the “laughter couple” for their coaching and yoga techniques which incorporate laughter to bring more joy to their clients’ personal and professional lives. They are laughter professors with a mission – to share their passion for joyful, positive living with everyone they meet.
​
Together, they offer laughter workshops, corporate wellness programs, laughter life coaching, laughter therapy, and laughter products. They are dynamic presenters who specialize in uplifting presentations tailored to fit any organization whether it’s corporate executives, church personnel or chronically ill patients. Jill and Dan have helped empower thousands of people better connect with their goals and let go of emotional blocks through laughter. Both Jill and Dan are Certified Laughter Yoga Leaders and Trainers and Laughter Ambassadors.

I am thrilled that they will be back for the Laugh-Fest this year. In 2012, they were part of the Laughter Yoga Teacher and Leader training I did at the camp in Ferryville. It was a magical time and so we all wanted a reunion the following year. That's how the Laugh-Fest was born. Before anyone left the camp, we booked the next spring and it snowballed from there. Now we will be throwing the fourth annual Laugh-Fest of the Midwest and Jill and Dan have a lot to do with that! I'm so grateful to them. 

For those of you who already know them, you may not be aware of the recent developments in their lives. They have both studied a new healing modality and are going to be sharing it with us. Check out the interview to learn more.

LAURA: Jill and Dan, I cannot express just how elated I am that you will be back for the Laugh-Fest this year! I saw the two of you present an interactive lecture about saying YES! at the national laughter convention in San Diego, California a few years back. I’ve seen many lectures over the course of my life and I gotta say that yours was one of the very best—ever. It was memorable, motivational, and such fun. That’s what sparked our imagination and led the committee to choose YES! as the theme of this year’s Laugh-Fest. Thanks for the inspiration! The two of you will give the opening presentation for the festival so we’ll hear all about it then, but can you give us a little preview of what YES! means to you two and how it has propelled you forward in life?

JILL & DAN: Laura, we’re excited to be back at the Laugh-Fest! It’s a beautiful location and a perfect opportunity to laugh with our fellow Midwesterners again! The staff at the retreat center equally make the experience a joyful one, and the home cooked food is always delicious. As Dan’s grandmother would say, ‘If you go hungry it’s your own fault!’ Hahaha!!

Our lives have changed so much since we gave the closing keynote at the National Laughter Conference in San Diego. The effects of our presentation, The Power of YES!, propelled us forward into a deeper awakening. As we continued to say yes to life we continued to open doors not only to experiences and opportunities outside of ourselves, but more importantly, within ourselves. By shining a light within we explored and expanded in ways that cleansed, cleared, and opened us to the biggest yes of all: unconditional love. Our presentation will look at what does saying Yes! look like to you in your physical  reality of experiences, and what does YES! look like when you go inward and say yes to your spirit. Life gets more exciting and fun when you peel away the layers and live from the YES! that’s in your heart. 

LAURA: Awesome! I can't wait! I know it will offer so much to our Laugh-Festers. Jill, you have been doing yoga for many years and now you are certified in LifeForce Yoga that is designed to alleviate symptoms of depression. I find this so fascinating—and so necessary given the prevalence of depression in our society. You’ll be leading a workshop in this on Saturday afternoon. Tell us a bit about this healing modality and why you’ve chosen to be a teacher of it.

JILL: I have started working with clients one-on-one and noticed that stress and anxiety are the biggest factors in their decision to seek out a yoga therapist. So I started looking around at trainings that would help me understand and offer techniques and principles to alleviate those conditions. LifeForce Yoga is such a multi-layered practice that meets the individual’s mood, then helps to shift the mood thus releasing the constrictions and uncovering one’s true self – that precious being we really are. Through movement, breathing techniques, mantra (sound) and mudra (hand gestures) people get in touch with their bodies and begin to ‘feel’ again. 

LAURA: If someone is new to yoga, would they still be able to attend your workshop? How difficult will it be?

JILL: This will be a level 1 class. Newbies are welcome, but participants will need to be able to get up and down from the floor. If they have a yoga mat they can bring it, but it’s not necessary. 

LAURA: Dan, I remember when you went to school for massage therapy and how fired up about it you were. You finally got to fulfill your long-time dream to become a healer! And I can attest to the fact that you are an incredibly talented massage therapist. Now, you’ve gone on to learn another exciting method of healing. Can you tell us about it and how it works?

DAN: The MyoKinesthetic System, or MYK, is my latest passion. I love the simplicity and completion of the treatment. MYK is a fresh approach to pain relief. This muscle movement technique corrects and balances the nervous system. One of the main things MYK addresses is posture. By balancing the posture, we balance the nervous system. When the nervous system is balanced, the body begins to work the way it’s supposed to work with range of motion increasing and pain decreasing. There’s no oils or creams, you don’t get undressed, you sit in a chair and a treatment is 15 minutes or less. 

LAURA: Will Laugh-Festers have the opportunity to receive such a treatment from you at the event? How do they sign up?

DAN: Yes! I’ll be offering chair massages, 10 minutes/$10. And MYK treatments that will balance your upper and lower body for $20. I will be available throughout the weekend for treatments. Contact me to secure your appointment at 605-413-8849, or see me at the event.

LAURA: You will be coming all the way from South Dakota to join us for the Laugh-Fest and we thank you for your commitment.  What are your hopes for the Laugh-Fest?

JILL & DAN: Our hopes are to connect with other laughers and share in the beauty of gathering our community together in this peaceful environment. Sharing our passion of Joyful Living through laughter, yoga, bodywork and friends – it doesn’t get any better than that!!

One of Jill and Dan's CDs which will be for sale at the Laugh-Fest

The Johnsons will be kicking off the Laugh-Fest with their interactive lecture on the power of saying YES! Jill will also be leading a playshop of LifeForce Yoga to alleviate depression and anxiety. We are thrilled to have their energy and expertise guiding us along our weekend journey. Learn more at: Joyful Living Therapy. 

Oh, and don't forget to register for the Laugh-Fest at this link. Just a few more days until the Early Bird Special expires.

Here I am with the fabulous Johnsons!

THREE ADJUNCT FACULTY-HE-HE ADDED TO THE UPCOMING LAUGHTER RETREAT

I have incredible news: 3 of the most amazing professors will be joining me in Southwest Wisconsin March 30 through April 3 as together, we facilitate a laughter yoga retreat. These faculty-he-he will be Jill and Dan Johnson from Sioux Falls, South Dakota and Jody Ross from Minneapolis.

Dan and Jill (left) are Certified Laughter Yoga Teachers and owners of Joyful Living, a business that brings more joy to your personal and business life through laughter. Dynamic presenters who specialize in uplifting and experiential presentations, they have a synergy and enthusiasm that truly crackles. Dan and Jill were recently keynote speakers at the All America Laughter Yoga Conference in San Diego, California where they knocked everybody’s socks off. They were so good, in fact, that I still haven’t been able to get my socks back on!

Jill has over 15 years experience in corporate America. She is also a yoga teacher, a “Yoga of the Heart”® certified cardiac and cancer yoga therapist, and a member of the International Association of Yoga Therapists. She received her cardiac and cancer therapy training through Nischala Joy Devi, creator and director of the stress management/yoga portion for Dr. Dean Ornish’s Program for Reversing Heart Disease. Jill’s soothing voice is featured on their CD “Deep Relaxation,” and believe me—it takes you to a whole new level of bliss.

Dan is a Certified Laughter Coach with The Levity Institute’s Certified Laughter Coach Training Program. Laughter Coaching employs laughter as a powerful modality in the field of personal and professional development by empowering clients to connect with their desires more deeply and let go of their blocks. Through his life coach training, Dan discovered that teaching is one of his greatest gifts, and through his ability to listen and reflect, and also through his love of laughter, he makes a genuine connection with those he comes in contact with. He’s also a certified massage therapist and during the retreat, his massage services will be available. Contact Dan now to schedule an appointment.

The Johnsons have also produced the CD “Laugh for the Health of It!” It’s one of the most delightful and professionally produced laughter yoga resources on the market. I sell it in my Laughter Shoppe and can hardly keep it in stock because it’s such a hot item. Their fantastic laughter can also be heard on my CD “Holy Hysterics,” as they came all the way across the state of Iowa to support me in this project. That's how we first met in person—the laughter brought us together.

As a result of their dedication to increasing world laughter, Dr. Kataria and Laughter Club International have recently awarded them the esteemed honorary title of “Laughter Ambassador.” Congrats, Jill and Dan!

The other fabulous faculty-he-he member is Jody Ross, founder of the Come to Life Project. I have to brag that I was the one who first introduced Jody to laughter yoga. She happened in on a lecture I was giving with Anne Marie Gullickson at Mayo Clinic and immediately, she was hooked. She trained with me to become a Certified Laughter Yoga Leader in Ferryville, Wisconsin. See her graduation picture here (she's front and center in the pink wig). So her participation in this upcoming retreat will be an exciting homecoming, as it is happening at the very same place on the exact 3 year anniversary of her first training!

Ever since then, Jody has been on fire. Laughter yoga dramatically improved her health. She’s truly a poster child for the miraculous benefits of laughter (read about more about that here). She started Minneapolis’ first, and now longest-running, laughter club and frequently hosts “Laughter and Chocolate” events, which are immensely popular.

Jody found that one of her passions was laughing with seniors, particularly those with memory loss.  She has developed groundbreaking laughter yoga techniques for persons with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. Photographs of her work can be seen at the National Institutes of Medicine in Washington, D.C., and are featured in the 2010 World Alzheimer’s Report. You can see her prominently on the cover of the book Love, Loss and Laughter: Seeing Alzheimer’s Differently by Dr. Cathy Greenblat. 

As a result of her accomplishments, Laughter Yoga International offered Jody a scholarship to become a Certified Laughter Yoga Teacher. They knew she had to take her laughter work to the next level. Since gaining this auspicious credential, she has trained loads Laughter Yoga Leaders from around the country and become a well-loved motivational speaker.

Jody also serves as the only Certified Laughter Life Coach in Minnesota, working one-on-one with clients to achieve their wildest imaginings, one step at a time, by combining sound principles of life coaching and the proven benefits of laughter. Like Dan, She was trained by Katie West, founder of The Levity Institute.

Jody holds a bachelor’s degree in Corporate Communications from Drexel University. She writes a blog for the International Laughter Yoga web site about her work with laughter yoga and seniors, and another blog about her adventures as a mindful mom seeking unconditional serenity at www.jodysatva.blogspot.com. I must also add that can hear her unique and contagious laughter on my Christmas CD, “Yule Laugh.” Jody lives near the laughing waters of the Minnehaha Creek in Minneapolis, MN with her husband, daughter, and their hilarious dog, Rosie.

Getting all three of these laughing professors to join me as adjunct faculty-he-he for this upcoming retreat is a dream come true! To say it is like planets aligning is an understatement. So if you are thinking about coming to gain certification as a Laughter Yoga Leader or Teacher, or if you’re already certified but just want to increase your enthusiasm, don’t delay! This is an opportunity like no other. Get registered immediately at this link. It will be here in just a few weeks and it is going to be such an exciting gathering of prolific laughers. I can’t wait and I know you can’t either. See you soon! 

LAUGH FOR THE HEALTH OF IT!

My laughter friends, Jill and Dan Johnson of Joyful Living Yoga in South Dakota (pictured above), have created a laughter yoga resource that is so wonderful you need to know about it. It is a professionally produced CD called "Laugh for the Health of It."

Jill and Dan explain that their intent in creating this CD is to allow you to have "what you need, when you need it." If you need a laugh, it's here. If you need relaxation—it's here. Or if you need some motivational music to get your day started, that's here too!

This CD is a true laughter yoga treasure. There lots of things on it to support your laught life. Specifically, it includes:

• A fun and helpful introduction to laughter yoga

• A warm-up session

• 20 laughter and breathing exercises 

• 10 Minute Guided Relaxation
• 3 Fun Dance Tracks to Get You Moving!

Dr. Madan Kataria, laughter yoga founder, is very excited about this CD. Here's what he has to say:

“Laughter is the best medicine! With this Laughter Yoga CD, Dan and Jill will have you laughing your way to better health and less stress from the first giggle!”

One dollar of each CD sold goes to the International Laughter Yoga Foundation, www.laughteryoga.org, to support the ultimate objective of bringing world peace
through laughter.

I have been enjoying this CD on my own. Yes, even laughter yoga teachers need a boost to get them laughing sometimes. The happy group of laughers on this CD makes me smile and chuckle immediately, even if I'm in the midst of a crabby moment. It is very fun and easy to follow.

My laughter club has long been enjoying the dance tracks on this. If you lead a laughter club, I highly encourage you get this CD for your laughers. It is so fun to dance to the "HO HO HA HA HA" driving rhythm. And they are so long that my club usually gets worn out before the songs are over!

At my last laughter club meeting I explained to them that I would be reviewing "Laugh for the Health of It!" for my blog and that I wanted their opinions. So we laughed along with the CD for our regular meeting. The club members really enjoyed the variety of exercises. What we all like the best is that the laughter rolls on quite long for each exercise—longer than we usually laugh. This made us laugh all the more as we heard the contagious peels of laughter continue to emanate from our CD player. It gave us an intense laughter yoga workout. Some people even had to sit down. The group unanimously endorsed it. This means it has the coveted Lansing Laughter Club stamp of approval!

What's more, we really appreciated the 10 minute relaxation at the end. Jill is an experienced yoga teacher and—drawing upon her experience—she designed this relaxation session very well. Her voice is so beautiful and soothing that it put us all into a state of immediate bliss. There is gentle music beneath her voice that furthers the relaxation. I often do the relaxation portion of our laughter club meeting myself but it was a welcome change to listen to this CD.

I've been selling these CDs so quickly at my live events that I ordered more from Joyful Living Yoga and have added it to my on-line store, The Laughter Shoppe. It is a valuable resource that I want to help make available.  So check it out today. You'll be glad you did!  HA HA HA!