THE LITTLE BOOK OF BIG LAUGHS

I HAVE BIG NEWS! I have published a laughter yoga resource book called: The Little Book of Big Laughs.

At 3.5 inches by 5.5 inches, this 172-page, softcover, spiral bound book is small enough to go everywhere with you. That way, you'll always have laughter yoga ideas handy. But don't let it's little size deceive you—it's jam packed with exciting things including a foreword by Dr. Kataria, an introduction to laughter yoga, the three rules of laughter yoga, the laughter clap, the amazing chant, the laughter pledge, 114 laughter yoga exercises (many of which are original), 25 yoga breathing exercises, 54 hilarious photographs, and 121 inspirational quotes from notable people about life, laughter, play and more. It's incredible that it all fits in such a tiny format.

The Little Book of Big Laughs was published by Penfield Books for The Gentry Joint, the production company my husband and I run. It retails for only $9.95. Order it now at The Laughter Shoppe. It will soon be available as a Kindle book at Amazon.com.

The back cover is pictured below. Double click for a larger view.

Here's what people are saying about The Little Book of Big Laughs:

I am delighted that Laughing Laura has written this useful resource book of creative laughter and yoga breathing exercises. She is a talented teacher, who truly understands the spirit of laughter yoga. Her wit and wisdom will inspire you as you endeavor to intentionally bring more laughter into your life and the lives of others. It is my hope that The Little Book of Big Laughs will equip you to laugh more and with greater exuberance.

—Dr. Madan Kataria, Laughter Yoga Movement Founder

I've just read Laughing Laura's latest book, The Little Book of Big Laughs, and all I can say is WOW. It's presentation and design is innovative and the content is exceptional...a bit like Laura herself actually—ha ha ha! I would highly recommend it as a resource book for Laughter Club Members or more particularly as a thank you gift to a client or someone special as they'd love to receive one...I know I would.

—Merv Neal, CEO Laughter Yoga Australia

Convenient Giggles! By Jenna The little book of Big Laughs is an increidlby convenient resource for laughter yoga leaders and participants! When I first got my book, I was doing some of the exercises in the car on the way home (he was driving!) and I love that they're in such a nice little compact place that is easy to carry around. It's small enough to fit in a purse! I also love that there are pages at the back of the book to write down our own exercises and ideas, allowing us to be even more creative with our laughter! Thank you for creating this book, it's incredibly helpful! Terrifically Fun and Creative Exercises! By Laughter Yoga Atlanta This little book packs a lot of laughter in a such a compact space! These exercises are creative and enjoyable. I love to keep it in my car. You never know when you might want a little bit of inspiration to help brighten someone's day! Thank you so much, Laughing Laura for sharing this wonderful resource with us all! A Terrific Resource!!! By Hans Peter Jorgensen What a wonderful resource, not only for laughter professionals but for anyone who works with groups and wants to charge up a performance. Easy to carry with you, and filled with great ideas for bringing joy into the lives of those around you. Ms. Gentry has scored big with this one. Perfect Laughter Companion By jodysatva As a laughter professional actively spreading the great news about laughter, I am always on the lookout for tools for my clients. The Little Book of Big Laughs has been a great hit. We debuted it at our weekly Laughter Club. The results were fantastic! The book has clear instructions, even if you have never attended a Laughter Yoga class. You can toss it into your bag for giggles anytime. I'm envisioning using this Little Book of Big Laughs on the treadmill this winter! Brilliant!  By The Barefoot Artist I love this book!I is the most useful book I've ever read on the subject of laughter. Every Laughter Yoga Leader should own a copy. This book is short, to the point and the perfect pocket size. Laura Gentry is a true visionary in the field of Laughter Yoga and her work continues to amaze me. Her creative spirit shines through every project and every time I think I finally have a favorite product, she creates something even better. This book has my highest recommendation for any Laughter Yoga Leader. It is simply a must-have item!! Have you got something to say about The Little Book of Big Laughs? Then please post it as a customer review at Amazon.com. Thanks! Below is a video, which demonstrates a few of the creative  laughter yoga exercises contained in this book. Enjoy!

ANNOUNCING THE RELEASE OF MY NEW CD, BE LAUGHTER

It is with great excitement that I announce the imminent release of my latest CD, Be Laughter. As you can see by the cover above, it is a complete, do-it-yourself laughter makeover.

As we all know, laughing and doing deep yoga breathing as a daily practice can boost your health physically, emotionally and spiritually.

A Harvard University study has shown that spending just 10 minutes each day sitting and breathing will increase your happiness. Dr. Madan Kataria and his wife, Madhuri, founders of the worldwide laughter yoga movement, urge laughers everywhere to intentionally breathe and laugh every day. This, they explain, will help you live in the inner spirit of laughter—to not just enjoy laughter, but to be laughter in a holistic way.

We lead busy lives, though, so it’s difficult to take the time for this practice. That’s why I’ve created this resource to help you. On this 75 minute recording, I’ll guide you through:

Morning – 5 yogic breathing exercises followed by 15 minutes of laughter, which you can do regardless of your mood. This will kick off your day by connecting you to your own inner peace and joy.

Noon – A laughter dance party to get you moving, breathing, laughing and dancing. It will revitalize you for whatever lies ahead.

Night – Unwind at bedtime with yoga nidra, a unique form of meditation done while lying down. It induces complete relaxation of the body, mind and emotions. At the end, the music will lull you into sleep, enabling you to rest in a blissful state.

Be Laughter also includes an 8 page booklet with more instruction about these 3 practices. Furthermore, the CD and its cool digipak will be made with certified green components. And thanks to careful attention to chain of custody and use of carbon offset credits, the entire package is rendered 100% carbon neutral!

I’ve dedicated this project in memory of my mom, Sharon Smith, who in loving me unconditionally has empowered me to be laughter. Read more about how laughter yoga has helped me through my grief.

The track listing is as follows:

MORNING

1. Breath of Fire (3:36)

2. Synchronized Breathing (3:08)

3. Cross Nostril Breathing (3:56)

4. Humming Bee Breath (3:32)

5. Conscious Breathing (5:41)

6. Laughing While Seated (5:08)

7. Laughing While Lying Down (4:55)

8. Laughing While Standing (5:06)

NOON

9. Laughter Dance Party (5:26)

NIGHT

10. Yoga Nidra (33:35)

It takes just 3 weeks to develop a new habit. So I’ve created the “Be Laughter” Challenge. Commit to practicing all 3 parts of this CD every day for 21 days and see how it transforms your life. Right now, I’m taking applications for my initial set of Be Laughter Challengers. If you believe you can commit to the daily practice for 3 weeks, drop me and e-mail at LaughterLaura@yahoo.com.

Be Laughter retails for $14.95 and is due to release July 8th. Right now, I’m running an introductory offer of just $12.95. Please go to The Laughter Shoppe to order on-line from my store. You can also order it at Amazon.com.

Or save money by ordering it by mail. Free shipping! Send checks of $12.95 for each CD payable to "Laura Gentry" to: The Laughter Shoppe, P.O. Box 11, Marquette, IA 52158. Thanks.

Laughter yoga professionals please note that I offer great wholesale rates on this and other products from The Laughter Shoppe. Drop me a line or call to fine out more. 563-880-2699

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!

THE LAUGH OF YOUR LIFE

I'd like to tell you about a laughter yoga resource I'm really excited about. It is a spoken word CD called The Laugh of Your Life by Jen Matthews and Kate Asch. This disc enables you to energize your body, mind & spirit with a FUN step-by-step solo laughter practice.

Let's face it, with our busy lives we don't all have opportunity to laugh in laughter clubs as much as we ought. In India, many clubs meet daily but very few do in the US. So what do you do when you don't have enough laughter friends around? You laugh by yourself. Your body won't care. It will just be happy you are laughing.

But how? It is not always easy to get laughing when you're all by yourself. That's why Jen and Kate created this CD—to make laughing alone simple and delightful. Plus, you don't feel like you're alone when listening to it because it seems like you're in the presence of these two energetic laughers.

The Laugh of Your Life is a professionally recorded CD that runs 72 minutes with multiple tracks for easy use to fit your laughter practice preferences. The contents include the history and context of laughter yoga, followed by a full laughter session accompanied by Jen & Kate's own chuckles. The mini session offers the same breathing and laughter exercises without detailed explanations or a laugh-a-long style. It is a great way to get in your daily dose of laughter to bring more health and joy into your life! Read more about it and find out how to order a copy for $19.95 plus shipping at Practice Laughter.

Kate and Jen are amazing people. I met them at the West Coast Laughter Yoga conference last fall in California. We quickly found that we are kindred spirits. We share a love of chicken hats, laughing outrageously and creating world peace through laughter.

Recently, we also discovered a mutual love of dinosaur riding.

So check out The Laugh of Your Life. You'll be giggling in no time!