Welcome to June 2017
…and news from UnitedMind Ltd., Laughter Yoga (UK) Ltd., Gibberish Communications Ltd., and The Laughter Club International (UK).
Information in this newsflash about
- New postal address and new 0800-phone
- The Playing Human Conference 27-28 September 2018 – never too early to book!
- Laughter review: Normal? Festival of the Brain in Folkestone, Kent
- The Laughter Career Path – what are your choices?
- Laughter Yoga Open Day in Birmingham 28 October 2017
- Dates for teacher, coach, leader, therapist courses!
In the coming month we will be laughing at the UK Laughter Festival and at the 1st Global Laughter Yoga Conference in Frankfurt, we will also be laughing with primary schools around the UK as part of an exciting project to spread happiness, and more.
We look forward to telling you all about it!
Our newsletter is a combination of news, stories and upcoming events. We hope you will enjoy our content on a monthly basis, and look forward to seeing you on courses and training, workshops, Laughter Clubs or other laughter events.
Please also feel free to follow the scribbles about laugh life and life in general on The Laughter Blog as well as The Healthy Laughing Blog.
And just to mention
- Daily Laughers Day #88 with Dave Berman and Lotte Mikkelsen
- Meet some of the awesome people who’ve trained with us since 2007
- Testimonials from Laughter Yoga Teacher Training
- The Laughter Club in 2017 – hope to see you here or there
- UnitedMind’s Online Shop – products, services, subscriptions
Our pages are constantly going through changes so please feel free to stop at Laughter Yoga UK, StaffLaugh, Gibberish Communications, Life Healer, and World Laughter Day UK and please visit us on www.unitedmind.co.uk.
New postal address and new 0800-phone number
UnitedMind, Laughter Yoga (UK) and Gibberish Communications have moved!
We encourage you to update your records with our new postal address:
UnitedMind Ltd
Office 7
35-37 Ludgate Hill
London
EC4M 7JN
United Kingdom
We are also pleased that you can now use our new phone number which is free to call from landline phones and from many mobile phones, too.
New phone number 0800 1214 714
If you visit our Contact page you can find links to our online pages and we would love for you to follow us and our activities – and we are happy to follow back.
If you have any questions or need more information please contact us on email info@unitedmind.co.uk or phone 0800 1214 714 or mobile 07736 341 717.
The Playing Human Conference, London 27-28 September 2018
The Living a Life of Joy day in London was fantastic and I heard back from the US that Patch really enjoyed it and is looking forward to coming back.
Great news is, Patch Adams will be back at our conference in September 2018 where The Playing Human Conference is already filling up with delegates and speakers.
A truly exciting event happening!
The idea for the title of this conference, as mentioned previously, came from an article I read only recently on the topic of playing as adults, and my mind wandered back to an exhibition I visited in my teens at the art gallery, Louisiana, north of Copenhagen.
The exhibition was called Homo Ludens – the Playing Human, and was about play through time depicted in art and expression.
This encouraged further inspiration through the book written in 1938 by Dutch historian and cultural theorist Johan Huizinga, “Homo Ludens”.
For more information visit www.gamestudies.org/0601/articles/rodriges.
Already we have a line-up of great speakers
- Patch Adams will return
- Pady O’Connor will speak and play more
- Robert Holden will bring happiness to us
- Shonette Bason and her Spread the Happiness brand
- Linda Leclerc with her Laughter Yoga and chocolate specialty
- Merv Neal, The Laughing Man, will be sharing his experience and Laughter Yoga
Other speakers are waiting to be confirmed.
- Until 31 May 2017 you pay only £250
- From 1 June to 31 December 2017 you pay £300
- From 1 January 2018 until sold out you pay £350
You can book your place on https://www.unitedmind.co.uk/product/the-playing-human-conference/ and save money with the super-early-bird-price of £250.
For more information please contact us on email, info@unitedmind.co.uk, phone 0800 1214 714 or mobile 07736 341 717.
Review: Normal? Festival of the Brain
Normal? Festival of the Brain brings science and art together over four days to wonder at the brain.
It was double-wonderful to be invited to laugh at Normal? Festival of the Brain in Folkestone on Sunday 28 May 2017 since the practice of Laughter Yoga ties in beautifully with everything that is about mindfulness and neuroplasticity which were key topics over the four days.
The event was co-curated by Living Words, Folkestone Quarterhouse and Folkestone Fringe with input from the local community, with an aim to explore empathy, self-help, laughter and awkward dancing to ask can you teach an old dog new tricks?
There were talks and workshops by their artist-in-residence, Byron Vincent, their neurologist-in-residence, Tim Rittman, their therapist-in-residence, Johannes Klabbers and a raft of artists, scientists and well-being practitioners to celebrate the brain in all its neuro-diverse glory – including UnitedMind.
I shared some superb laughs with a group of outstanding people who literally just let go and shared their laughter, chuckles, guffaws and giggles.
You can read more about Normal? Festival of the Brain on https://www.quarterhouse.co.uk/festivals/normal/
If you have any questions or need more information about our courses, workshops and how you can learn, please contact us on email, info@unitedmind.co.uk, phone 0800 1214 714 or mobile 07736 341 717.
The Laughte
r Career Path
When you decide you would like to learn laughter skills the next step is to decide which course is for you.
Oftentimes I get questions like
“do I need to know or practice Yoga?”
“what is the difference between courses?”
“which course is best choice for me?”
“is it necessary to try Laughter Yoga first?”
and many more.
Although the Compare Course page outlines some of the differences you may have a few more questions you need answered.
This little write-up aims to help you make a decision.
First of all just to clarify, you do not need to know Yoga to practice Laughter Yoga. The reason it is called Laughter Yoga is because we combine deep breathing techniques with playful laughter exercises.
Your Laughter Journey ideally starts with a visit to a Laughter Club.
NB If you run a Laughter Club that is not on the Google Map please get in touch!
However, this may not be an option for you as there are not active laughter clubs in all parts of the country, so you may have watched YouTube video clips or laughed on Skype or perhaps even on the telephone.
There are a couple of next options recommended…
one could be to learn the skills for yourself at the which does not teach you presentation skills but definitely teaches you laughter for life long-lasting skills. Learning on this 1-day training will also be giving you the choice to develop your laughter further if you want to move to next level…
the other option could be to become a Laughter Yoga Leader at the 2-day Certified Laughter Yoga Leader Training and in this way learn how to facilitate groups and start a Laughter Club. Laughter Clubs are needed everywhere as we are still thinly covering the UK. You confidence rockets as you learn great presentation skills at this training!
Lots to learn from laughter!
So the questions to ask yourself are…
“Should I learn Laughter Yoga Basic Skills to practice and benefit for myself?”
- 1-day Certified Laughter Yoga Basic Learning £95/£125 (full fee)
“Should I learn Laughter Yoga Leader Skills so I can practice and benefit myself as well as have the potential to share with others?”
- 2-day Certified Laughter Yoga Leader Training £175/£225 (full fee)
Becoming a Laughter Yoga Leader does not mean you HAVE to start a Laughter Club – you may simply want to learn for yourself in order to see if this is something you would like to pursue.
The 2-day training is a great opportunity as it opens up huge potential for your own personal growth as well as sharing and helping others develop, too.
When you become a Laughter Yoga Leader you may feel inspired to start a Laughter Club but it really is your choice.
Once your experience starts growing from running a Laughter Club you may feel inclined to offer workshops in communities, senior homes, schools, workplaces and other settings.
For this purpose, you may need additional training which could very well be the Business Experts Programme which can help you get a sense of where you are going with Laughter Yoga and how to progress down this route.
You may also start feeling inspired to learn more Laughter Yoga skills so you can conduct one-on-one coaching, and you may even start thinking of potentially learning to teach others.
If one-on-one Laughter Coaching is something you are keen to learn then the 1-day Certified Laughter Yoga Coach Training for leaders and teachers is certainly a great option and adds to your Laughter Yoga skills. You learn to facilitate an 8-week one-on-one laughter programme with individual clients.
- 1-day Certified Laughter Yoga Coach Training £95/£150 (full fee)
However, your thoughts may go in the direction of becoming a Laughter Yoga Teacher which is now including the Laughter Yoga Coach Training.
Until recently you had a free choice between teacher and leader training but recently things have changed and it is now a requirement to be a Certified Laughter Yoga Leader in order to become a Certified Laughter Yoga Teacher.
When you join the 5-day Certified Laughter Yoga Teacher Training you not only learn new skills in terms of breathing techniques, Gibberish, coaching, business skills, and how to teach leaders, you also start feeling the real change that comes with daily breathing and laughter practice.
You challenge yourself and you set goals for your future.
- 5-day Certified Laughter Yoga Teacher Training £595/£750 (full fee)
for residential courses in Hemel Hempstead you need to add accommodation fee of £250 (shared)/£300 (single)
The personal and professional growth potentially happening on these courses is outstanding. However, no matter how successful you become – never assume you know it all!
After all these years of teaching and learning I still know but a fraction of what we can do when we embrace the magic of laughter, play, and the joy that springs from it and I share my own lessons through new and innovative courses.
If you ever thought of becoming a Laughter Therapist please read on!
You do not need a background as a Laughter Yoga Leader or Laughter Yoga Teacher to come on the Accredited Laughter Therapist Training.
However, this course requires you to have a background in some form of therapy practice, e.g. psychotherapy or hypnotherapy, counselling or holistic therapy, as the important aspect is to be able to enable and support catharsis.
The course starts on a 2-day Laughter Therapist Training weekend and takes you onto 6-12 months working through two case studies ending up in a dissertation detailing your work and your lessons.
- 2-day Accredited Laughter Therapist Training £550/£750 (full fee)
If you would like to join the Laughter Yoga Leaders and Teachers, as well as Laughter Therapists, and start bringing laughter to life, or if you would like more information about Laughter Training for you, your team, your family, your friends, please contact us on email, info@unitedmind.co.uk, phone 0800 1214 714 or mobile 07736 341 717.
Full details and dates are listed further down and you can always find information on www.unitedmind.co.uk or by contacting UnitedMind using the details just above. Or book your place in UnitedMind’s Online Shop. Feel free to get in touch to see if you are eligible for a REALLY special offer!
Laughter Yoga Open Day in Birmingham 28 October 2017
This is an open day for Laughter Yoga professionals together with people from voluntary organisations, community groups and health professionals to attend to raise awareness of the health and well-being benefits of having a daily laughter practice.
There will be speakers during the morning session discussing Laughter Yoga and health issues. In the afternoon there will be a 1-hour Laughter Yoga session and opportunities to network with all attendees and to visit the ‘market place.
The Laughter Yoga Open Day happens on
- Saturday, 28 October 2017 from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm
- at Carrs Lane Conference Centre, The Church at Carrs Lane, Carrs Lane, Birmingham, B3 7SX (just across the road from Moor Street Station)
- and only costs £30.00 per ticket (plus service fee)
For more information about the Laughter Yoga Open Day please visit http://www.merriemaggie.co.uk/laughter-yoga-open-day/.
For more information about our business partners, Laughter Association UK, our programmes and our network of Laughter Professionals please contact us on email, info@unitedmind.co.uk, phone 0800 1214 714 or mobile 07736 341 717.
Dates for Certified Laughter Training
I teach the courses run in the following locations:
- Certified Laughter Yoga Leader Training
- London, St. Albans, Blackpool, Durham, Online
- Your venue
- Certified Laughter Yoga Teacher Training
- Hemel Hempstead, St. Albans, Durham
- Accredited Laughter Therapist Training
- St. Albans, Durham, Online
- Certified Laughter Coach and Gibberish Coach Training
- St Albans, Durham, Online
Laughter Yoga Leader
The 2-day Laughter Yoga Leader Training runs on the following dates and venues (full details are listed on www.unitedmind.co.uk/training/laughter-yoga-leader/):
2-day Certified Laughter Yoga Leader Training
- 07, 14, 21, 28 June Certified Laughter Leader Online £175
- 22-23 July 2017 in Durham £175 early /£225
- 23-24 September Laughter Yoga Leader St Albans £175
- 05-06 October Laughter Yoga Leader Blackpool £175
- 19-20 October Laughter Yoga Leader London £175
- More dates on www.unitedmind.co.uk/training/laughter-yoga-leader/
- Your workplace or with your group at dates to suit you!
Laughter Yoga Teacher
The 5-day Laughter Yoga Teacher Training runs on the following dates and venues (full details are listed on www.unitedmind.co.uk/training/laughter-yoga-teacher/):
5-day Certified Laughter Yoga Teacher Training
solely provided by UnitedMind in the UK since 2012
- 10-14 July 2017 in Hemel Hempstead £750 incl stay
- 23-27 October 2017 in St Albans non-residential
- 22-26 January 2018 in Hemel Hempstead £750 incl stay
Fees are excluding accommodation (only applies to Hemel Hempstead training) which you must book separately on https://www.unitedmind.co.uk/product-category/accommodation/.
Feel free to enquire about special offers at any time.
Laughter Therapist
The 2-day Laughter Therapist Training is only the beginning of the 6-12 months programme (full details on www.unitedmind.co.uk/training/laughter-therapist/)
2-day Certified Laughter Therapist (NB 6-12-month programme)
- 26-27 August 2017 St. Albans £550 early / £750
- 09-10 August Durham £550 early / £750
Laughter Yoga Coach
The 1-day Laughter Yoga Coach Training for Laughter Yoga Leaders and Teachers runs online on the following dates (full details are listed on www.unitedmind.co.uk/training/laughter-yoga-coach-cpd/):
1-day Certified Laughter Coaching Training
for Laughter Yoga Leaders and Teachers
- 27 July 2017 10am-3pm Online £95 early /£150
Or you can book your 8-week One On One Laughter Coaching Programme and get closer to your real laughter through the practice of Laughter Yoga exercises.
- 8-week One-On-One Laughter Coaching Programme
Your workplace at dates to suit you!
All of the training courses are great addition to any type of therapy or workshop facilitation, health work as well as business related demands, as the courses take you through learning a skillset that can successfully be utilised and adopted to any group whether it is about laughter, play, relaxation, mindfulness, or balance in life in general.
All fees are excluding travel and accommodation costs. Other deals may be available as well as special agreements with companies and organisations who wish to train teams and individuals in their workplace, or concessions.
If you want to be sure to get a place on the course of your choice please book now in the UnitedMind Online Shop.
For more information about certified training courses please contact us via email, info@unitedmind.co.uk, or mobile 07736 341 717.
