Are you concerned about the wellbeing of your stressed and overworked staff, or high burnout and turnover rates in your organization?
Are you looking for a way to breathe more enegy, creativity, productivity, and wellness into your team?
Are you searching for a fun and unique team-building exercise for your next workshop or conference?
I’m a certified laughter yoga leader and would love to lead a corporate wellness or team-building laughter yoga session with your staff.
For every cor
porate session I do, I run a free session with a local group of children or women in need, so this is also an opportunity for your organization to help spread some health, happiness and laughter to those who need it most.
I didn’t think I could laugh without any reason and didn’t understand why I would want to – but after the session with Catarina I was more relaxed, felt like I’d exercised, and was more awake mentally. What I liked best about the session was the interaction with others I work with. I think everyone could benefit from laughter yoga. ~ Gem Patten, Médecins Sans Frontières South Africa
What is laughter yoga?
Laughter yoga is a unique concept based on the notion that anyone can laugh for no reason, without relying on humor, jokes or comedy. Sessions combine laughter exercises with yogic breathing which brings more oxygen to the body and brain, making you feel more energetic, focused and clear. Laughter yoga is based on the scientific fact that the body cannot differentiate between fake and genuine laughter – you get the same physiological and psychological benefits, e.g. releasing endorphins (the body’s feel good chemicals which reduce pain and stress).
There are +6000 social laughter clubs in over 70 countries and laughter yoga is being practiced in companies, old age homes, schools, fitness centers, prisons, hospitals, and cancer support groups to name a few. This innovative concept has been written about in publications including TIME Magazine, National Geographic, the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, the Daily Telegraph (UK) and many others. Laughter clubs have also featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show, BBC, and CNN.
What are the benefits of laughter yoga?
Reduced stress, strengthened immune system, elevated mood, less pain, and increased connectedness, among other benefits. It also fosters improved productivity, teamwork, and resilience. Importantly, laughter yoga shows participants that we all have the power to change our mental state and control our emotions: we have full control over how we react to external situations, both positive and negative.
This CNN report on laughter yoga discusses some of the benefits and research:
Laughter yoga is easy to learn, fun, and benefits are immediate. The graph below shows data from responses I received from participants in one corporate laughter yoga session who filled out a questionnaire on how they felt before and after. Average scores improved across all wel
lness dimensions after just one session.
What does a laughter yoga session look like?
Most sessions are an hour long, but this can be adapted to the requirements of the group. Nothing fancy is needed – just a large enough space for the group to gather, plenty of water, and comfortable clothing.
What does a laughter yoga session cost?
Varies by size of group, location, and the length of the session – contact me with your requirements. I am based in Cape Town, South Africa and travel costs will be included in the quote if travel is necessary. For large groups (e.g. conferences and larger events), I will organize another laughter yoga leader to join me in leading the session.
Do you also do wellness talks and other corporate wellness programming?
Yes, contact me to discuss speaking engagements and wellness topics you’d like covered. Together we can come up with a wellness solution that meets your needs – e.g. a wellness talk series or a webinar.
Do you do non-corporate laughter yoga sessions?
I lead a laughter social club that meets monthly free of charge in Cape Town, South Africa (contact me for details) and run sessions for groups in need in the community. If you’re a government or non-profit organization that is interested, let’s connect!
I also lead online laughter yoga sessions where you can join a small group of others from around the world in laughter. Sign up below to find out when these popular sessions are taking place.
