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Certified Laughter Yoga Leader - Doug Dvorak
recently welcomed Dr. Madan Kataria, Founder
of America’s newest exercise craze -
Laughter Yoga. Doug invited Dr. Kataria to
Chicago for a press and speaking tour. Dr.
Kataria was featured on WGN Radio, Fox News,
Crain’s Chicago Business and The Daily
Herald. Laughter Yoga has been embraced by
healthcare and exercise professionals who
see and understand the physical, mental and
emotional benefits to this simple, yet
powerful program.
Doug is the Founder of The Chicago Live Life
Laughing Club in Palatine, IL. The club
meets the third Wednesday of every month
from 7:30-9:00PM at the Palatine Senior
Center, 505 S Quentin Road Palatine, IL
60067 (847) 991-1112. Admission is free and
all are welcome.
–
Laughter Yoga –
 A
Brief History
The unique concept of Laughter Yoga and
Laughter Club is the brain child of Dr.
Madan Kataria, a physician from Mumbai,
India. Any one can laugh in a group for
15-20 minutes without depending upon great
sense of humor, jokes or comedy. Laughter
Yoga combines simple laughter exercises
(simulated laughter) and gentle yoga
breathing, which turns into real laughter
when practiced in a group.
Laughter Yoga is supported by powerful tools
derived from the Western psycho analytical
methods as well as Eastern spiritual laws.
It will help you to stay in high spirits
when life throws up challenges. It will
enhance your ability to laugh and smile when
dealing with negative emotions, situations
and negative or difficult people.
These powerful tools include: how does the
human mind work? What is the meaning and
purpose of life? Understanding laws of the
universe which govern our life?
Understanding negative emotions like anger,
fear, anxiety, greed, guilt, sadness, lust
and attachments.
Simple,
Gentle
Laughter Yoga is physically-oriented
technique that uses a perfect blend of
playful, empowering and otherwise
"tension-releasing" simple laughter
exercises, interspersed with gentle
breathing and stretching exercises, rhythmic
clapping and chanting of Ho Ho Ha Ha Ha in
unison. This is done as a way to improve
health, increase well-being, and promote
peace in the world through personal
transformation. In Laughter Yoga you use
laughter as a tool, not an emotion.
These exercises last about 20 to 30 minutes
and are adapted to suit the needs, abilities
and motivations of the group participating.
A
Breakthrough
Dr Madan Kataria was the first one to
discover and make use of the fact that
anyone can laugh for 15-20 minutes without
depending upon a sense of humor or comedy.
No joke: as of July 2005 there were over
5000 Laughter Clubs worldwide, counting
250,000+ members.
Powerful
Because it does not rely on the mind at all,
Laughter Yoga helps you to easily distance
yourself from your fears, sadness, worries,
self-defined limitations, etc. As a result
you do not need to be happy, have a sense of
humor, or even have a reason in order to
laugh. Laughter Yoga bases itself on the
philosophy of “acting happiness”. We
“simulate to stimulate”. In time fake
laughter becomes genuine and flows out like
a fountain.
Universal
Laughter Yoga crosses all barriers: age,
gender, language, culture, physical
abilities, race, religion, political
beliefs, etc. Laughter is part of the
universal human vocabulary. All members of
the human species understand it.
Therapeutic
The therapeutic value of Laughter has been
thoroughly and scientifically researched in
the past 40 years, and its physical benefits
proven beyond the shadow of a doubt.
The first scientific research on Laughter
Yoga was done in 2003-2004 in Graz
University, Austria, by Psychologist Dr
Ilona Papousek. We are currently awaiting
their official publication in English.
Dr. Lee Berk (World expert in the field of
Psycho-Neuro-Immunology) and his research
team at Loma Linda University, School Of
Public Health, in California have recently
started a major and multi-study research
project specifically on Laughter Yoga. The
aim of this scientific research is to
qualify and quantify the impact of laughing
for no reason on the human body as well as
stress levels. Interim results are expected
in the course of 2006.
To promote laughter club around the world we
are organizing Laughter workshops, laughter
seminars, laughter yoga leader training,
laughter yoga teacher's training, and
laughter yoga spiritual retreat and laughter
yoga holidays.
At present there are more than 5000 laughter
clubs world wide and Laughter Clubs have
been covered by prestigious television
channels like BBC, CNN. ABC (USA), NHK
(Japan), Channel 7 & 9 (Australia), ZDF
Germany and newspapers, magazines like TIME
Magazine, National Geographic, New York
Times, London Times, and LA Times, the
Guardian, Wall Street Journals and many
others.
Doug Dvorak is the CEO of DMG Inc., a
worldwide organization that assists clients
with productivity training, corporate humor
and workshops, as well as other aspects of
sales and marketing management. Mr. Dvorak's
clients are characterized as Fortune 1000
companies, small to medium businesses, civic
organizations and service businesses.
Mr. Dvorak has earned an international
reputation for his powerful educational
methods and motivational techniques, as well
as his experience in all levels of business,
corporate education and success training.
His background in sales, leadership,
management and customer loyalty has allowed
him to become one of worlds most sought-
after consultants, lecturers and teachers.
This vast experience has helped him shape
and determine his philosophies on success in
business, which he now shares annually with
thousands of individuals through keynote
presentations, syndicated writing,
television, seminars, books and tapes.
Mr. Dvorak is a certified sales trainer,
management consultant and corporate
humorist. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree
in Business Administration and a Master of
Business Administration in Marketing
Management. But Mr. Dvorak's sense of humor
is no less refined, as he is a graduate of
the Player's Workshop of the Second City,
one of the oldest and most prestigious
improvisational comedy schools in the world.
Mr. Dvorak's philosophies have been featured
in several articles and interviews. His
dedication to success and sales excellence
led him to be named one of the Top Ten Sales
Professionals in America in 1988, by
Personal Selling Power Magazine.
Since 1995, Mr. Dvorak's vision and
leadership have been recognized; he has been
honored with induction into several
prestigious national and international Who's
Who organizations, including Who's Who in
Professional Speaking.
Mr. Dvorak is a member of the National
Speakers Association, Toastmasters
International and is an Advisory Board
Member of “Best Buddies International,
Inc.", which is dedicated to enhancing the
lives of people with intellectual
disabilities.
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