What makes you feel good?

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It’s a simple question.
And yet… how often do we actually take the time to answer it?

In a fast-paced world, where to-do lists grow longer than our deep breaths, it’s almost revolutionary to stop for a moment and ask ourselves: what really makes me feel good?

For me, the list is long.

There are the great moments, of course: laughing with a group, feeling the energy of a room transform, seeing faces relax and light up.

But there are also the little things we do every day. The ones that seem tiny… but change everything.

Like hugging my cat.

Feel its warmth, hear its purr, stop for a few seconds and just be there. In that moment, nothing else really matters. Breathing slows. So does the heart.

These little bubbles of well-being are precious. They remind us that joy is not always spectacular. It’s often hidden in the simplest things: a pause, a smile, a breath, a burst of laughter, or the softness of an animal cuddled close to you.

So I ask you today:

What makes you feel good?

Take a moment to think about it.

Write down whatever comes to mind on a piece of paper. Without censoring yourself.

And place this sheet where you’ll see it.

This way, you can “pick and choose” from the list whenever you need to.

Watching a sunset? Eating chocolate? Playing with your pet? Call a friend?

And if possible… treat yourself to one of these little moments today.

Your heart will thank you.

And your morale too!

Affectionately

Linda

It was just a game… and yet!

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Sunday morning, I was watching the Olympic field hockey game between Canada and the United States.

And suddenly…

Breathing short.
Jaws clenched.
Shoulders contracted.

I was sitting on the end of my chair. My body was on high alert.

For a field hockey game!!
A screen.
A puck.

A sport I don’t even particularly like! HAHAHA!

Nothing really dangerous. Just the Canada-USA rivalry.

Yet my nervous system couldn’t tell the difference.

That’s when I had a moment of clarity:
If my body can react so intensely to a sporting event… imagine what it goes through on a daily basis when faced with urgent e-mails, conflicts, deadlines and responsibilities.

Our primitive brain doesn’t always distinguish between
🧠 a real danger
and
📧 a perceived pressure.

The result?
Shortness of breath.
Tense jaw.
Accelerated thoughts.

So what can you do when stress takes hold – even for “nothing”?

Here are 3 simple things I did, right there in front of my TV:

1️⃣ I loosened my teeth and consciously relaxed my jaw.
2️⃣ I took a long exhale (longer than the inhale).
3️⃣ I added a voluntary micro-smile to my face.

In less than a minute, my body received a new message:
“It’s okay. You’re safe.”

Stress is not the enemy.
It becomes a problem when it gets stuck in the body.

This week, I invite you to observe:
When does your breathing shorten?
When does your jaw clench?

And above all… can you intervene before the tension gets too deep?

🌀 Mission of the week

Choose a stressful moment (meeting, traffic, sport, family).
Release the jaw. Breathe out for a long time. Micro-smile.
Observe what changes.

Gritting your teeth is like driving with the “check engine” light on… you can keep going for a while, but it’s not ideal.

You know what to do!

At least I do. Breathe, relax, smile… and why not laugh out loud?! (Do it with me here)

Thanks for reading

Linda

 

Getting out of your comfort zone

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A few days ago, I did something that took me firmly out of my comfort zone!

Solidly.

Let me explain.

For almost 20 years, I’ve had a tradition. That of joining my voice to those of the members of the choir where my father was director of the church choir for many years, for midnight mass. Every Christmas, I sing with them. Not only does it give me pleasure, it does me a lot of good.

Singing is one of the elements of joy. You know that, don’t you? If you don’t, you’re not receiving my newsletters or seeing my videos, because I often talk about it. I invite you to do so to change your energy, get rid of the gloom, breathe!

Last July, we moved out of the city where we’d lived for 25 years and relocated to my hometown. The intention was to be closer to my parents.

So I suggested to the choir leaders that I join them.

So far, nothing to report (although moving after 25 years in the same place does take you out of your comfort zone).

Occasionally, choir members are called upon to sing at funerals. At Mom’s funeral last May, we were delighted to have them sing what Mom certainly enjoyed hearing.

Anyway, a few weeks ago, we were preparing the songs for the funeral of a man who left his mark on the town’s development, and one of the songs was giving us a hard time. Hugo, the resident organist, suggested that it be done by a soloist instead.

I really like this song…

I don’t know how to explain it, but it was as if I felt myself being pulled forward to say “I can sing it!

I “auditioned” and to my great surprise, she was entrusted to me…

The next day, I regretted raising my hand and sent a message to say that if they preferred a male voice or someone else, it was really more than OK with me!

I was retreating into my comfort zone.

The best part was that right up until the rehearsal before the ceremony began, I offered to let someone else sing!

But I was the one who had to do it.

So I did!

And I sang well!

I was afraid of several things. Firstly, that my heart would get heavy and I’d cry as I sang the lyrics that touched me (my mother’s funeral wasn’t that long ago, and the emotion still grips me quite often)… but above all, I was afraid of revealing myself. Of revealing a more intimate part of myself. My singing voice. All alone in front of people.

With the job I do, talking about the benefits of laughter in front of hundreds of people, doing live TV, it gives me a bit of stage fright, yes, but I manage it with ease! But singing on my own? Phew!

Crazy, isn’t it? Maybe, but that’s how I felt.

Once the song was finished, I couldn’t tell you how I felt! A mixture of pride, strength, humility and the feeling of great possibility!

Have you noticed how much we like it when everything runs smoothly, when life seems tidy, familiar and predictable?
And yet… that’s rarely where the magic happens.

Stepping out of your comfort zone is a bit like diving into cold water. At first, your whole body screams no! You want to pull back, go back to what you know. But if you stay a while, you discover something else: a shiver of vitality, a spark, a new energy.

Discomfort is often a sign that you’re learning, growing, opening yourself up to new possibilities. Yes, it takes courage. Yes, it can sometimes be a bit of a rollercoaster ride. But it’s also when you discover unsuspected strengths, facets of yourself you’d never met before.

What if, today, you took a small step out of your comfort zone? Not a dizzying leap, just one step – enough to feel that slight inner tremor that says, “Oh, I’m alive!”

Your mission, if you accept it 😉: do something today that takes you (a little!) out of your comfort zone. And observe what it awakens in you.

With all my affection (and admiration for your courage!)

Laughter, joy and health

Linda

When laughter becomes an inner compass

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Have you ever experienced a moment of laughter so intense that, for a few seconds, nothing else existed? No more worries, no more to-do lists, no more fatigue. Just… pure joy.

In the whirlwind of modern life, these moments of laughter are much more than a pleasant break. They are powerful signals. Landmarks. A kind of inner compass that tells us that, yes, it is possible to feel good, here and now.

I saw it again recently, during my resource day in Méru, where we explored the power of laughter with a magnificent group. The laughter was outspoken, the silences lived in, the eyes sparkled. At the end, many of them said to me:

“I walk away lighter, more ME.”
And that’s exactly the power of laughter: it doesn’t take us away from ourselves – it brings us back to basics.

💡 What if you experienced it too?

I invite you to ask yourself a simple but revealing question:
👉 When was the last time you had a real laugh?
A real laugh!

And most importantly…
👉 What could offer you another one, today or this week?

It’s not a trivial question. It’s a gateway to greater clarity, lightness and vitality.

🎈 Deliberately choose to laugh. Simply put laughter on the agenda. For fun, out of curiosity, or out of need.

And if you don’t know where to start… that’s what I’m here for 😉

🌟 Coming soon

Here are a few ways to feed your inner joy in the next few minutes:
📅 Find a video that will help you laugh on the School’s YOUTUBE channel or on TikTok

What about you?
I’d love to read what makes you laugh these days. An anecdote, a video, a memory, an unlikely situation…
👉 Email me and let me know!

See you soon,
With a smile,
Linda 😊

A peacock is beautiful

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I was thinking about the beauty of the peacock.

While packing boxes at my parents’ house, I came across four peacock feathers.

Four magnificent feathers in shimmering, graceful hues.

And I thought, “What a beautiful peacock!”

I admired the colors and saw in my mind’s eye the majesty of this big bird’s plumage as it stretched out its tail to strut its stuff.

What a magnificent creature.

Really beautiful…

But it sings really badly!

The same goes for a blue jay! It’s flamboyant , but for talent, we can do better!

What plumage, but not for the beauty of the voice.

What others think

Do you think they care about our opinion? That they’d rather remain silent than make a horrible mistake? I doubt it.

They make themselves heard joyfully because that’s their nature. And that’s just fine.

They don’t care if humans think their singing is awful! They sing and they are. That’s all there is to it.

Are you laughing?

So if you’re one of those people who think they’re “laughing wrong”, that the sound of their laughter is too weird, too loud, too “all sorts of things”, then remember the peacock and the blue jay who amaze us with their beauty – even if their voice is what it is!

Your laughter, no matter what it’s like, is important for many reasons.

  1. It does YOU good
  2. It might encourage someone to laugh along with you.
  3. It will give off a tremendous amount of positive energy in and around you.
  4. You may be remembered for that “different” laugh!
  5. It belongs to you.

And I love you even more for letting yourself laugh more openly!

Here ‘s some reinforcements!

HAHAmaste

Your HAHA Sister, Linda

 

Gain altitude

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An unforgettable memory

When I was a teenager, my parents allowed me to spend some exceptional summers at a summer camp in the Eastern Townships of Quebec. Camp Claret became my “permanent residence” for 5 summers.

Dad, who was a teacher during the school year, was available for the summer months and was hired as activities coordinator. At that time, there were only 3 girls’ tents, while there were 10 for the boys.

I was one of the “big girls” and we had “big girl” activities. We’d go on expeditions lasting several days. Provisions divided between us. The backpacks we used then were nowhere near as good as those sold today! Ours were made of heavy, leaky army canvas! Clothes and sleeping bags got wet even in dry weather! We had to balance the weight in the bag, otherwise we’d quickly become uncomfortable.

One of my fondest memories of those summers is of a trip we took up Mont Ham. I was 14. This memory left an indelible mark on my life, transforming my perception of the world and leaving a deep imprint on my heart. The kind of memory that stays with you forever.

In those days, the path up to the summit was far from being as well-marked as it is today. We followed a sometimes very steep route, walking on rock with no footholds to secure our ascent. But once we reached the summit, we were rewarded by the majestic landscape before our eyes. This mountain being one of the highest in the region, on a clear day we could see far into the distance.

This time was no exception. By the time we reached the summit in the late afternoon, the weather was warm and sunny, and we were treated to a magnificent sunset.

The excursion was to last until the next day, so we set up our bivouac on the mountain, sleeping under the stars. Few trees on the summit – none near us – and few dead branches to make a fire. No problem at all! In our youthful enthusiasm, we managed to gather enough wood to last a siege of several hours.

Imagine this.

A group of 10-12 teenage girls accompanied by two leaders, around a campfire that had to stay lit all night to provide light, warmth and keep the animals away. We sang, laughed and chatted away. Just happiness!

We had to do “guard duty” to keep the flame burning, but you can imagine that someone fell asleep and the fire went out before morning!

It was the sun that woke us up that morning. A bright, intense sun.

In my memory, I woke up before my companions. When I opened my eyes, I first saw that the fire was really dead, but what filled me with joy and gratitude was the landscape before my eyes: big white “flaky” clouds as far as the eye could see.

It was as if we were on top of the world! Just us in the hot sun. And those thick, fluffy clouds that were like a carpet we could have walked on!

I can’t remember if the other girls were as amazed as I was. The kind of wonder that leaves you speechless. To this day, I still have a feeling of fulfillment when I think back on that moment.

As we made our way down to the base of the mountain, the sun became increasingly overcast, until halfway down, when it began to rain. Gone was the warming sun. It was raining hard at the bottom of the mountain.

The highlight of my life

It’s this memory that keeps me hopeful in the less easy times I sometimes go through.

Why?

Because I KNOW that beyond the clouds, the sun is shining brightly. Even if I can’t see it now, it’s there a little higher up. That’s all there is to it! No matter where or when, a ray of sunshine will eventually show up in my life to brighten and warm me up.

Hence the importance of gaining altitude!

When our noses are too “glued” to a situation, a problem or a difficulty, we can’t see the whole picture. We can lose sight of the good, the beautiful, the gentle, because we’re somehow obsessed with the hard, the sad, the worrying.

Everything else is there!

So how do you go about it?

My favorite way to gain altitude is, of course, to laugh. Laughing intentionally allows me to breathe and also to laugh at what’s bothering me. Now, you might say that I’m probably laughing yellow, but you wouldn’t be entirely wrong! I really force myself at times. But after a few seconds, I hear myself thinking that it’s ridiculous to laugh like that and… the magic happens! I’m laughing for real! Even for a few seconds, it works. I continue on my way with a slightly lighter heart. Altitude.

We can also practice cardiac coherence. By focusing our attention on our breathing for 5 minutes, we “pause” our mind. Here’s a short tutorial. Altitude.

During my enforced confinement, I had started doing Zen art. Drawing, concentrating on small patterns, repetition and arrangement, gave me great satisfaction and pleasure. After an hour of “doodling”, I felt as if I’d been taking care of myself for a long time. Altitude.

Get out into nature for a walk, a swim, cook a new recipe, do-it-yourself, paint… Altitude.

At laughter yogamany of the exercises focus on things that are less funny (or not funny at all!). The VISA account, no money, the argument… Has it occurred to you that if you can laugh about it all, your brain might realize that it’s not as dramatic as you thought? That’s the lesson I’ve learned.

Get moving! Gain altitude!

And keep smiling

Laughter, joy and health

Linda

 

 

 

 

An exercise to do NOW

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I’ve got a great exercise for you today.

Like many things in life, I discovered it by chance. But Linda, there’s no such thing as chance, you may ask! No doubt not. HAHAHA!

I invite you to do this wonderful exercise NOW.

Here. Right now. Without a second thought. You’ll see why. It’s simple, but it speaks volumes.

Take a sheet of paper and make a small black dot in the middle.

Have you done it? Stop reading and DO IT.

Here we are.

Now describe what you see.

Take 3 minutes to describe what you see. Don’t cheat! Stop reading and DO IT!!! FOR REAL! On any piece of paper, but DO IT! Otherwise, look at the photo and describe what you see! HAHAHA!

Then…

Look at what you’ve written.

Are you talking about the blackhead? Its size, its position on the sheet? Its dark color?

or…

Are you talking about the whole white part of the sheet?

What’s happening

The little blackhead is like the worries, the health problems, the financial worries, the whole shebang that preoccupies us in life.

Think about it for a moment.

The blackheads are very small when compared with all the OTHER things in our lives. Yet they are what pollute our lives.

Then what?

Take your eyes off the black spots in your life and realize how much you have. Enjoy every satisfaction, every positive moment that life gives you.

See the abundance around you… and ENJOY MORE! You’ll live happier.

 

My own experience

I suggested this exercise to my newsletter subscribers in an e-mail sent out a few days ago. This morning, as I was talking to a friend who was sharing her thoughts on a subject that was on our minds, I had a revelation!

I was focusing on the black spot! On what wasn’t working, what was bothering me, what was missing! And I didn’t see everything else that was blossoming in my life!

Crazy!!!

Realizing this immediately led me to LOOK and THANK for everything else.

In doing so, guess what happened?

YES! The “black spot” lost importance in my eyes because the rest was dazzling!

Really. Great exercise!

Have you done it?

Tell me… if you too will have revelations like mine! HAHAHA!

Laughter, joy and health

Linda

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An evening ritual

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Do you have any rituals?

I don’t know about you, but I like the idea of ritualizing certain moments and events in life.

We all have rituals we don’t think about: brushing our teeth after meals, washing up in the morning (or at the end of the day), setting the table in the evening for breakfast the next day (my mother does it!), drinking a cup of hot water in the morning (I do it!).

I have one that’s particularly good for me.

Every evening for almost a year now, I’ve been answering four questions in a little notebook in which I record my thoughts.

It was while reading an article by a man who wrote about why he likes to keep a diary that the idea of giving it a try came to me. Not just any kind of diary, but one in which he answers specific questions in the morning and evening.

I wanted to try out her evening ritual and, to my great surprise, I was completely hooked!

Even when I go to bed tired after a long day, I make a point of recording my answers in my notebook.

In doing so, I find that I fall asleep reviewing my day and having focused on something positive most of the time.

My comments

The first question leads me to look back on my day as a whole: What did I learn today?

It’s quite fascinating to realize that every day we have the opportunity to learn something new! Sometimes it’s as simple as “I learned that I can sing in Italian – phonetically!” and other times it’s more technical like “I learned how to use a new software program!”

The second is awareness of the greater and the invisible: Where have I seen or felt the divine touch?

It’s everywhere! What have I seen, heard, smelled, observed that is BEAUTIFUL, generous, lovable? It’s there, that divine touch.

The third is to observe my evolution: How am I different?

This one sometimes gives me a hard time! But I always come up with something. “I’m more patient with…” or “I think I’m less…”.

And the last one is about my emotions during the day: How did I feel?

Ah here, it’s like a festival of colors! I see my whole day again. “Amused, sad, satisfied, lucid, worried, serene, loved, loving, suffering, impatient, frustrated, joyful, grateful, light…” Quite often, I find that I’ve gone through a whole range of emotions – like a rapidly flashing strobe light. And I give thanks for all these signals.

My conclusion

I’ve realized that if I don’t do this exercise before going to sleep, it’s like forgetting what I’ve done and who I’ve been during the day! And taking a look at myself by answering these questions makes me more… human and aware of what I’m going through.

I see that I’ve lacked patience at some point, that an event has caused me pain, that I’ve been thrilled by beauty, that I’ve fully appreciated something or someone.

It’s a bit like giving myself a pat on the back, congratulating myself on what’s “to my liking”, forgiving myself for “what tripped me up” and telling myself that tomorrow I’ll have another chance to keep learning!

I really like this ritual.

My recent addition to this ritual

A few weeks ago, I started writing down a section to prepare for the next day: What would I like to ask for tomorrow?

And I fall asleep with a lighter heart every night.

Will you try?

If you do, let me know. I’m interested to know if you’re also experiencing beautiful things with this evening writing ritual.

HAHAmaste

Laughter, joy and health

Linda

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I met the lawyer!

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I have an amazing story to tell you. I met the lawyer!

Not just any lawyer, but the one mentioned in the article I read while waiting my turn for physiotherapy in 2003. YES! The very one to whom I owe my current success with laughter yoga! (If that doesn’t ring a bell, listen to this and you’ll understand better)

Imagine my joy

Last weekend, I was Master of Ceremonies at the Canadian Laughter Yoga Conference in Canmore, Alberta. It was a big job, requiring concentration, energy, dynamism and… preparation. Three days of sharing, inspiring, laughing-laughing-connecting. In short, it was great! (and very tiring!).

I was a little out of the way, at a table just finishing preparing the presentation for the next speaker, when I had an epiphany.

A beautiful woman was sitting at a table near me. I looked at the name on her roundel: Catherine Lawrence, Toronto, “chicken lady”…

I looked up at her and simply said in a low voice, “Are you a lawyer?”

When she said yes, I got up and hugged her! (I think it was the first time she’d ever been hugged after saying she was a lawyer! HAHAHA)

The beautiful blonde from the article. The one who had stopped practicing law to offer corporate laughter programs! That was HER.

I was in the presence of THE woman through whom my love affair with laughter yoga began!

Do you think I was incredulous to find myself standing in front of the woman holding a wooden spoon in one hand and a rubber chicken in the other in the magazine photo, 21 years later? OH YES!

Most of all, I was grateful to be able to tell him directly how this article had changed the course of my life.

The impact of our actions

Have you ever thought that each of our actions can have an impact on one or more people without us even knowing it?

  • You look at a garment in the store and hesitate to buy it. In the end, you don’t take it. Someone passes by and sees what could be the perfect gift for their child, buys it and makes someone happy.
  • At the grocery store, you pass a person who has only two items to pay for. This person walks out of the store and smiles at the people she meets. One of them is going through a difficult time, but this stranger’s smile warms her heart.
  • The short videos I post on social networks cross oceans and do good for countless people!
  • INSERT YOUR OWN EXAMPLE…

It was good for both of us to know that the other person existed.

In my case, to know that the person I was grateful to was actually there with me.

And in hers, that this article not only allowed the woman I was to put laughter back into her life, but also helped a multitude of people around the world to feel happier through my actions.

The domino effect!

Just like the “circles in the water” that go from strength to strength. A joyful echo that spreads around the world. Even if we don’t SEE it, it’s there!

So don’t stop laughing, smiling and breathing. You don’t know how many lives will be impacted by these simple, beneficial actions.

THANK YOU to Catherine Lawrence!

And thank you for reading.

HAHAmaste

Laughter, joy and health

Linda

 

The three main reactions to stress

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I was reading my colleague Alain Samson ‘s newsletter this morning as I waited in the studio to do my TV column in Ottawa.

One sentence in particular caught my attention.

He quotes Henri Laborit, a French physician, surgeon and neurobiologist who made his name by popularizing neuroscience.

According to Henri Laborit, under stress, individuals tend to react in three main ways: flight, aggression or immobilization.

He also says that, in the face of threat or intense stress, immobilization is the least energy-intensive response for the body.

My experience

I’ve observed that, depending on the situation, I too will react in these three ways.

For example, when I look at the clock and I’m slightly off time, I tend to want to run away. As in walking faster, driving faster, moving more. So here, it would be running away.

In other circumstances, I “freeze”. Unable to speak, to move, to think. Faced with shocking news, for example. It’s as if everything comes to a standstill. Immobilization.

As for the aggressive reaction, I’m sure you can think of several situations where we become downright aggressive and impatient. Sudden movements, clenched jaws, louder (or higher-pitched) voice.

All these reactions are due to perceived stress. Fascinating.

Depending on the situation, we all react this way. Flight, aggression or immobility.

So and so. I repeat, these are the three main reactions! That means there are others.

What could it be?

Hmm… I think about how I want to cry sometimes when it’s a bit too much. Or what a few people tell me – that they can’t stop laughing when they’re going through something very stressful.

Laugh or cry.

Two reactions that release some of the tension generated by the situation. There’s an immediate sense of liberation after laughing as well as crying. And I use both too!

The idea is not to judge ourselves (or anyone else) but simply to observe that humans all react in certain ways, and that we have many reactions in common.

And that’s interesting!

What’s YOUR answer?

Escape? Aggression? Or immobilization? Laughing? Tears?

Have a nice day!
Laughter, joy and health

Linda