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

On grief… losing a friend

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Losing a friend…

Last month, I recorded a rather unusual video. Very vulnerable and open. Without make-up or lipstick.

Why did I want to make this video?

To tell my story. To reveal myself… and to share.

If you’ve ever attended one of my lectures or workshops, you’ve heard me tell the story of how laughter yoga came into my life. Following a car accident – a “badly wrapped” gift, as I like to say.

You’ve also heard me talk about my friend Manon, with whom I stayed during my weekend training as a laughter yoga facilitator in Montreal. My “dignified” and smiling psychologist friend, a serious and responsible manager. She was the same one who watched me laugh as I showed her how to do the welcoming laugh, and who replied that “you had to be there”!

She didn’t understand the idea of intentional laughter at all, but was nonetheless amused to see me so enthusiastic and bubbly as I explained what we’d done and what I’d experienced on that first day of training.

My beautiful friend Manon died suddenly in her bed at home a few days ago. In secret…

With no response to my calls or texts, I decided to call her cousin to ask if I could leave her something for my friend. And it was she who told me the sad news…

Not only had Manon passed away, but none of her immediate family had access to her contacts, so I didn’t find out until after the funeral.

Phew!

The next day, I had to go to Val David to record a podcast episode with two wonderful people, Laura and William from DoshayogaCommunity.

Laura was concerned about my state of mind and my morale – the news upset me enormously – and suggested postponing the meeting. But knowing that I wouldn’t be available later, I decided to go ahead. In spite of everything.

Now you’ll understand why.

Why did I go?

I’m the one who talks about joy, laughter and good humor.

I share with you some tips to take things with more lightness, benevolence and sparkle!

But grief, mourning and hard knocks are also part of life. For me, as for you, it’s part of my life.

Many people are tempted to put off their emotions for fear of judgment, for fear of not being able to “get back on track”, to get out of the “hole”. When it’s too sad, too difficult, we try to apply a temporary balm so as not to suffer. Some drink, some take pills. Anyway, you know what I mean.

As my university professor used to say… What we resist persists.

I didn’t want to force things and laugh at all costs. No. Instead, I chose to show that it’s possible to keep a cheerful heart despite grief and life’s difficult moments.

While I laughed softly with them, I didn’t think about my great sorrow. I was simply living. And I remembered the joy of having had such a wonderful woman in my life. I would almost say that I felt her presence by my side during those moments in that magical place.

I don’t laugh ALL the time! This week, I’ve been experimenting with tears a lot. And that’s OK! I KNOW my laughter is there… right next to it.

What happened

A few days ago, I suggested an exercise to subscribers to the École newsletter. The blackhead exercise.

As I mourned the loss of this precious friend, someone unknowingly taught me a tremendous lesson.

In her comment to my FB post, she reminded me to think about all that remains, all that is. Not to dwell on what’s missing, what’s gone. I was forgetting her. (Yes! Even I forget sometimes!)

Another did me a lot of good when she said that “the pain of mourning is love that doesn’t know where to go“. As I read it, I began to direct all that love towards her, towards my friend, towards the sky, towards the birds, towards the flowers, towards my family… what’s left. And I felt better.

Tears and laughter

Tears are laughter’s little cousins. They’re very close sometimes! And they’re also part of life.

I’m just like you. I experience challenges, mourning, not-so-easy times. But I know that the sun shines above the clouds and I focus on what is and what remains.

Let’s raise our heads. Let’s look to the sky. Smile lightly. Celebrate what has been and what remains.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart, my beautiful Manon d’amour. Thank you for the beautiful trace you leave in my life and in our hearts.

Laughter, joy and health

Linda

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

 

Keeping hope alive

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Last summer, I took part in a very special event. The 60th anniversary of the founding of Camp Claret du Lac Elgin.

This summer camp was founded by a Claretian Father, a young priest who arrived from Spain with a vision and a mission. Father Carmel Lerma.

As a teenager, I was lucky enough to camp in this heavenly spot for 5 summers. The first year, for 2 weeks, and the following years, I spent the whole summer there. Because my father, a high school art teacher, had been recruited by Father Carmel as coordinator.

Dad was in charge of scheduling activities for all the campers, and the whole family was at Lake Elgin for the summer. My brother Luc and I as campers. Mom and my brother Éric (too young at first) at the cottage.

Last summer, in 2023, in anticipation of this celebration, the team organizing the event asked guests to recount a significant event in their Camp experience.

Here’s what I sent.

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_

Approximately what year was your highlight? Oh, I can’t remember exactly, but I think it was 1972.

I was a camper in the Claire-Nature group at the time, and Dad was the coordinator.

My highlight

We had gone on an excursion to Mont Ham. The weather was overcast and we climbed the mountain in the afternoon. In the evening, we slept under the stars, taking turns to keep the fire “alive” to keep the animals away, but, curiously, in the early morning when the sun woke us, the fire was out… BUT what I saw changed my perception of things forever.

It was very early and the sun was shining brightly in the sky over the mountain. Straightening up a little, this is what I saw. The summit of Mount Ham was “cut off” from the rest of the world – a “carpet” of clouds stretched as far as the eye could see. We were alone in the world under the bright sun! It was breathtakingly beautiful. I remember marvelling at what I was seeing, while my fellow campers seemed to find it less beautiful than I did!

After closing the bivouac, we took the trail back down the mountain. The further down we went, the more we were in the clouds, which eventually turned to rain once we reached the bottom.

Before getting back into the Camp minibus, I remember looking up at the sky where the summit of Mount Ham was nowhere to be seen (let alone the sun) and thinking that I should never forget this moment… because even if I can’t SEE it, the sun is shining somewhere.

That image is still with me. I tell you about it here and I SEE it in my mind!

Despite the difficult times we face in life, the sun shines somewhere… So keep hoping Linda!

An outstanding experience

These images have been with me all my life since that moment. The sun above the clouds.

And I’m convinced that what I experienced on the top of that mountain in 1972 was what we call a moment of grace. The kind of experience that changes our perspective on things forever.

If you’ve ever been on a plane on a rainy day, you know what it’s like to fly above the cloud line.

This vision is as real as the rain that fell on the runway when you took off!

Rain on the ground. Sun higher!

Keep hope (say your name here). The sun shines somewhere and if I rise above my clouds, it’s there.

Health, laughter and joy

Linda

The gaze of others

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I’ll never forget the first laughter yoga session I invited a friend from Montreal to.

I won’t forget the distraught look on her face during the exercises either! It was obvious she was wondering what she’d gotten herself into! (Just thinking about it makes me smile to this day).

I had just completed my training as a Laughter Yoga facilitator in the spring of 2003, and was highly motivated to continue practicing my exercises and determined to share the benefits of the method with my friends.

M (I’ll call him M here) had agreed to accompany me to a session of the Montreal Laughter Club while I was in town, on the very day that a meeting was taking place.

The facilitator begins the session, and the group gets down to work on the exercises.

Let’s just say that his animation was different from what I’d experienced up to that point, and I didn’t feel as comfortable as I had during my training. But hey. I was there and I did it.

It was when I saw my friend’s distraught and perplexed look as we wished each other a warm welcome that I really started laughing! I KNEW what she was thinking!

But what is this? It doesn’t make sense!

M has a great sense of humor. She’s also a pretty serious person. If you’re familiar with color personality types, she’s a “blue”. I’d describe her as cautious and analytical. That’s not to say she doesn’t know how to have fun, but this intentional laughter program was taking her WAY out of her comfort zone. VERY FAR!

The gaze of others

I see this in the groups I work with. A woman will bring her life partner or a friend. Or work colleagues. The person participates happily and laughs heartily during the exercises. The partner, friend or colleague does not. And what’s more, he or she looks at the other person as if to say,“You owe me one!”

Not easy for the person who sees that his guest or colleague is judging, has a reproachful and eloquent look on his face.

I can see them having even more fun!

A bit like me, who started laughing harder when I saw how my friend looked like a fish out of water. When she saw me laughing at her perplexity, she laughed a little too. She knew I knew!

She might well have been angry about it and thought I was laughing at her. Come to think of it, it might have looked like that indeed. HAHA!

What actually happened was that I know her very well and I sensed her perplexity and discomfort. I knew!

Where am I going with all this?

HAHA! I’ve found over the years that intentional laughter probably isn’t for everyone.

Even if physically it is, some people’s rational side is so strong that it prevents them from fully living the experience and letting go of the mind.

The big, responsible, serious people we become over the years almost all have a challenge at this level. Letting go of the mind to stay in the physical experience. I know because I’ve had this challenge myself.

How do I look? It’s not funny, so why should I laugh? Nonsense…

This is where giving yourself the PERMISSION to do something different is essential.

The worst that could happen?
  • That we laughed (even at nothing) for a few minutes.
  • That we feel lighter and less stressed.
  • That we have been able to forge positive links with the people who are with us.
  • That we were able to be in the moment for a while.
  • That we feel free of a weight.

If that’s the worst of it, I want the worst in my life!

No one can judge or evaluate anyone, because everyone does the exercises at the same time, at the signal of the person who launches the exercise. No one is put “under the spotlight” because everyone is doing the same thing, at the same time.

I think that’s the beauty of intentional laughter sessions for people who are afraid of being judged by others. It’s impossible to judge someone when we’re doing the same thing they’re doing!

There’s something about laughing all at once “on command” that’s reassuring for the mind, which might be tempted to panic. HAHAHA! Laughter brings people together.

So the next time you catch someone looking at you doubtfully and critically while you’re intentionally laughing, just tell yourself that they might not be able to let go of their mind long enough to laugh with you!

And that’s fine.

To each his own.

I made my own… Have you?

Laughter, joy and health

Linda

P.S. If I had stopped laughing when I saw M that day because I felt judged, you wouldn’t be reading this today!

P.P.S. M is still my friend! hehehe!

 

What I’ve learned in my years of laughter yoga

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I started practicing laughter yoga in 2003. At the time, I was what you might call a serious, stressed-out manager. I’m not sure if the people who worked with me had that perception, as I’ve always been a fairly good-natured, smiling person.

However, I consider that to have been my reality. “Pressurized” by difficult objectives, tight deadlines, the amount of work required… In short, a pot under constant pressure.

When I sent in my registration for the training weekend in May 2003, I knew I was in for something different. But probably not this different!

Here’s what I learned

1. It’s not as hard as you think to laugh intentionally

Once I’ve decided to start laughing, once I’ve made the physical motion to laugh and I know I have to laugh for at least a minute, I do it. What’s more, when we laugh as a group, the simple fact of hearing others, seeing them laugh, knowing that we’re there to do just that – laugh – has a leverage effect on our laughter! Did you know that we have a special laughter sensor in the brain? So when the detector detects, guess what happens!

In a laughter yoga session, we all start laughing at the same time, on the leader’s signal. When he or she says GO, we all go. Even when I’m practising alone, I hear myself laughing, and every time I do, I catch myself thinking how ridiculous it must look to see myself laughing like that, and THAT makes me laugh!

2. Some exercises work better than others

I admit it. I have my favorite exercises. In the sessions I run at the laughter club, the same people often take part every week. I can’t have them doing the same routine over and over again. So I vary. Some evenings, all the exercises trigger my laughter quickly. Other nights, I look at the list I’ve chosen to do and make a note not to do it again in the future! Of course, I always ask the group if they liked a new exercise that I didn’t like so much. If their opinion is positive, then I bring it back for them. But not for me! Silent laughter, for example, is a must, and it’s terribly effective for me. Silent laughter appeals to the ban on laughter!!!! Mischievous you say!

3. It’s definitely an aerobic exercise

I’m hot, out of breath and red in the face! It’s not jogging, but it feels like it. It’s something I keep an eye on when I’m working with a group. How the participants’ faces look. The heart beats faster, the lungs are hard at work… in short, “ça y va aux toasts” as we sometimes say in Quebec! Which means it’s very energetic. Hence the importance of taking the time to breathe properly between exercises – or during my laughter meditation.

4. I rarely laugh this hard or this long on a daily basis

Vrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrratively not! In a laughter yoga session, I can easily laugh for 20 minutes. Not necessarily in a row, but certainly 20 minutes in total. On a daily basis, my laughter only lasts a few seconds. Here and there during the day. And then some! That’s on days when I’m not alone in my office or in a particularly good mood. Most of the time, if I’m focused on my work (whether administrative, editorial or creative), I won’t even smile. Unless, of course, I’m holding a straw between my teeth. I smile. I don’t laugh. So a laughter yoga session is great.

5. I can laugh even when I’m not doing so well

I’ve been through all kinds of personal storms over the past 20 years. Bereavements, job losses, physical injuries, arguments… you name it, I’ve been through it. I remember an evening when I had just learned of the death of a close friend just before leaving for the laughter club. I cried on the way to the community center, and then it was as if I’d put my grief on hold for the hour of the session. I was able to lead the meeting, and when I got back to my car, I started crying again. That evening, I realized that during the hour of the session, while I was laughing with the group, I hadn’t been thinking or suffering about my grief. I had been completely in the moment with the participants. The pain hadn’t gone away. It was just “a little on the side” during those moments.

 

6. I don’t feel like I’m forcing myself anymore

People sometimes tell me that they can’t tell the difference and don’t know whether I’m laughing “for real” or “as if”. And neither do I! HAHAHA! I don’t feel like I’m forcing myself anymore. It comes quickly and stays if I decide to keep going. I think that must be the body’s ability to train itself to do something easily and naturally. Once the habit is well established, the body reacts to the first signal to start! A bit like Pavlov’s dogs! It’s the best conditioning you could wish for!

7. After the sessions, I love everyone

You’re right. I look at people on the sidewalk and I just want to compliment them. I look at them and I SEE them! If I felt anger or impatience towards someone before (I’m normal! It happens to me, yes yes!), after the session, those feelings are gone and have given way to openness and tolerance. I’m not saying that I magically forgive everything. No. What happens is that my heart takes over. Not just my head. Notice how you look at the people who make you laugh. Or those around you after a good laugh. It’s like making room for… love after all! Less judgment and evaluation.

8. Laughing makes me creative

I need to take stock of my achievements over the last 20 years, and I have to admit that laughing makes me much more creative! Of course, I know that laughing activates the left side of my brain, the part linked to imagination, love and creativity. I think laughing does stimulate that part of my brain. On the other hand, I think all those exercises I created by improvising during the sessions based on what the participants shared with me, that’s all about PLAY. I’ve certainly started playing again by practising laughter yoga. Because laughter is a game! At least, the way we start the exercises, the way we interpret reality in a more playful light, is an invitation to play. And play means creativity!

9. I don’t care what others think of me when I lead a session.

HAHAHA! I know that many must look at me and think that I’m not doing anything serious! That I’m maybe even weird or strange or… a little crazy! I know because – I confess – that’s probably what I would have thought myself 21 years ago! As I lead a session, I’m focused on the participants. On their complexion, their faces, their smiles. When I’m with a group, I invite them all to start the exercise at the same time and follow me. No one can judge anyone… except maybe me, because I demonstrate before giving them the GO.

I KNOW how liberating and beneficial what I’m doing to them is. So what do some people think of me? I don’t really care! The important thing is to make sure things are done right for optimum effect. Am I wrong? I laugh! I say the wrong word? I laugh! And believe me, I do goof up sometimes! I’m probably the best example of how to LAUGH AT YOURSELF!

10. All are beautiful when they laugh

Certainly. I have no hesitation in making and statement! Eyes sparkle. Cheeks are rosier. A sparkle lights up the eyes. Even toothless mouths are more beautiful. I read a long time ago that laughter is good for sex appeal. Well, I don’t know, but what I do know is that I’ve never seen a serious face more beautiful than a smiling one. If you’re holding back laughter because you don’t like your teeth, don’t stop! You look at your eyes when you laugh! What’s more, it’s the energy the person gives off that is felt. A beautiful, positive, vibrant, loving energy. Don’t you think that’s beautiful? HAHAHA! I think just like you.

 

 

That’s all I’ve learned… and more! Because my main discovery is that laughing brings out the best in me!

Laugh with me, will you?

Laughter, joy and health

Linda

My “Good Mood” breakfast

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Do you eat in the morning?

I do! And sometimes it’s even my favorite meal.

Almost 4 years ago, I cut out flour and sugar from my diet. I know that for many, this may seem IMPOSSIBLE – even for me at first it was like a mountain whose summit was impossible to reach!

I love bread (especially fresh from the oven!). I like pasta – any kind. I like desserts and chocolate.

Notice how I say I love and not I loved? That’s intentional.

Just because I don’t eat it anymore doesn’t mean I’ve stopped loving it! HAHAHA!

And sometimes I feel that my willpower is about to break. But it doesn’t. I repeat to myself the same phrase I used when I cut out cigarettes (Yes. I’ve already smoked!).

My great line?

Whether I eat it all or not, the craving will pass. And it does!

Where am I going with this?

I told you that breakfast is sometimes my favorite meal. Because some mornings, it’s a fiesta on my plate!

Here’s my “Fiesta Breakfast” recipe.

Ingredients for the cake

  • 1 banana (or 4 on of banana) mashed (I mashed potato with a fork)
  • 1 egg
  • ½ on nut butter (I usually use natural peanut butter or hazelnut butter depending on what’s at home)
  • 1/4 T uncooked quick oatmeal.
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 pinch salt
  • ½ tsp vanilla
  • 1 pinch cinnamon

Mix together and place in a ramekin or mug.

Microwave for 3 minutes.

Once cooked, place on a plate and top with the “sauce”.

Ingredients for the “sauce

  • ½ on walnut butter
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons hot water

Mix the two with a spoon and, if necessary, add a little water to obtain a sauce consistency (but not too liquid).

You can also choose to garnish with 1 tablespoon full-fat plain yogurt in place of the “sauce”.

Garnish with 2 on of berries or banana pieces.

Voilà!

Not only is it tasty, it’s also a satisfying portion!

No flour. No added sugar.

Full of energy and happy tummies!

Let me know if you give it a try.

And as Julia Child would say, Bon Appétit!

Laughter, joy and health

Linda

Celebrating loved ones

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Do you take the time to celebrate the people you love?

To do a small gesture – a little extra – to please them, to make them smile?

Preparing breakfast, complimenting them, winking with a smile, noticing a positive detail… telling them you love them.

No matter.

Do you do that?

Today is my mother’s birthday.

I took the time to make the drive to spend a few hours with her.

And when I say “hitting the road”, I mean driving 4 hours on muddy highways on a Thursday afternoon to celebrate her birthday and her presence in my life.

I’m not saying this to make you think “Oh what a good girl for her mother!” HAHAHA!

I’m sharing this with you because I think it’s really important to CHOOSE where we put our time and energy. The PEOPLE (not the things) in our lives that matter to us are the ones we should celebrate.

This summer, I read something that made an image for me. That of a tree.

Here’s what it basically said

Some people in life are like leaves. They’re there for a while, then they’re gone with the wind.

Then there are other people who are like branches. They stand there and resist, but not everything. Then they fall.

There are also people who are like the trunk of the tree. They are solid and strong, and can be counted on to stay.

Finally, there are the people who are like the roots of the tree. The ones who make everything else stand up, grow, blossom and become strong. The very foundation!

The lesson I learned

It doesn’t matter whether you’re surrounded by leaves, branches, trunks or roots, make the distinction and invest your time where it counts most.

But celebrate every part of your “trees” because, without leaves, we’d have no shade and no photosynthesis! Branches – no matter how small – hold the leaves and… begin their life from the trunk. Roots draw their strength from the earth, and without them, nothing would stand. And every part COUNTS.

Each person is in our lives – whether for a time of leaves, a time of branches, a time of trunk or a time of roots.

I think it’s worth the joy of celebrating every part! Let’s celebrate each person as they deserve.

Laughter, joy and health

Linda