lifebulb

Including:


~ Posture and posturing
~ Laughter as a career? Are you joking?
~ Do teenagers and laughter yoga mix?
~ Forty days to positive change
~ Join the laughter flash mob
~ Lifebulb laughter training in Greece (pictured right)
~ Spectickles




Posture and posturing by Charlotte Eaton

I have been on sabbatical for the past four months due to losing my voice at a festival in the summer and not quite regaining it. It has been a fascinating time. I have lost my voice and gained true expression, but that’s not what this article is about. Sorry.

For the purpose of this article, you need to know that laughing is not the only thing that I do at every opportunity. The other thing that is free, brings immense joy, and can be enjoyed at any age (or so I thought) is jumping over things. Anything will do. Whilst on sabbatical, engaged in all things writey and very few talky, I decided to join the local running club. Which is mostly made up of bus-drivers. Anyway. It was 9am, Saturday morning, and feeling fit as a fiddle I was doing my usual: leaping over benches, bollards etc. No funny business until I sighted a large dustbin. The long and short of it is that after running at it, miscalculating, hitting my knee with a great slap and doing a super-hero stunt roll, I lay on a bench laughing for twenty minutes feeling somewhat embarrassed and full of cackles (sound familiar, any of you laughter yogis?) after which the busdrivers took me to casualty. And since then, the osteopath has been getting suspicious about my neck. Perhaps I have a bulging disc, which could be affecting my voice. Aha!

I am inclined to agree, due to shooting pains down my arms and legs at odd times of day and night. So how to fix it? Laughter is fabulous as pain relief, yet what about lifting and carrying? The only thing that seems to bring complete relief is walking around with a book on my head. I am getting very good at it. Sometimes I can bend down to turn the plug on and it stays put until I stand up again. Corker! So posture is clearly the answer. Which is great, until I have to go anywhere with a heavy bag dragging me all out of shape. Tsk. And then, bingo! The answer hit me. Carry the bag on my head! The relief in my body was incredible. It was actually like having a free osteo appointment; everything went into balance. The pleasure at being pain-free and the comments people made are making me giggle as I think of it. One small boy said “mum why has that lady got a bag on her head?” A group of workmen shouted something about “ooh that’s what people do in Africa!” I just smiled as if I were a celebrity and used to such attention. It wasn’t vastly different from wearing my heart-shaped sunglasses. Same amount of mirth in me, same amount of people gawping and pretending not to. And no pain! Perhaps if I keep a book on my head at all times my voice will come back? But joking aside, it has been a saviour. And I have always thought people look very elegant with baskets on their heads. Niche in the market? I’d buy one if anyone can tell me where please! Or is there some kind of cover-up by the Back Specialists’ Union? If you don’t hear from me for a while, you know which mob took me out.

Laughter as a career? Are you joking? by Kate Sharp

“Don’t be afraid to take a big step if one is indicated. You can’t cross a chasm in two small jumps.”
Vocation, vocation, vocation – I’ve found mine, so after nearly two years admin/reception work at the inspirational Isbourne Holistic Centre, helping to ‘create positive lives through education’, I’m leaving for full time laughter… here’s why!
1. It’s empowering without being earnest
2. It channels my indefatigable positivity
3. It encourages self expression through silliness – marvellous!
4. People laugh with you as a greeting, and share stories of how wonderful laughter is
5. It feels fantastic
6. Laughter is a self generating force, success is communal not egotistical
7. It is flexible and accessible so it can be used everywhere! He he he!

Do teenagers and laughter yoga mix? by Kate Sharp

Three things I enjoy: laughter, a challenge, and working with young people. These synchronised beautifully at Tewkesbury School’s Personal Development Day: a fabulous opportunity to enthuse and mystify years 10 and 11.

The first session was muted with odd pockets of hilarity; I judged that about half engaged with the second session, two thirds in the third and three quarters in the final session, so I benefited from concentrated practice! Girls were much more receptive – great to see knots of four to seven of them giggling together. A minority of students remained entirely disengaged (nearly all boys) – absolutely understandable, they were perplexed not disruptive.

The free flow laughter at the end of the session was never hearty (in contrast to the adults’ sessions I’ve run)– students remained inhibited but enjoyed sprawling casually in their non school uniform and relaxing in their own way. I looked joyfully eccentric in my zany rainbows and lifebulb t-shirt!

Emphasising the ‘weirdness’ of the Laughter Yoga was important; the first group was unprepared for extreme wackiness! However, surprisingly, lots of students loved the cheesy chant ‘very good, very good, YAY’!

My ‘added value’ comments about how breath affects brainpower/mood were well received. I’d like to experiment with explaining this in more detail at a future session (perhaps as a cross-curricular link with biology/psychology?) and approach the physicality of laughter from a cerebral, not participative, perspective.

I was really impressed by the depth of individual/small group analysis and gratified that some who appeared subdued had actually found it beneficial.

Descriptions of sessions:
“weird” – the almost universal verdict
“absolutely mad but fun” (a year 10)
“funny” (a year 10)
“scary” (a year 10)
“amazing” (a year 11)
“inspiring” (a year 11)

(The photo is not from Tewkesbury School due to privacy laws for vulnerable people. It is still a great photo though, no?)

Forty days to positive change by Charlotte Eaton

It was an immense pleasure to be invited to run a positivity course for Park Avenue Disabilities Resource Centre. It ran over six weeks, which nicely covered the forty days which are recommended in order to make permanent changes to habit. It covered a range of topics and exercises to increase health and wellbeing, connections within the group and to address confidence and motivation.

Participants’ feedback, measured across the six weeks, showed almost uniform improvement in energy levels, ability to communicate and express, more positive thought-patterns, a better ability to generate joy from within, and a decrease in stress, anger and depression.

When asked if she would recommend the course, one of the participants commented: “yes, because when something like a stroke happens your life changes so much and you fall into depression and don’t even realise it for a long time and then suddenly like me you realise you haven’t laughed for a long time and have spent so much time feeling angry and depressed and if I did this more perhaps I could come off the anti-depressants.” I found this particularly humbling. I am never sure who gains more from sessions: myself or the participants.

Join the Laughter Flash Mob by Kate Sharp

Be there for “Ha Ha Hare”: 7pm—7.05pm, Friday 23rd December 2011, Hare & Minotaur statue, Cheltenham Promenade. Bring all your friends, a silly hat and your lovely laughter! Or, if you want to, you can simply Join the Laughter Flash, and Mob Kate. We’re not choosy. Email Kate.Sharp@lifebulb.org for hilarious reassurance, or just to make your hares stand on end.

Lifebulb laughter leader training in Greece 2011 comments by Irene Markou & Kate Sharp

Seven new laughter leaders took part in the lifebulb laughter training at Kalikalos’ eco-community. Two of them were there on their honeymoon, hence the pictures of the laughter wedding. Picture shows the bride and groom and all the miraculously moustachioed groomsmen. Here is what two of the new laughter leaders said about the experience:

“In summary, if I was plain flour before Greece, I reckon I’m self raising now, from all that levity!
Smiles have upgraded to chortles and moderate laughs to tremendous ones, which feels breezy!
In Greece I pondered on intensity, revelled in sanctioned guffawing, understood my singing voice, and wished on a shooting star. The most profound exercise was ‘Everyone’s a Comedian’, where the group laugh at the categorisations (name/ home town/ job title) we earnestly ascribe great significance to – it showed me the irrelevance of social constructs beautifully: counting the beats of music rather than feeling the rhythm (to paraphrase salsa teacher Mauricio).
The funniest moments outside sessions comprised Charlotte’s innovative zigzag photo approaches… he he he! (as pictured at the top of the page, right and below – for real!)
Back home, I felt so completely that I was in The Right Place running a laughter session and have had a huge grin since and a chuckle bubbling over!” Kate Sharp, CLYLT Greece 2011

Irene is Greek Cypriot, her English is fabulous and brings its own quirks, so please do enjoy reading it just as written and… opening your lifebulb!

“I booked the place for the Laughter Yoga leader training in Pilion, Anilio Greece!!! Going somewhere alone, that I knew just few things, my instinct was telling me that I was going to the right place!! And yes it was a truly amazing experience!!! We had six days Laughter Yoga training that we have learned so many things and at the same time we had sooo much fun!!! I had been enjoying every day the morning classes, with a new philosophical way of thinking and also I had a lot of fun with the laughter yoga exercises that were so fantastic and thus the way we were performing!!! It was so amazing and funny with a lot lot of laughter!! Charlotte knows very well how to inspire people and make them open their lifebulb!!! She is so understandable and from the beginning she was close to us that I didn’t feel at all that I would never have known her before!! We had a lot of fun in the classes and also we were enjoying the every single day of the Greek weather with a lot of entertainment and joy!!! It was a real life changing experience!!! After the holidays to Anilio, the Laughter Yoga training and the impact of Charlotte in my life, I am feeling more confident and happy in my life!! She is so adorable and I am wishing to her to keep going like that, giving her positive energy and opening the lifebulb to peoples life!!!” Irene Markou, CLYLT Greece 2011

Since her laughter training in the summer, Irene is exploding laughter into Cyprus! Please check out her laughter page on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003078433808

Spectickles by Charlotte Eaton

Here at lifebulb we have major concerns that people are simply not using their spectacles to the full. You may find them very spec-tickly, so please pay attention whilst watching this latest laughter clip by lifebulb’s very own MD Charlotte Eaton. Here at lifebulb we believe that if you do not wear spectacles yourself, statistics say that it is likely that you know somebody that does.

What a fantastic weekend!
Thank you so much for laughing with us. Enjoy the photos folks.

Interested in training as a laughter leader? Frankly, we’re not surprised.
REIGATE, Surrey: 3rd – 5th September 2011
BIRMINGHAM, Moseley: 4th – 7th November 2011
Places booking fast, contact us to book in. See more at: www.lifebulb.org/laughter/

With thanks to Mike Winter for photographs from the Isbourne Open Day.

In this month’s newbulb:

~ Laughing on air: x 3!
~ The wisdom of a small, hairy man (laughter yoga uncovered)
~ Inspiring Isbourne open day and Corking Cheltenham Community Project
~ Your invitations – don’t miss out
~ Lifebulb’s PR manager: Introducing Anna Naylor

Laughing on air: x 3!

It’s been a corker of a month (or 5, since we wrote the last newsbulb). We’ve been laughing on the radio three times, on BBC Coventry and Warwickshire (twice) and BBC Three Home Counties. They only mildly thought we were nutters, which is surely an improvement on purely thinking we are nutters. Someone must be doing a great PR job for laughter yoga eh. The radio station in Coventry looked a little like a NASA flight deck, and the man operating it (“I’m doing it on me own as it’s a bank holiday Monday”) an incredible whirlwind of activity, one hand flicking switches, the other copying and pasting information about laughter yoga for the presenter, whilst speaking on the phone and cueing people in. We took our mikes. Five minutes on air passes in a flash when you’re chuckling and being ribbed for your line of work, nerves melted away. We giggled with joy as we tripped down the stairs on our way out and headed into Day Three of our Leamington Laughter Leader course. It’s been such an exciting time.

The wisdom of a small, hairy man (laughter yoga uncovered)

At this juncture, I (Charlotte) would like to make a mention of an inspiring character in my life. Unusually small and hairy as he was, my grandfather Albert Mann had many wonderful things to say about working with groups. He was sure this was what I should do with my life, as they are rich, intense, creative forums where Things Happen. He couldn’t have been more right. The Leamington Laughter Leader course taught us that all over again. Taking our trainees – a professional clown, a teacher, a car valet salesman, a beautician and a member of HR personnel into a corporate environment, a drop-in cafe for people with mental health and an old people’s home was invigorating, to say the least. The responses of the laughter leaders to these environments was inspiring. Some had never ventured beyond the immediacy of their own circles. The car valet salesman came out of Warwick’s Old Bank mental health drop-in utterly miffed. “Lots of those people were just like my customers” he said. Couldn’t have put it better myself: a mental health service, by its nature, suggests that there are boundaries between ‘those with mental health issues, and those without’. In reality as many of us know, those boundaries are indistinct to say the least. Our succinct salesman summed that up in that one single observation. It is only through mixing and meeting and sharing with one another that we get to find these things out.

What is exceptional about facilitating groups is that the magic is the group itself. Each course is concocted from the people who pass through it. The unpredictable, beautiful spontaneity of life erupts into the space that the group creates. People laugh, people cry, people connect with one another, and everyone learns so much. This was repeated in the corporate environment of Millward Brown, Branding and Advertising Agency, where employees attended an hour’s laughter session in their lunchbreak, facilitated entirely by the new laughter leaders. They did a fantastic job. It is never easy to bring this quirky form of exercise to a group who have never come across it before, but they winged their way through, making up exercises on the spot when they couldn’t read the writing on their hands (everyone knows that’s the best way to ‘remember’ a series of random exercises, surely!) and generally achieving an impressive level of professionalism. We then trooped into reception and enlivened the atmosphere with further laughter ripples and a photo in front of the company logo. Each setting was an incredible experience. Two of the laughter leaders are keen to return on a regular basis to the mental health drop-in. One said: “I have watched people grow so much, which has been so beautiful. I have learnt so much about myself and others, and essentially what it is to be human.” Albert Mann, you would be so proud.

The course was run from and supported by Bath Place Community Venture in Leamington Spa. They are looking to expand the activities they offer and forge connections within the community. It was a wonderful place to be.

Inspiring Isbourne Open Day and Corking Cheltenham Community Project

Back in March Cheltenham’s Isbourne Holistic Centre had an open day including didgeridoo healing, bellydancing, singing-bowl soundbaths and all other manner of paraphernalia that has become usual to us in the wonderful, colourful world of “spiritual exploration”. Ello! Hence, our sporadic laughing-for-no-reason-yippee sessions in the car-park fitted in nicely. We also ran a full session in their fabulous therapy room upstairs, which will undoubtedly be put to good use by the Isbourne’s Kate Sharp when she gets back from her laughter leader training course in Greece and uses her incredible talent for being a human laughter fountain professionally. The Isbourne is a wonderful, uplifting place to be. It was founded by Michael Ratcliffe who has connections to many charitable organisations, including running the Makhad Trust: working with Bedouins to support their way of life and introduce it to volunteers from the UK and other countries. The scope of the projects he is connected to is exciting. He is clearly a true touch-fire for igniting others’ passion, and features high on our list of people to draw inspiration from and emulate.

Kate Sharp also invited us to pepper her recent talk for Cheltenham Community Project (originally sprouted from another Michael Ratcliffe seed) with laughter exercises, much to the bemusement, and then utter pleasure of the punters. Or was that just because it was also peppered with Ann Blagden’s bellydancing? Fabulous.

Your invitations – don’t miss out

So if you fancy some laughter yoga, the power of groups, feeling your heart sing and every cell in your body tingle with the power of human creativity, love and potential, we suggest you drop by: to Leamington Peace Fest, 18th/19th June, where we have a stand and are running laughter yoga sessions (5pm on Saturday 18th and 2pm on Sunday 19th), or come by Stratford-Upon-Avon’s River Festival, 2nd/3rd July where we will be offering free taster sessions, love and fun, or come and spend a week in Greece, training as a laughter leader, or a week in Sweden, releasing and relaxing, unleashing your creativity and feeling life explode joyfully within you.

Don’t say you weren’t invited.

Next laughter sessions in London: Sunday 12th June and Sunday 10th July, 4pm, Special Yoga Centre, 2a Wrentham Avenue, London NW10 3HA ha.

Lifebulb’s PR manager: Introducing Anna Naylor

Lifebulb has a PR Manager! Anna Naylor studied Journalism at Bournemouth University, and has since moved to a crazy warehouse community in North London where she is attempting to perfect her hula hooping skills and doing an almighty job handling the PR for this fledgeling social enterprise. Welcome Anna, it is a pleasure to have you on-board.

This month’s newsbulb contains:

~ Yowling and lifebulb on the Alternative Show – lifebulb’s first radio interview
~ Lighting my lifebulb by Sharon Hart
~ Laughter Yoga and hidden people by Charlotte Eaton
~ New laughter leaders explode into Birmingham: it’s all happening in the Midlands
~ Forthcoming laughter and singing

Yowling and lifebulb on the Alternative Show

Lifebulb’s Sharon Hart and Charlotte Eaton had their first radio interview, with Peter Keynton-Hook and Val Rainbow (yes, it is her real-life birth name. And yes, she is also a belly-dancer) of Stratford’s very own Alternative Show. To be honest, it was a weird week for cats. Nonetheless, Sharon obligingly laughed her way through the little beggars cuddling up to her and yowling live on air from the comfortable armchairs of the studio. Listen out for them. Discussions range from the beauty of laughter yoga through tsunamis and social enterprises all the way to the UK’s own inspirational Eddie the Eagle. Irresistible. The lifebulb interview starts at 1 hour and 6 min. Our huge and heartfelt thanks go to Val and Peter for making this such an enjoyable experience, and for helping Sharon achieve one of her life ambitions; it is no small feat that she didn’t take off into space when the hour was over, powered solely by excitement and pure joy. Wheeeeeeeeee

Lighting my lifebulb by Sharon Hart, Lifebulb coordinator
I have gradually been getting more involved in the running of lifebulb since I met Charlotte at the Tree of Life festival in April 2010 and went on the lifebulb holiday to Sweden in August 2010.

I have had numerous life changing experiences during this time. However, the past week has been one to top: my lifebulb is well and truly lit and is practically glowing with health and vitality.

The week started with a radio interview where I nearly went into orbit with excitement – one of my dreams has been to be on the radio. All my friends and family supported me by listening in and it was such a positive and wonderful experience.

The laughter yoga leader training course at the weekend helped me to fully understand all the principles and by actively doing the course made me push my own comfort zones to the limit. Standing in front of a group of 30 people leading an exercise riding on my laughter motorbike was a big one for me. Yet it felt empowering to know I could do anything I put my mind to. This was such a huge leap for me – when I first tried laughter yoga I felt so self conscious and stood against the wall watching everyone wondering if I could ever embrace my childlike fun and let go of my inhibitions. I surprised myself on the course by doing just this. Added to which the people on the course made it a truly magical and inspiring four days for me.

Yesterday, I did my first phone interview with a newspaper where all my newly learned knowledge was translated.

Today, I attended the venue of the taster laughter session to do two photo shoots for the local papers. A real challenge – to engage random people merrily going about their daily lives and asking them to participate in laughter yoga for a photo for the newspaper. Luckily for me, my plea was listened to and one particular lady just could not stop laughing – so a real success. I am looking forward to seeing the articles and photos in the papers and to attend the Tree of Life party on Saturday and the Taster Laughter Yoga session on Sunday.

My life gets more and more exciting by the minute.

Laughter Yoga and hidden people by Charlotte Eaton

Recently I have had the pleasure of running laughter sessions in mental health and physical disability services. It seems to me that the main difference for running sessions in different settings is pacing. Some settings require a little turning down of the volume and a gentler speed.

We are all on a spectrum of physical agility and mental clarity. Yet where people are gathered together specifically because of the physical or mental challenges they face, an extra tenderness and level of patience is beneficial. I took a calculated risk last week. I took a group of ten new laughter leaders into a women’s locked secure unit, where four residents and a member of staff took part in a laughter session with us. We have yet to receive the feedback from the residents, so I give you only my own observations: of the residents and of the new laughter leaders. I was facilitating the session, with the laughter leaders briefed on how they might best support me. I suggested that they engage with me as much as possible; leading by example, observing and responding to the residents of the unit but not overtly singling them out. It was an intense and absorbing experience.

Broadly speaking, we live in a stratified society. We do not really mix across financial or social backgrounds. Many of us are ‘hidden people’ – tucked neatly away from each other. People of a certain standard of wealth and social background tend to find and mix with one another; generally it is comfortable to do so. In social circles that mirror our upbringing and experiences we do not have to explain ourselves, as we share a basic understanding. In London at least, this does not seem to be drawn along racial lines anymore, perhaps as the experience of being a Londoner with a common language is a stronger tie than our genetic ancestry. Yet we are still divided in other ways. Generally, we do not mix across disabilities. I always find it a somewhat strange and magical reminder when I am in a centre for a ‘non-mainstream’ grouping. I find it invigorating to be with people who have a different perspective, whose life moves at a different pace, in different circles to my own. I find myself wishing that life was freer and it was easy and natural to mix with anyone and everyone; that people were not tucked away from one another, whether in offices or day centres. It seem that most of our city spaces do not encourage us to mix.

The initial response of the laughter leaders to the residents at the secure unit seems to have been of a level of shock; to be in a confined space, with people who were perhaps medicated, some of whose responses were unpredictable, or who bore the unmissable wounds of self-harm.

After the session, as we talked it over and reflected, it took a while to extract all the lessons learned and to take note of the achievements of the session. Personally, I was extremely pleased. All participants of the session clearly enjoyed a level of engagement with one another. Everyone, at some point during the session, laughed and tried out the exercises and activities. We enjoyed a friendly break time and a discussion session following the laughter session, to which everyone, at their own choice, was present. On consultation with a member of staff, she also felt this was an excellent outcome. Success has to be measured from each individual’s starting point; not a fixed end-point. For a group of vulnerable individuals – and for many members of the public – it is already a success to be taking part in the unusual experience of ‘laughing for no reason’, with each progression through a session another successful step. It was heart-warming to see all participants of the session take part and laugh; new laughter leaders, residents and staff alike.

For the residents, one of the outcomes was perhaps that we took some of the outside world inside. We shared a new and positive form of exercise which is part of a fast-growing international phenomenon. They met an inspiring group of people driven by the desire to bring more joy into the world, their aim to motivate individuals to experience the lighter side of life. For the laughter leaders, I felt that they had found a boldness and strength by taking part in what was potentially a challenging environment. There were expressions of their own sadness and sense of claustrophobia. We discussed how our own perceptions of what feels good or right is not necessarily that of others’, and that fundamentally in carrying out social work we are only ever opening the door to people. The power of making a positive choice is something that we cannot put in action for another person; but we can ease the way towards it. None of us can solve someone else’s problems nor make them happy, but we can invite others to make themselves happy.

Initially very challenging to the new laughter leaders, it seemed afterwards that this experience contributed to their sense of confidence going forward and their overall pleasure at what the course had given them. In their feedback, every leader on the four-day course gave it ten out of ten, with no improvements to be made. It seemed that perhaps what they were expressing was their own struggle through challenging experiences which culminated in an enlightening and confidence-boosting burst out the other side. They were shown some open doors and given tools for moving and developing themselves; just as they helped provide to participants in the sessions they ran. I was enormously impressed by this group. Compassionate, warm, understated and gentle.

Laughter yoga is a simple and profound way of reaching out to one another. I have seen its value in all settings: public services, open sessions, private. Personally I would like to see more mixed events: of every generation, background, mental and physical ability mixing in and meeting one another in the generosity and openness of a really good laugh. The gentle crumbling of the walls that define us as one thing or another. I would like to work with and empower the hidden people within ‘non-mainstream’ centres to run their own laughter sessions. The confidence and heart-strength born of bringing other people into a state of positivity is undoubtedly deep and powerful. Which leads us to:

Newest laughter leaders explode into Birmingham: it’s all happening in the Midlands

Lifebulb’s first UK laughter leader course, held in Birmingham, was a roaring and guffawing success. Four days of learning concepts, ideas, planning, digesting and facilitating sessions. During the four days, the laughter leaders ran their own one-hour session for members of the public, friends and family, supported a two-hour session and discussion at a women’s secure unit, (thank you to Sue Tapper, Jotham, and Karen for setting this up) ran a 20 minute warm-up for the Tree of Life Inspiration Network, (thank you Joginder and Marketa) and ran an hour’s session for the veggies and vegans of Birmingham (thank you to the fabulous Andy-the-badger-Wakeman) at their monthly meeting. A full-on and incredible four days for all of us.

Well done folks, you earned your certification. A beautiful and thoughtful bunch you are. If anyone would like more information about laughter sessions in the Midlands or is interested in booking a session for a school, workplace or any other conceivable setting, please see below, go to lifebulb’s laughter page or look out for the latest lifebulb Midlands page – coming soon… You are also welcome to contribute to lifebulb’s new Midlands page: please contact us. If you are interested in becoming a laughter leader yourself, please see http://www.lifebulb.org/laughter/#training
We look forward to welcoming you. Feedback from the Birmingham laughter leader’s course includes:
“I honestly found every aspect of the course engaging and valuable. Ten out of ten.” Andy Wakeman, head masseuse and lifebulb-trained laughter leader
“I feel more alive, more in the moment… A very simple catalyst to help people turn up their inner light and feel ALIVE. Ten out of ten, A*****” Fiona Miller, holistic therapist and lifebulb-trained laughter leader
“Have had the most amazing four days doing the laughter yoga course. Have grown in more ways than I expected. It totally exceeded my expectations.” Narinder Moore, Wheel of Wellbeing and lifebulb-trained laughter leader

Forthcoming laughter and singing

Hooray! You can sing and laugh in the UK or abroad.
Plenty of laughter sessions in London and the Midlands throughout March and the months ahead – see www.lifebulb.org/laughter/
Excitingly, we are also offering a full day’s singing workshop in Leamington Spa on Sunday 8th May 2011. This is an opportunity for ANYONE and EVERYONE to enjoy their own and other’s voices, harmonising and connecting with one another. Explore the world’s musical landscape with experienced choir director Charlotte Eaton. No singing experience necessary, all songs learned by rote in 3 and 4 part harmonies. Surprise yourself. See www.lifebulb.org/sing-2/ for full info.

And don’t forget the fabulous all ages Swedish workshop holiday. Ssh! Looks like we will have a creche with drama and arts activities for children while adults reeeellllaaaaxxxxx in this large and inviting 19th Century Schoolhouse. Book this month for your early-bird’s discount at www.lifebulb.org/holiday/