Episode Summary:
In this episode of The Mindful Living Podcast, host Sana interviews Cathy Nesbitt, a health and wellness advocate, about the transformative benefits of laughter yoga. Cathy shares her journey of discovering laughter yoga in 2012 and how it has helped her shift from stress to joy. The conversation delves into the origins of laughter yoga, its impact on mental and physical health, and how it fosters a sense of community through laughter clubs. Cathy also discusses her passion for sustainability and how she maintains a balanced life through daily positive practices like laughter and mindfulness.

About the Guest:
Cathy Nesbitt is a health and wellness advocate, founder of Cathy's Crawly Composters, and a dedicated laughter yoga practitioner since 2020. Passionate about promoting well-being through laughter, Cathy runs a free online laughter club and incorporates sustainable practices into her daily life. She is committed to sharing the joy of laughter yoga to reduce stress and improve mental health. Listeners are encouraged to join Cathy's free laughter club and explore her "Fun Fat Friday" video series for more laughter exercises on cathysclub.com/

Key Takeaways:

1. Laughter Yoga’s Origins and Benefits: Laughter yoga, founded in 1995 by Dr. Madan Kataria, is a therapeutic practice that helps reduce stress by releasing feel-good chemicals like dopamine and serotonin. It transitions people from stress to joy through intentional laughter.

2. Mental and Physical Health Impact: Laughter yoga improves mental and physical health by reducing stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, while increasing the release of love drugs such as endorphins and oxytocin.

3. Daily Positive Practices: Cathy emphasizes the importance of starting the day with laughter and mindfulness to set a positive tone, incorporating five-minute daily laughter exercises and gratitude into her routine.

4. Community Building Through Laughter Clubs: Cathy’s Zoom laughter club, started in 2020, provides a space for participants, including those with special needs, to connect, laugh, and improve their mental health.

5. Empowering Others Through Laughter: Cathy is developing a program for young adults with Down syndrome to become laughter yoga leaders, fostering leadership and joy in their lives and communities.