Nihat Tsolak, London: With growing old, the biggest problem I realized was that I had forgotten how to play and have fun. Though I am very busy socially mainly organizing and facilitating concerts, poetry evenings, running drum circles etc. I still do not feel like I had fun or enjoyed myself. Even going to the pub or a restaurant does not quite appeal to me as I am not a heavy drinker and after a couple of glasses of wine, I feel like going to sleep and am in no condition to have a decent conversation.

Also, the regular dose of misery and negativity that one is bombarded with, thanks to the media, makes one more and more frustrated and at times depressed. While I am a positive person and try to see things in a positive light, I find myself running out of optimism; one can clearly see this from my frown lines. I often find myself frowning in front of my computer screening my email, getting frustrated for one or another silly nonsense that I receive daily at work and on my private emails.

I recently discovered Laughter Yoga through a late night program on TV and thought why I didn’t notice this before. That’s exactly what I needed. I researched various groups around London, but couldn’t find anything nearby, so I decided to start my own group by watching a number of YouTube videos and reading up online about various exercises. I ran a number of Laughter Yoga workshops until I finally got trained by Dr. Kataria.

I now understand what I was missing in my life. It was unconditional laughter and play and being playful. Another important thing I learned from Laughter Yoga is being non-judgmental towards myself and others. Most of the time, I am my worst critic. I am now practicing Laughter Yoga regularly and it has helped to laugh more, even if I do not comprehend some jokes that people tell! I just laugh anyway. I even started a Laughter Club at my place of work and am now exploring further opportunities to bring more laughter and joy to my life and to others.

Nihat Tsolak is originally from Greece, living in London, United Kingdom, for quite a few years now. His website is www.laughteryogauk.com and he is founder of the UK School of Laughter Yoga.

Meetup Website is http://www.meetup.com/londonlaughterYoga.