Jeffrey Briar
Founder
Laguna Laughter Club
Laguna Beach, Calif.
California just might lead the way for laughter in the Western world, and the Laguna Laughter Club (www.lyinstitute.org), established in Laguna Beach in 2005, is the only club outside Asia that meets seven days per week, teaching yogic breathing in combination with laughter as a form of exercise that delivers numerous health benefits.
Meetings Focus California: You had success as a comedic actor. What got you interested in pursuing Laughter Yoga as a practice and a profession?
Jeffrey Briar: At the same time as my acting career began, I was also an avid practitioner of traditional Hatha yoga. I loved how yoga improved my health, while performing gave me the joy of sharing laughter with large audiences. When I discovered Laughter Yoga 32 years later, I felt I had found the best of both worlds: improving wellness and joy without the pressure to memorize lines.
I now operate a Laughter Club, while also traveling the world giving workshops and training programs. I frequently appear as a media spokesperson for this good laughter work (Oprah, Geraldo, CNN with Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Dancing with the Stars, etc.).
MFC: How do you feel about living in California?
JB: California is the best! I have lived in many places in the world—Paris, Detroit, New York City—but California has it all. Fresh air, ocean breezes, mountains and usually no mosquitoes!
I think it’s good to find a place that suits one’s heartfelt desires, and California offers many possibilities. Personally, I often crave quiet, yet I also seek occasional cultural stimulation. So I live in a beautiful spot near the ocean in Laguna Beach, with a weekly farmers market and many artistic neighbors, and within a 20-minute drive there are all the theaters, shopping malls, etc., I could want.
MFC: How can a Laughter Yoga session in a meeting setting prompt productivity and a more inspiring exchange of business ideas?
JB: Laughter Yoga relieves stress, which frees the mind for clearer thinking and generates feelings of friendliness. By laughing with others, without needing jokes or comedy—which may not translate across cultural or intellectual differences—worries and cares are put aside. Breathing deepens; everyone feels more refreshed and energetic.
And these benefits are available in a matter of minutes, without the need of any special equipment or clothing. If you can breathe, you can laugh, and when you laugh, you change your chemistry for better wellness. Taking a 15-minute “Hilarity Break” every two or three hours can transform a long business day into a lively, memorable one.
Our Laguna Laughter Club meets outdoors on the beach seven days per week, rain or shine, for free. I also book and lead private sessions, for groups from five to 5,000 people.