The Down Low….
One year ago, The Levity Project began. It started when I was on a trip to New York City and was riding a subway car by myself. I was listening to music on my headphones and smiling with my eyes closed, enjoying the moment. When I opened my eyes, people were staring and frowning at me. Yes frowning! It was if my joy in that moment caused people pain. At that moment, I knew I wanted to do something to help the world be a more light-hearted place. And that was the beginning of The Levity Project.
What is special about this event to me is that while The Levity Project has been traveling around the country for the past year since the beginning, this event is a return to that moment there on the New York city subway.
We will all meet in a large group in a central area (you must sign up to get the specifics for the surprise and playful element of it all) and then split into smaller groups on subway trains and quietly, slowly begin to laugh. No jokes. No props. No humor. Just a quiet, building, contagious sort of laughter. It will be our experiment of bringing laughter into ourselves in a public place and getting to experience what happens in a bigger context to those nearby.
Someday, my vision is this: One day a year, hundreds if not thousands of people will gather in NYC and take the subway to experience The Laughter Trains. Some will come as the laughers to get it started and others will come to observe and feel the laughter itself. What will be certain is that there will be less room for anger, stress, impatience, and negativity on that morning. Instead, people will emerge from the underground with a smile as they greet the day. They will smile at each other remembering their experience on the train. And this will create a city-wide ripple effect.
Come join us in the 1st Annual World Laughter Day Celebration with The Levity Project in NYC. We are honored to celebrate Dr.Kataria, the founder of Laughter Yoga,and his vision of World Peace through Laughter.
WHAT IS WORLD LAUGHTER DAY?
World Laughter Day was created in 1998 by Dr. Madan Kataria, founder of the worldwide Laughter Yoga movement. The celebration of World Laughter Day is a positive manifestation for world peace and is intended to build up a global consciousness of brotherhood and friendship through laughter. Its popularity has grown exponentially with that of the Laughter Yoga movement now counting over 6000 Laughter Clubs in more than 65 countries.
Want to join in on the ground level of this? Come play with us on May 2nd, 2010 at 10:00am. The event will be about 1.5 hours long.
Or do you have a brother,sister, aunt, friend, co-worker, blogger friend who lives in NYC? Tell them to register!
Enjoy this video—it will help you get the idea….(I saw this right after I returned home from my experience in New York City one year ago)
Ha Ha!! And that registration link, one more time! No matter where you are on MAY 2nd, celebrate by laughing!
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Katie, I absolutely love your story! And I am thrilled that we get to bring your vision into a reality this Sunday. What an incredible concept, and what an amazing day it will be! The long term vision of creating Laughter Trains with thousands of people gives me goose bumps. I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to be ‘on board’ for this first historical event! NYC will never be the same.
tweet-tweet!!
There will be a little tear of sorrow in my eye, as well as tears of laughter that I shall not be with you all in the flesh on the 2nd.
But I’ll be there in spirit. And I know we’ll meet yet!!
LOVE you and this whole Levity Project idea!
xoxo
What a fun idea!
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I have this great image (after living in a city for a decade — and, thankfully, no more!) of you trying to make all the serious-life-is-ending-don’t smile-folks on the subways laugh. I’m thinking there is a laughter yoga move in this…”the don’t let anyone on the subway see me laugh, laugh”.