ARTICLES - THE PHILIPPINE STAR

MERRY TIME WITH MARITIME LAWYERS

Posted: April 09, 2011

 


MERRY TIME  WITH  MARITIME  LAWYERS

ELVIE PUNZALAN-ESTAVILLO  

     

 “Laughter is like a giant

happiness magnet.”


It was a night of  sheer joy and laughter!  Of complete relaxation and de-stressing for the maritime lawyers who, according to   Atty. Thess Gonzales, are so stressed out and tensed as they go about their daily meetings with clients and making representations for them in the courts, not to mention preparation of various voluminous legal  documents they submit to the courts.

On Friday, February 18th, the maritime lawyers held a reunion  to bond and catch up with the latest on their personal and business lives.  To enliven the occasion and  make it a night like no other, Atty. Thess Gonzales requested for a LYoga session at the Makati Sports Club.  Ms. Hazel Dy, a Laughter Yoga Leader, who was attending my LYoga session for the first time, anxiously asked  how I will handle it  as lawyers are known for being the always-serious-and-stiff persons.  I told her  I have yet  to meet a person who will not laugh in my LYoga sessions. Laughter, after all,  is like a giant happiness magnet. One need not be a comedian. Simply invite people to experience the joy of laughter without jokes  and  unleash themselves  to laugh freely.   Ha ha ha!

  Atty. Roberto Mallari, who warmly met me at the entrance touched and inspired me no end when he told me that he is an avid Laughter Yoga  follower  and even regularly clips the articles I write about them.

As what always happen during LYoga sessions, after the warm-up exercises to help the lawyers loosen up and drop their inhibitions, they gamely, happily and actively participated.  Like children, they laughed boisterously  that night – without anything or anyone to laugh at.  They tremendously enjoyed the chanting and clapping of “I feel good, very good, yey,” “I am healthy, very healthy, yey,” etc. versions that Laughter Yoga Club, Phils. developed and enhanced  much better,   can now be viewed in the pay zone of International Laughter Yoga.  Dr. Madan Kataria video taped it -- as the Certified Laughter Yoga Leaders chanted all the positive things we can think of -- to stimulate us into turning  what we consistently aspire, work and hoped for into reality.  Remember, we are what we think and say we are!   

That night, after having been completely de-stressed – with the toxins and negatives from our bodies were released -- I had a heavenly, deep, soooo relaxing sleep, which became very evident on  my aura and looks – another reward I reap from LYoga sessions, on top of the health benefits derived from it.  The Rated K team headed by Marc and Lynn told me that they, too, had a long  sound  sleep and very relaxing hangover  that carried them through the next day.  

The inspiring comments of the other participants:

Atty. Bert Palacios -  “I was very tensed and stressed on my way here, but after just a few minutes of Laughter Yoga, I now feel so relaxed and happy.”  Atty. Roberto Mallari  - “Amazingly good, very relaxing.” Attorneys. Precy Branzuela, Celia Tecson, Marie Vic Sarmiento  – “very relaxing, enjoyable, feel so good,  relaxing, and real fun.”

Atty. Regina Castillo -  “It was like I had  seat-up exercises that stretched my abdomen.”

Atty. Milagros M. Leyson -  “I feel very happy, healthy,  and my stress  was gone.  Moreover, I feel that even my condition  has  improved:  I have liver cancer that has metastasized, and is now in stage IV.  However,  I felt very good  after  joining this LYoga session, as  It was very enjoyable. I am doing the LYoga exercises Ms. Elvie taught us everyday --  morning and evening.   My health condition has improved and I am hopeful that with God’s help I will be healthy and well. I continue to recite morning and evening Ms. Elvie’s healing mantra, “God helps, God heals.”

Atty. Leonide P. Severio – “I feel light,  bubbly and  healthier.”

Atty. Precy Mañago – “I was stressed and had pained stomach.  After the LYoga exercises and heart laughter, I  feel the pain banished.”

Atty. Adelaida Dob – “Laughter Yoga lessened my shoulder blade pain and osteoporosis.”

Atty Thess Gonzales  -- I’m a certified fan of laughter yoga! Thank you so much.  It was a very stressful day for me, nothing new for that matter,  but after our LYoga session, I feel so invigorated, as if a great weight has been lifted from my shoulder.  At first, I felt a bit foolish and silly  trying to laugh for no reason at all, but it got easier and more natural as we progressed during the session.  Elvie’s  laughter was  very infectious!  Again, thank you so much.  I hope to join more laughter yoga sessions in the future.”

On another matter, it is heartening to know that the inmates in Calamba jail  still do what they learned during our Laughter Yoga session there sometime ago. Knowing that the different kinds of LYoga laughter topped by yoga breathing and stretching exercises help them cope with the pitiful situation in our mostly-over-crowded jails,  and help toss to the winds the negative-and-sometimes-despairing- thoughts that cropped up to them every so often – goads me to reach out to teach and share to the multitudes of our Kababayans  the multi-health benefits that  LYoga dishes out.  Mga kaibigan --  keep going on,  stay positive and hopeful!  Ho, ho, ha, ha, ha!

The next   session of the pioneer  Laughter Yoga Club in the  PHL is on March 20  at Makati Medical Center. Those who want to register, pls log on to:   www.laughteryogaclubphils.com and  visit  www.youtube.com, search for: “lycphohohahaha.”  Email me at   mega_abundant_lv@yahoo.com.  Let’s laugh to a healthy, happy, positive us!   Ho, ho, ha, ha, ha!