I'm here with a little break from the cacophony of the news cycle and the fear and rage that comes with it. Take a deep breath, put your feet on the ground, and look out the nearest window. Go outside, if you can. The Earth is waiting for you.

Burst of color: a tulip in my yard seems to shine with fiery energy.

In my corner of the landscape, the world is greening up, my yard is full of bumblebees, and there are so many events happening!

Here are two celebrations that I'm looking forward to:

Join us for the Alliance for the Mystic River Watershed's Springfest & birthday celebration on Saturday, May 2!

⛵We are hosting a very special morning cruise on the Schooner Argia, featuring indigenous lore and music from the wonderful Rashad Young.

Right now we're offering a limited deal on tickets for the cruise: use code EARTHDAY50 to save $50 per ticket! More info and buy tickets here.

🐟Springfest will be held from 11-4 at the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center's Coogan Farm campus, on Greenmanville Ave in Mystic. Meet and celebrate with local organizations, local authors, and all our neighbors who are united in care of the river that we share! Admission is free, but please register for the event here.

"In a world divided by conflict, we can unite through laughter." Dr. Madan Kataria, founder of Laughter Yoga

🤣😹Celebrate World Laughter Day and my shiny new certification as a Laughter Yoga Leader! We will gather together to practice laughter exercises which reduce stress, benefit mood, increase energy, and help us connect to each other. No sense of humor or memorized jokes required! FREE and open to all!

😄In-person and totally analog: Sunday, May 3, 4:00-5:00 p.m. E.T. at The Ditty Bag in Mystic. More info here.

OR

😹Online and fully connected: Sunday, May 3, 7:00-8:00 p.m. E.T. at MysticNidra.com. Learn more and register here.

What is Laughter Yoga?

It's not a comedy practice; it's an exercise in which we laugh deliberately, in order to access the physical and mental benefits of laughter (see below). When we practice this in groups, the childlike playfulness and interaction soon creates genuine laughter! We leave feeling energized, cheerful, and connected to each other. Anyone can participate; if you can breathe, you can laugh (but if you have any medical concerns, please reach out to Dr. Stephanie directly).

Benefits of Laughter:

• Better mood: laughter releases endorphins within minutes!

• Reduces stress & better health: laughter reduces cortisol, which allows your immune system to function better

• Better energy: laughter exercises increase oxygen flow to the brain and body, increasing energy and concentration

• Social Connection: laughter connects us. Good connections increase quality of life.

• Laughing through Challenges: practicing laughter deliberately gives you the ability to laugh even when times are hard. It increases resiliency and a sense of possibility.

  More info: Laughter Yoga International

I would love to see you at Springfest or the Laughter Party--or perhaps at both!

--Dr. Stephanie

As always, everything in this message was written directly by me (not by AI). I send these messages periodically, when there are new classes or events to announce. If you prefer not to receive them, please let me know. If you received this message from a friend and would like to be added to the list, go to MysticNidra.com and click "Subscribe".