About Joe Hoare

I am the creator of a style of laughter yoga called #laughteryogaforjoy
I am a laughter yoga specialist (Laughter Ambassador and Certified Laughter Yoga Teacher trained by Dr Madan Kataria, Founder of the Global Laughter Yoga movement)
I started the Global JOY interviews during the first pandemic as an antidote to those challenging times.
I am the Founder of the Joy Conference (Bristol, UK, 2019 - see my homepage for more details)
I am a 2x TEDX Bristol workshop leader.
I am the author of 3 books:
- 'Awakening the Laughing Buddha within'
- 'Laughter yoga and Happiness: 7 tips from 15 years of laughter yoga'
- 'Laughter Yoga for Joy'.
I founded of the Bristol Laughter Club in 2003 which was one of the longest-running series of continuous laughter yoga workshops outside India.

To reach this point, my life has been defined by several critical strands.
First, I have never worked a day in my life. I have always loved the activities I've been engaged in and have never performed them primarily for money. Ever.

Secondly in my initial career, managing forest operations, I was lucky enough to have clients with exceptional standards who expected the best from me at all times. I was trained to deliver solutions & results, think logically & coherently, and to be able communicate clearly both with the written and spoken word.
In 1992 I was awarded one of the UK's first 'Centres of Excellence' award by the Forestry Authority for my multi-objective management at Stourhead (Western) Estate.

Thirdly, I have worked endlessly with volunteers. Volunteer energy has a special magic in it and when its enthusiasm and creativity are handled properly, it  delivers excellent results.

Fourthly, I have had the privilege and delight of having several rough diamonds work with & for me - resourceful, free-thinking, capable, mostly loyal but occasional rogues. I am more indebted to them than they will ever realise. They all modelled brilliance and creativity and continue to inspire me to this day.

My own personal wake-up changed my life forever, in one ripping instant. I realised from that spiritual and emotional catharsis that my life was one of service, and all my endeavours have been directed to that end ever since (1991). Even in the most corporate team-building and conference environments my agenda has always included encouraging people to connect with their good-natured, creative individuality and perform better not just for themselves but for a bigger picture for the good of all. And it works.

Following that thread, my work encourages empowerment, resilience and connection - and joy: helping people see the bigger picture, come alive, be the best they can be, and enjoy the ride. Because this enjoyment is contagious, it gives others permission to enjoy the ride too. It stimulates qualities like connection & kindness, and its ultimate effect is to enhance people's experience of being alive, for the benefit of all.

I run regular #laughteryogawithJoe sessions for organisations and the general public through courses, conferences, workshops, Retreats and one-to-one sessions. I do it however it works best, and find that the right people always attend the right session.
Professionally I have been running meetings, delivering conference sessions and providing workshops for over 30 years. My clients range from the international blue-chip companies (such as Kraft, Bank of Ireland, Novo Nordisk, Lloyds, Continental Airlines), to universities and colleges (including Bristol, Dundee, U.W.E, Cheltenham Science Festival), to charities and the Healthcare sector (Housing Associations, the NHS, Oxfam, NACTHPC, and others), and to the very experiential end of the spectrum like Glastonbury Festival.
In 2006 I co-founded the UK's Laughter Facilitation Skills course which taught people a flexible, natural, spontaneous and non-formulaic approach to laughter skills.
In 2000 I co-authored 'The Holistic Workspace', and in 2013 'Awakening the Laughing Buddha within' with the Barefoot Doctor.
I produced my recent book 'Laughter yoga and happiness: 7 insights from 15 years of laughter yoga' in 2018 (available here)
I was a Director of the mould-breaking Pierian Centre in Bristol and am an occasional visiting lecturer at the University of the West of England in the fields of leadership, empowerment and health promotion.
My work regularly appears in the public eye, including BBC 2's 'Don't Die Young' with Dr Alice Roberts, the Jeremy Vine, Chris Evans and Johnny Walker Shows on Radio 2, Points West, BBC 1's Inside Out, Discovery Health Channel, Radio 4, The Sunday Times, The Independent on Sunday, Nursing Times, Bristol Evening Post, among others.
In the late 1990's I ran British Medical Association accredited innovative ('Stress Management with a Difference') stress management programmes.

Links & Articles
Bristol laughter club  - one of the longest running series of regular laughter workshops outside India www.bristollaughterclub.com

'Good vibes are contagious' - BBC

Laughing to improve your wellbeing - BBC

Watch the award-winning 13-minute documentary 'The Best Medicine' about Jon, his tumour, and the impact of Bristol laughter club laughter practices

 
Articles & blogs

'Wake Up Laughing' in Resurgence & Ecologist magazine 

'Why laughter promotes social bonding'  Medical News Today

The Spark magazine, 'Body & Soul' PAGE 34

Action for Happiness - laughter has serious benefits, 2011

Oxford University study, BBC news, 14th September 2011

Laughing puts the brain in a meditative state
The Mind Unleashed

Listen to an interview on the benefits of laughter yoga practices

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Laughter Club Radio Interview
File Size:	9080 kb
File Type:	mp3

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