Meet the Man Making People Across America Laugh their Way to Healing

August 2020: A Note from Hope — I am thrilled to introduce you to multi-talented Slash Coleman, an award-winning storyteller and writer who in 2016 introduced Laughter Yoga to as many people in Richmond, VA that he could find. His free classes were attended by thousands, all curious about how they could laugh their way to healing using a yogic art form created in India — a method Slash got turned on to as a way to heal his collapsed lungs.

Here’s the back story: Best known for his humorous one-man performance-based stage productions, including one based on his uber popular book, The Bohemian Love Diaries, Slash’s other claims to incredible fame include his work as a personal perspectives blogger for Psychology Today, The Washington Post, The New York Times, PBS and the NPR series, How Artists Make Money. His work is most often compared to that of humorist David Sedaris.

Then in 2015, the craziest thing happened. During his book tour Slash’s right lung mysteriously collapsed and he couldn’t seem to get relief. Rather than opting for drugs, his surgeon encouraged him to participate in a laughter yoga session. “It was like magic,” shares Slash, noting that greatly improved his health — and was fascinated by the practice. Soon after, he enrolled in Laughter Yoga University where he received his certification as a Laughter Yoga Leader.

The next year he launched Laughter Yoga Richmond where he loved living in Virginia, and began to conduct an informal experiment with unconditional laughter.

At no charge to participants, nearly 10,000 people attended the sessions. Knowing the powerful impact that the work makes, Slash also established programs with the US Department of Veterans Affairs and the ASK Childhood Cancer Foundation.

“It was a very cool experiment — one that I had a ball exploring,” says Slash, whose work caught the attention of Dr. Madan Kataria, the founder and originator of the worldwide laughter yoga movement. “I couldn’t believe it with I got the call inviting me to travel to India to study at his side and present me with the prestigious US Laughter Ambassador Award.”

Slash returned home with tons more ideas — at exactly the same time that the world began to dramatically shift info coping with the coronavirus pandemic. So the good spirited yogi decided to do what seemed only natural: he launched a distance learning company called Laugh for Life.

Slash says through his website, “ILaughforLife.com,”:http://www.Ilaughtforlife.com “my mission has long been help create healthier and happier lives in all communities through laughter. But the scope of Laugh for Life is even more personal and extensive. The goal now is to help individuals manage stress, improve communication and teamwork and creativity in the workplace.”

Using his signature corporate team building sessions and motivational presentations as a healing tool, Slash’s ultimate goal is to create space for dialogue between disparate groups and let laughter work its healing magic. His plan is to work with individuals and groups around the country, including police departments and social justice organizations, those suffering from addiction (and also their families), government officials, and minority leaders. Read rest of article