Make ’em laugh
Hugh McClelland’s workshops prove laughter really is the best medicine
By Shelley Arnusch, Pique Newsmagaine
What: The Power Of You workshop series
Where: MY Millennium Place
When: Saturday, Sept. 10
Admission: $19.95

"A merry heart doeth good like a medicine." Proverbs 17:22
Hugh McClelland is definitely someone you’d want on hand if you were debuting a sitcom pilot.
Hugh McClelland is also someone you’d want on hand for more serious and thoughtful affairs such as this Friday evening’s Power Of You charity fundraising event for the people of Darfur, Sudan, and Saturday’s corresponding personal growth workshop series taking place at Millennium Place.
The former situation is obvious. McClelland is a certified laughter leader under the U.S.-based World Laughter Tour, a practitioner of a wellness technique involving "laughter for no reason" based on the teachings of Dr. Madan Kataria, an Ayurvedic physician from Mumbai (Bombay), India. The reasons are less obvious as to why his presence would be sought for a more somber event such as a Darfur fundraiser.
The key is that the "laughter for no reason" McClelland purveys is based not in humour, but in personal growth and meditative practices.
Laughter is nothing new, but Dr. Kataria’s idea to gather people together to practice yogic breathing before letting loose with uncontrolled guffaws as a stress-relieving tactic is relatively new, dating back to 1995.
McClelland’s own introduction to laughter therapy came when Dr. Kataria’s laughter sessions ended up the subject of a photograph accompanying a 1997 National Geographic story about India. The photo piqued the interest of the former filmmaker and television producer, and for a while he became what he calls "a rogue laugher," inciting groups of friends to get together and giggle.
Inspired to create a documentary on the subject, McClelland sought out Dr. Kataria while the laughter guru was on a trip to North America.
He chuckles heartily remembering his awakening during the Kataria training session.
Rather than the simple joie de vivre he had been tapping into, laughter therapy goes much deeper he learned. Dr. Kataria had originally incited his sessions with communal jokes but when the jokes became stale and increasingly off-colour, the doctor realized the healing laughter would have to be incited by a more universal method. That was determined to be yogic breathing, followed by social interactions such as shaking hands. Take my jokes… please. Hence, laughter for no reason.
The movement has since taken off worldwide, spread by the formation of "laughter clubs." McClelland says there are 2,000 registered laughter clubs in India alone, and an estimated 800 across Europe, 40 in Canada and about 400 in the U.S.
Five clubs exist in the Vancouver area, he says. Prior to moving to the Okanagan, he was involved in running the Vancouver Laughter Club and the West Vancouver Laughter Club, which follow the Kataria model. At a typical club meeting, the laughter often lasts between 15 and 30 minutes, which McClelland describes as "quite a workout," requiring participants come prepared with loose clothing and water.
Physical benefits such as lower blood pressure aside, laughter for no reason also requires people come prepared for spiritual growth, which explains McClelland’s place on the Power Of You’s workshop roster alongside sessions on sound-healing, intuition and numerology.
The spiritual aspect of laughter for no reason, has actually earned it recognition in India as a yogic discipline called "hasya yoga" or "laughter yoga."
"What people are finding is that it creates a deep and subtle shift in their attitude about life, about themselves about their relationships," McClelland says. "Many people are starting to report it is becoming a meditative spiritual practice for them."
The best part too, is that it is truly a universal movement, accessible to anyone, regardless of age or ability.
"Everybody loves a good laugh," McClelland emphasized in all seriousness. "Everyone knows laughter is good for you. I say, it’s really true, and through this really simple skill of laughing for no reason you can have these benefits no matter how stressful your life is and no matter how unfunny your life is.
"In lots of ways what we’re doing is we’re not teaching people anything new," he added, "we’re reminding them of something they already know."

A full schedule of workshops for the Power Of You is available at www.thepowerofyou.org. All events, including Friday’s performance are $19.95 with proceeds to UNICEF for aid to Darfur.

Join Kelly Oswald on Breakfast TV, CITY TV Friday Sept 2.
and listen to CFUN Radio, Friday Sept 2 and Monday Sept 5.
Mountain FM: Various times, all week long

‘Power of You’ to send karma, cash to Darfur By Nicole Fitzgerald- Whistler Question (Published Sept 1,2005) Power of You officials recently watched a video provided by UNICEF about the travesties happening in Darfur region in the African country of Sudan. The video was originally meant to be shown as part of the second annual Power of You fundraiser, Sept. 9 and 10 at MY Millennium Place, a UNICEF fundraiser for the people of Darfur. However, event officials deemed the footage too graphic for public viewing, so brutal were the images of the people suffering in the war-torn country ravaged by hurricanes and what media are reporting as genocide.

"The most important thing UNICEF does in these kinds of situations is to go in and protect the children from abuse," said event co-organizer Kelly Oswald. "The abuse of what is going on over there is horrifying. The brutality. They are murdering these tiny children."
With atrocities worlds away and the situation getting little media coverage, organizers said it is more difficult to rally people to the cause.
"It is not like the tsunami disaster where friends knew friends of people who sat on the beach where the tsunami struck," Oswald said. "Little is known about the area."
A group of individuals and businesses from Whistler have rallied themselves to the cause and are hosting an evening of live music, African dancing and drumming, education and spiritually rooted entertainment Friday, Sept. 9, at MY Millennium Place. On Saturday, a series of high-calibre spiritual workshops will take place at MY Place. Proceeds from both events will benefit the people of Darfur.
Karma reigns supreme with both events: Workshop participants, in bettering themselves, will better contribute to the world. Event attendees will both give and receive by raising money for a worthy cause and enjoying themselves at the evening event.
"The concept is that we are all connected," Oswald said. "In theory, if good happens to one person, goodness happens to others. If something bad happens, then it happens to the rest of humanity… Personal power helps raise the world up a notch. One thing done at home can change a global partnership. We are all one."
Organizers promise an incredible lineup of entertainment and activities.
The Power of You Extravaganza includes a guided meditation, UNICEF video presentation about the people of Darfur, chanting, a nine-performer African music and dance troupe, reggae music from Kostaman, hors d'oeuvres from local restaurants, a price-is-right raffle and a series of unique, audience-participation, self-empowering interludes, which include topics such as chanting, intuition, laughter clinics, numerology and much more.
Each of the workshop leaders for the following day's activities will participate in an active presentation at the evening event.
Workshops on Saturday, Sept. 10, run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at MY Place. Cheryl Brewster will host Intuition — Live the Magic! Zoey Wren Sound Healing and Dolan Gadoury will host The Key To Powerful Relationships at 9 a.m. Certified laughter leader Hugh McLelland runs The Spirit of Laughter in Daily Life, and Baeleay Callister hosts Tools for Accessing Your Life Purpose at noon. Workshops wrap up with Clayne Conings and The Miracle of Names: Numerology, and Shasta Martinuk and Brian Hoover host The Power of Rhythm at 2:45 p.m.
The cost of the workshops is a minimum donation of $20 with proceeds going to the Darfur cause.
Each penny counts, according to UNICEF statistics. Fifty cents will immunize 18 children against polio. One dollar provides 18 children with vitamin A for a year (to fight blindness). Three dollars provides school slates for two children and $30 buys art workshop materials for 30 children.

The cost of the extravaganza is $20. Advanced tickets for the workshops are recommended. Last year's workshops all sold out. Call (604) 905-0084 for tickets.

Darfur: the focus of Power of You’s energy
Mystic arts gathering at MY Place next weekend
Pique Newsmagazine Published Date: 2005-09-01
By Shelley Arnusch
What: The Power Of You
Where: MY Millennium Place
When: Sept. 9-10
Tickets: $19.95
There were several events in Whistler last January organized in response to the devastating Tsunami that hit Southeast Asia on Boxing Day.
Most had a financial aid focus – imploring participants to open their wallets to help those in need.
One event, however, also encouraged participants to open their minds, sending their healing psychic energy along with their financial aid to the Tsunami afflicted, and gaining a heightened awareness of their own place in the global community in the process.
The Power Of You presented a fusion of culture and spirituality, organized by a team captained by mystic arts practitioner and advocate Kelly Oswald, owner and proprietor of The Oracle shop at Nesters and the West Coast Institute of Mystic Arts in North Vancouver, and Christian Kessner, a Whistler-based can-do man who would go on to form the Higher Ground Entertainment event planning company with partner Jessica Salvador in March, 2005. Dave Smith (photographer and Krista Hoffs (intuitive healer).
The event took place in the theatre at Millennium Place and featured an eclectic lineup of guest speakers, photography, First Nations drumming, dance and healing arts such as Tibetan Singing Bowls and guided meditation. In addition to the main event, the Power Of You featured a silent auction, raffle, psychic readings and massage with an intermission performance by Whistler reggae players Kostaman.
According to Oswald, the evening raised approximately $7,000 from ticket sales and additional donations, which was forwarded to UNICEF for relief in Southeast Asia.
Oswald and Higher Ground have come together again to stage the second Power Of You event at Millennium Place next weekend. This time, it’s the people affected by the humanitarian crisis in Darfur, Sudan who will be the recipients of the event’s financial donations, compassionate spirituality and healing energies.
Oswald and Higher Ground have expanded the upcoming Power Of You into a two-day event featuring a Celebration gala evening on Friday, Sept. 9 and a series of workshops on Saturday, Sept. 10.
The Power Of You Celebration will feature guest speakers offering what Oswald deems "wise words on relationships, laughter, (and) life purpose," live music and an African drumming performance. The event is also bringing back the Tibetan Singing Bowls – a collection of metal bowls in a variety of sizes that produce resonances when struck and are said to have healing effects – and another session of guided meditation involving the entire theatre. In addition there will be hors d’oeuvres and the return of Kostaman for another world beat/reggae set at intermission.
The Sept. 10 lineup includes workshops dealing with intuition, sound healing, relationships (in context of personal growth), non-spontaneous laughter, numerology, rhythm and tools for accessing life purpose – a journey through body, mind and spirit.
Admission to each of the Power Of You workshops and tickets for the Celebration event are $19.95 with proceeds donated to the Darfur crisis via UNICEF. A two-year conflict between rebels in the Darfur region in Western Sudan and the Sudanese government in Khartoum allied with an Arab militia known as the Janjaweed has resulted in what the United Nations describes as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
A U.N. News Centre article dated Aug. 25, 2005 estimates the fighting has resulted in 180,000 dead and a wave of displacement resulting in nearly 2 million people in Sudanese camps and 200,000 others displaced in refugee camps in neighbouring Chad. More than 3 million people are estimated to be in need of humanitarian assistance.
While the scope of the crisis may seem overwhelming, Kessner said that’s no reason to turn away.
"I think it’s sad when people close their eyes and don’t realize what’s taking place," he remarked. "It’s essential for people to realize these events are taking place in the world and that it’s important to make a stand and make a difference, and every dollar counts."
"If you can make a difference to one person’s life, why wouldn’t you?" Oswald said. "If you look at Whistler, we’re so lucky. If you took one of those people and brought them here they would be so overwhelmed. I just feel we’re in heaven; they’re in hell. What can we do to give them a hand?"
Oswald also reiterated the concept of The Power Of You as not simply a call for aid, but as an opportunity for participants to experience personal growth and reflect on their place as citizens of a global community.
"If we’re all connected and we are all one then we’re part of those people that are suffering in Darfur," Oswald said. "The world comes to Whistler and it would be nice if Whistler went out to the world."
Those interested in making a donation in support of the Power Of You who can’t participate in the events next weekend are encouraged to do so directly through UNICEF at www.unicef.ca. For more information on the Power Of You go to www.thepowerofyou.org.

Conflict in Sudan

• Februrary 2003: Rebel factions in southern Sudan rise against the government claiming their region is being neglected by the administration in Khartoum.
• January 2004: The Sudanese army moves in against the rebel uprising, displacing hundreds of thousands of villagers in the southwestern Darfur region to neighbouring Chad. Allied with the Khartoum government in their fight against the rebels are the Janjaweed, an Arab militia whose repressive tactics in Darfur include mass rape, systematic killings and the burning and looting of villages.
• September 2004: U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell declares the situation in Darfur to constitute genocide.
• January 2005: Government and southern rebels sign a peace deal with accords on wealth and power sharing. A U.N. report accuses the government and militias of systematic abuses in Darfur but stops short of calling the violence "genocide."
• April 2005: International donors pledge $4.5 billion in aid to southern Sudan.
• June 2005: A reconciliation deal is signed between the government and the exiled National Democratic Alliance rebel opposition allowing the NDA into a power-sharing administration.
• July 9, 2005: Former southern rebel leader John Garang is sworn in as first vice-president. A constitution offering a large degree of autonomy to the south is signed.
• Aug. 1, 2005: The government in Khartoum announces the death of Garang in an air crash, sparking clashes in the capital between southern and northern factions.
• Aug. 24, 2005: The number of people killed in the region over the course of the two-year conflict is estimated by the U.N. at 180,000 with 2 million people displaced within Sudan and another 200,000 living in refugee camps in neighbouring Chad. More than 3 million people in Darfur are said to be in need of humanitarian assistance. The systematic rape of displaced women and burning of villages in Darfur continues.

Sources: www.bbc.co.uk, www.un.org.

‘Power of You’ focuses on Darfur By Nicole Fitzgerald, Reporter, The Whistler Question (Published Aug 25,2005) Sept. 9 event aims to raise cash, awareness to aid troubled region The second annual Power of You event seeks to raise money for the less fortunate in society while raising consciousness about the growing challenges faced by those in other countries. Proceeds from the evening extravaganza of entertainment, education and meditation on Friday, Sept. 9 at MY Millennium Place, will benefit families in the troubled Darfur region in the African country of Sudan.

Event organizers are looking for volunteers and community support to help make the event a success.
Last year’s benefit raised more than $7,000 for victims of the tsunami in Asia.
“They are in great need of assistance,” said Christian Kessner, co-organizer of the event and owner of Higher Ground Entertainment, of the people of Darfur.
“People need to be aware of what is going on in the world. Every year, we bring up a cause that needs to be rec ognized and realized. By raising local consciousness, we will try and make a difference in the world.”
Those in the war-ravaged Darfur region has lived in a constant state of social turmoil. Poverty, human displacement, orphans and death are just some of the problems associated with the civil war there.
The area has drawn world attention, most notably this year, when certain Sudanese government documents came to light in February. The Christian Science Monitor reported documents revealed that Sudanese government officials were involved in “ordering government-backed militias to carry out indiscriminate attacks… rape and pillaging” against the people of Darfur.
Over the past two years, it was reported more than 2.3 million people have been displaced in western Sudan. The United Nations reported in June that more than 180,000 people have died from starvation and fighting during the civil war.
The area was devastated further when in June a swarm of locusts wiped out crops, adding to the already poverty-challenged area’s woes.
Few of Darfur’s challenges make the evening news, however. According to the Tyndall Report, last year, Darfur’s trial and tribulations only garnered a total of 52 minutes of TV news coverage. By comparison, Martha Stewart’s court case received 130 minutes of nightly news coverage.
Kessner said he hopes to bring Darfur’s struggles to light by involving the community in hosting the fundraiser. Volunteers are needed for the event, including everything from stage hands and set builders to business donations for the silent auction and ticket sales people.
“We are looking for anyone to help out,” he said. “There are plenty of ways to get involved.”
The Power of You event will celebrate with live music, African drumming, laughter, a guided meditation, singing bowls and talks on relationships and life purpose. The event will also showcase two slide shows giving an intimate look at Darfur as well as the healing power of laughter.
In addition to the Friday night performance, the event will also include workshops on Saturday. The workshops will focus on health and awareness, offering classes such as the Intuition — Live the Magic with Cheryl Brewster, The Key to Powerful Relationships with Dolan Gadoury, The Spirit of Laughter in Daily Life with Hugh McLelland, Tools for Accessing Your Life Purpose with Baeleay Callister, Miracle of Names: Numerology with Clayne Congings, and the Power of Rhythm with Shasta Martinuk and Brian Hoover.
For information call Christian or Jessica Salvador of Higher Ground Entertainment or Kelly Oswald at the Oracle 604-905-0084. Tickets are available through TicketMaster, Tourism Whistler and the Oracle at Nesters.

The Power of You Winter 2005 - Tsunami Relief
This event raised over $7,000 in 3 hours for UNICEF during an evening of meditation, dance and auction.

Tsunami Event to Promote Healing By Nicole Fitzgerald, Reporter, Whistler Question January 13, 2005 Organizers of MY Place show to send good vibes, money to victims A study was conducted on the power of prayer. One group of ill people was prayed for, the other was not. The people for whom prayers were offered healed faster than the group for whom none were offered. The Tsunami Relief Fundraiser on Friday, Jan. 21, at MY Millennium Place, will operate on this study’s principals by both raising money for the UNICEF Tsunami Relief Fund through a silent auction and ticket sales and featuring prayer-like activities to send conscious healing to Southeast Asia tsunami victims.

“Studies have proven there is power in prayer,” said event co-organizer Kelly Oswald, director of Mystic Arts school in Vancouver and owner of The Oracle in Whistler. “Whether guided meditation or singing, by sending that energy, we are helping people who are victims, compassionate helpers and those who have already passed on.” As part of the performance component of the event, Oswald will lead a guided meditation or visual journey to propel participants’ thoughts energetically to those in Southeast Asia. As well, Cheryl Brewster will bring the powerful tones of the Tibetan Singing Bowl to heal, clear and balance energy systems. “In drawing on this ancient form of healing, we use the power of sound to carry blessings and peace to those who need it most,” Brewster said. Oswald said the root of the practice lies in people’s intentions. The positive power of intention, all harnessed at once in the same direction, will be quite powerful, she said. The evening will also include performances from Vancouver’s multicultural dance troupe called One Dance Creative Arts Company, the Lil’wat Hand Drummers, KostaMan reggae beats and a slide presentation on Southeast Asia. The slide presentation will be delivered by Dave Smith, another organizer of the event, who traveled Southeast Asia last spring. With so many pictures in the media showing the destruction, death and devastation of the people and land, Smith wanted to show the beauty of the area and the people who live there. “I think it is really valuable to be left with a positive image of these places,” Smith said. “They will get back to it. There is huge loss, but also change. Like a forest fire, it rips through an area but (eventually) it brings new growth. We need to remember that. We have to grow from this and learn and the world will be that much wiser from it if we allow ourselves to be.” The 10-minute slide show will feature 80 of Smith’s images taken from his trip through Thailand, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Witnessing the generosity of the Southeast Asian people who have little in the way of material wealth was what sparked Smith, Krista Hoffs and Christian Kessner to organize the event. William Roberts, executive director of the Whistler Forum and motivational speaker, will host the showcase along with talks from presenters such as Whistler Mayor Hugh O’Reilly, Lyndsay Smith from UNICEF and Ann Rowan from the David Suzuki Foundation. The show starts at 7 p.m.. Beginning at 6 p.m. in the theatre’s lobby, a silent auction, raffle, appetizers from various Asian-inspired restaurants, live music, massage, psychic readings and live music will take place. Tickets are $20 with all proceeds from ticket sales and the silent auction and raffle going directly to the UNICEF Tsunami Relief Fund. Tickets can be purchased at MY Millennium Place. Event sponsors include MY Millennium Place, Bear Paw Printing, Ticketmaster, Rocky Mountain Production, One Dance Creative Arts Company and The Oracle gift store.

The Power of Whistler
Tsunami Relief Fundraiser Has A Spiritual Element
The Pique Newsmagazine
A globally-conscious, headstrong local with a can-do attitude, a mystic arts practitioner and a couple with a slide show’s worth of striking travel photos have joined creative forces to organize a unique fundraising event for victims of the tsunami disaster in Southeast Asia.
The Power of You - A Whistlerite’s Place in Our Global Community, a fundraiser for UNICEF’s tsunami relief effort, present a program equal parts culture and spirituality in the theatre at MY place next Friday evening.
Organized by Christian Kessner (the can-do man), Kelly Oswald (the mystic arts practitioner) and Christa Hoffs and David Smith (the travel photo-bearing couple), The Power of You features and eclectic lineup. An impressive collection of speakers are on the roster, including William Roberts of the Whistler Village Church, Whistler Mayor Hugh O’Reilly, Lyndsey Smith of UNICEF, and Anne Rowan of the David Suzuki Foundation.
Youth from Whistler Secondary and Myrtle Philip Community Schools will read works describing their reactions to the images they have seen of Tsunami victims. The Lil’wat Hand Drum and dance troupe will make an appearance, and Hoffs and Smith will present a slideshow of travel photos from the affected countries – a heart-wrenching look back in recent time at the region pre-tsunami disaster.
The Power of You will incorporate spirituality in the form of a guided meditation for the entire theatre, led by Oswald. There will also be a sound-healing session using traditional Tibetan Singing Bowls with Cheryl Brewster, a mystic arts practitioner from the Lower Mainland, and a performance by the One Dance Creative Arts Company, a group that integrates spiritual healing with the power of dance.
The spiritual element is a crucial part of The Power of You, which is seeking to raise community consciousness and send healing energies as well as funds to the affected areas.
“It’s that whole thought that we are all one, we are all connected,” Oswald said.
“If we’ve got 250 people in one place we can help tsunami victims and compassionate aid people. It’s really the combined effort of everything, being sent in that direction and hoping that on some level it’s going to make a difference.”
The evening also includes a silent auction, raffle, bar, psychic readings, massage and an intermission performance by local reggae band KostaMan and the Mighty Backhoes.
Organizers hope the positive spiritual guidance they are hoping to promote is something the Whistler community can benefit from on an ongoing basis, but for now, energies are focused on Southeast Asia.
“I’ve been there every single year…six years in a row,” Kessner emoted. “It’s my home away from home and there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for those people.”
Tickets for the Power of You are available at the MY Place box office. For purchasing information call 04-935-8410.

Tsunami relief provided By Nicole Fitzgerald, Reporter, Whistler Question January 27, 2005 Consciousness, $7,000 raised at ‘Power of You’ A generous show of support through multiple tsunami fundraisers still continues one month after a tsunami devastated the people of South Asia. The Power of You fundraiser at MY Millennium Place lived up to its name with more than 175 guests and volunteers coming out to support the performance and silent auction. Audiences sent prayers and more than $7,000 to tsunami victims via UNICEF. The beauty of the land and people were celebrated at the festivities with bongo drumming, ethnic dancing from India and the Middle East, and a slide show of South Asia before the tsunami struck.