We don't laugh enough because: We are so wired to the world, which is full of doom and gloom. We are literally bombarded by bad news and truly heavy stuff such as global warming, terrorism, the economy and natural disasters.
We can even feel guilty being happy, or laughing a lot, when the world is experiencing such crises. Bad news causes us to secrete adrenaline, cortisol and catacholamine. Producing these stress hormones on a constant basis depletes immunity and fries our nerves.
The Laugher's Manifesto:
- I do not run the world
- It is my birthright to be happy (repeat)
- I take every opportunity I have to laugh out loud
- Reduce pain
- boost your immune system
- protect your heart
- reduce blood pressure
- relax your whole body
- make you more attractive to the opposite sex
Jessica Porter has been making people laugh since she was eleven, when she discovered this very special power while at summer camp. Since then she has done theater, stand-up comedy, and one-woman shows devoted to helping people relax and give in to the natural healing tonic which is laughter.
As a hypnotherapist, Jessica is also trained to help people achieve profound relaxation, often a precursor to the guffaws. In her cooking classes, she teaches whole foods recipes while making audiences pee their pants laughing. It's not pretty, but it's funny!
Jessica teaches macrobiotic cooking classes in Santa Monica, CA, where she lectures on the spiritual and emotional dimensions of macrobiotic practice. She has also taught cooking in New York, Toronto, Chicago, Atlanta, Portland, Maine and London.
In her free time, Porter has tried her hand at standup comedy and improv. As an actress, she has played many contemporary and classical roles and has been featured in local independent films. She has also written and performed her own one-woman show called "Zen Comedy."
Interviewed by Simon Doonan for the "New York Observer" in January 2001, their acquaintance led to Jessica being featured in his second book, Wacky Chicks, published by Simon and Schuster in 2003.
In the late '90s, Jessica spent three years traveling internationally as a macrobiotic chef cooking for private clients. For eight months in 1998, she cooked for Roger Waters of Pink Floyd.
The author began her macrobiotic practice eighteen years ago in New York, where she was a graduate student in acting at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. While in New York, Jessica ran her own catering business called "Big Life Foods", providing macrobiotic meals to health food stores.
A Graduate of Brown University with a B.A. in Semiotics (now called Modern Culture and Media) in 1988, Porter served as co-editor of the campus humor magazine, the Philtrum Press.
Growing up in Toronto (which would force anyone to be funny), the author was an actress and co-host of the national radio program "Anybody Home?", produced by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Author of The Hip Chick's Guide to Macrobiotics and co-writer of Alicia Silverstone's The Kind Diet, Jessica serves as the emcee on A Taste of Health's annual cruise through the Caribbean, keeping about 1,000 healthy vacationers in a giggly mood all week.
She also teaches a class on the benefits of laughter and a cooking class called "Lighten Up with The Hip Chick". She is a skilled speaker, teacher and goofball...and additionally a great guest and a lot of fun!...so what's so bad about that?
For more information on Jessica Porter's Cooking Classes: "The Hip Chick's Guide to Macrobiotics" go to www.hipchicksmacrobiotics.com
The Holistic Holiday at Sea Departs for the Caribbean March 21 (There's still room on this cruise and information on the next ones) For more information go to www.atasteofhealth.org
