Welcome to November 2026
…and news, stories, upcoming events and event reviews from UnitedMind Ltd. Laughter Yoga, Laughter Yoga in London, all over the UK and world, The Laughter Club International (UK) and The Telephone Laughter Club.
UnitedMind – creating healthier workplaces and happier lives through laughter, connection and joy.
In November News we share the following…
- Yellow Cars from Yours Truly
- Something Rather Special is Coming…
- Gibberish Coach Training
- Laughter Yoga Leader Training – North London
- Neuroplastic Fantastic: When Your Brain Says “This Matters”
- Laughter Yoga Teacher Reunion BOOK 2028 NOW
- Laughter Club (Hemel Hempstead) and Telephone Laughter Updates
- Laughter Yoga Training in London, Hemel Hempstead, and Online
- Training Dates and News
Important training and laughter club dates are listed at the end for- Laughter Yoga Leader, London, Hemel Hempstead, Online
- Laughter Yoga Teacher, Hemel Hempstead, Stanmore, Online
- Laughter Yoga Coach, Online
- Laughter Therapist, Stanmore
- Gibberish Coach, Stanmore, Online
You can continue to enjoy reading our news on our secure site on UnitedMind.co.uk and follow us on Social Media!
Social Media is always growing and improving, please follow UnitedMind and me on
- www.youtube.com/lottemikkel
- www.instagram.com/unitedmindlaughteryoga
- www.facebook.com/unitedmind.through.laughter
- www.linkedin.com/in/lottemikkelsen
- www.tiktok.com/@laughteryoga
- www.twitter.com/unitedmind
Yellow Cars from Yours Truly
I have a yellow car.
This may seem like a rather irrelevant piece of information to begin a newsletter, but bear with me.
Last month I wrote about Kaizen. I told you how I first saw the word KAIZEN on a wall at a company I work with and assumed it was another company sharing the building. It wasn’t.
After gradually becoming fascinated by the philosophy, I finally wrote about it in my October newsletter.
And then something rather funny happened.
The very next day, I opened LinkedIn and there it was.
KAIZEN.
A post about making tiny daily improvements rather than waiting for radical change – almost exactly what I had spent the previous day writing about.
Of course, Kaizen hadn’t suddenly started appearing everywhere simply because I had written a newsletter about it.
I had started noticing it.
It reminded me of something people sometimes call the yellow car effect, once something has our attention, we suddenly seem to see it everywhere.
Which is particularly appropriate in my case.
Because I actually have a yellow car.
It got me thinking about what else might already be around us that we simply don’t notice.
November brings with it all sorts of reminders about remembrance, gratitude, kindness, light and coming together. Some have been marked for generations and others seem to have acquired an international day when I wasn’t looking.
But perhaps we don’t need a special day to notice the small things we do for one another.
So this November, I think I have chosen my ‘yellow car’.
Kindness.
I am going to look for it – in other people, in myself, in the tiny exchanges we normally walk straight past.
A smile. A helping hand. Someone making room. Someone listening. Someone remembering. Someone making another person laugh.
Because laughter and joy are part of that connection too. Sometimes a shared laugh between two people says, without saying anything at all, “I see you. I’m here with you. We’re sharing this moment.”
Not because looking for kindness will make everything difficult disappear.
But because I suspect there is already far more of it around us than we notice.
Perhaps, when we begin to notice it, we become a little more inclined to add some of our own.
And if laughter happens to sneak in along the way?
Even better. ❤️
Together, we’re creating a world where joy is not an afterthought – it’s a way of living.
Until we laugh together again…
Warmly,
With Love, Friendship, Honesty, Kindness, Health, Hope, Goodness, Grace, Gratitude, Understanding, Faith, Peace, Forgiveness, Patience, Diligence, Love, Blessings and Joy from me to you!
Lotte Mikkelsen (she/her)
Founder | Chief Joy Catalyst | Laughter Yoga Master Trainer (UK)
Something rather special is coming… ❤️
Imagine stepping away from the busy-ness of everyday life for a few days to reconnect — with yourself, with others, with nature, and with what it feels like to simply live life fully.
Hygge by Mikkelsen is coming to Wales, 18–21 June 2027.
Inspired in part by what you told me in The UnitedMind Survey, we are creating an intimate retreat for just 25 people, bringing together real-life Danish hygge, nutrition, laughter, yoga, meditation, nature, creativity, healthy habits and plenty of time simply to be.
This isn’t about escaping your life. It is about experiencing something you can bring back into it – a greater sense of connection, belonging and wellbeing, at home and at work.
- 18–21 June 2027 · Wales · £595
The programme is taking shape as I write, but if something inside you is already saying “I want to be there”, you don’t have to wait.
Book your place or register your interest in Hygge by Mikkelsen, and be among the first to experience what happens when we bring a little piece of Denmark to Wales. ❤️
Send a message to hej@hyggebymikkelsen.com.
Gibberish Coach Training
The Language of Nonsense in a Practical Application
Mel and I will be running an in-person Gibberish Training Day on 14 November from 10:00-16:00.
Guess what?!
There is a whole Gibberish Manual full of background, activities, and ideas for your Gibberish sessions, or for including Gibberish in your existing programmes.
It is wonderful to experience catharsis through the use of non-hurtful language, releasing stored up emotions, and having fun while doing it.
Please make sure you you book your place right on time at only £95 early bird, in the UnitedMind Shop.
Shobliboocha alni mookaf!
If you have any question of would like to learn more about Laughter and Gibberish in training and workshops, please contact me on lotte@unitedmind.co.uk, or call +44 (0) 7736341717.
Laughter Yoga Leader Training – North London
We will be back teaching 2-day Laughter Yoga Training in Stanmore on 5-6 December, both days 10:00-17:00, a real treat facilitated by Laughter Yoga Master Trainers, Mel and Lotte.
Becoming a Laughter Yoga Leader gives you passport to spreading health and wellbeing through running Laughter Yoga in your own workshops and clubs.
You will be bringing people together at a time when many are still missing the feeling of being connected with others, many people have a sense of feeling lost at the moment.
The course is also available as an online training with full certification and all courses can be booked via www.unitedmind.co.uk/product-category/laughteryogaleader.
Next training runs Stanmore/North London on 5-6 December 2026., and then in Hemel Hempstead on 16-17 January 2027.
If you have any question of would like to learn more about Laughter Yoga and Laughter Therapy, please contact me on lotte@unitedmind.co.uk, or call +44 (0) 7736341717.
Neuroplastic Fantastic: When Your Brain Says “This Matters”
Have you ever learned a new word and then suddenly started hearing it everywhere?
Or noticed a particular car and, seemingly overnight, discovered that half the country appears to be driving one?
Nothing has necessarily changed out there. Something has changed in what you notice.
There is actually a name for this rather peculiar experience: the frequency illusion, sometimes known as the Baader–Meinhof phenomenon.
Don’t worry. There will be no test at the end.
It describes that strange feeling that once something has caught our attention, it suddenly seems to appear everywhere.
Of course, it probably hasn’t. It was there before.
Your brain simply didn’t consider it particularly interesting.
Your brain cannot notice everything
At any given moment, there is an extraordinary amount of information competing for your attention – sights, sounds, sensations, conversations, thoughts, memories and whatever notification has just pinged on your phone.
If we consciously attended to all of it, we’d never get anything done.
So the brain selects.
Some things remain part of the background while others effectively get a little mental tap on the shoulder:
Pay attention. This might matter.
Once something becomes relevant to us – perhaps because we’ve just learned about it, experienced it or become interested in it – we’re more likely to notice it again.
And again.
Which is why learning a new word can make it seem as though everybody else learned it on the same day. Or why suddenly every second car on the road appears to be the one you’ve just bought.
The world hasn’t necessarily changed.
Your attention has.
But where is the neuroplasticity?
Ah. Now we’re getting to the Fantastic bit.
Seeing the same car everywhere doesn’t mean your brain has instantly rewired itself around Ford Fiestas.
But attention is important to learning.
When we pay attention to something, we give the brain an opportunity to process that information more deeply. When an experience is repeated, practised or revisited, the brain can learn from it.
And learning involves change.
That is where neuroplasticity enters the story.
I sometimes describe this on my courses by imagining the brain eventually looking up and saying:
“Hang on a minute. This keeps happening. Something is going on here. Perhaps I’d better pay attention – this seems to matter.”
Over the years I have come across the idea that if we repeat something every day for 21 days, the brain begins to take notice – and that if we keep going, somewhere around 65 or 66 days a new behaviour or pattern becomes established.
It’s a lovely idea.
Unfortunately, our brains don’t seem to own calendars.
There isn’t a little neurological alarm that goes off on Day 21 announcing, “Right! We care about this now!” Nor does Day 66 arrive with a certificate saying, “Congratulations! New neural pathway successfully installed.”
But there is some interesting research behind one of those numbers.
A well-known study into habit formation found that it took participants, on average, around 66 days for a repeated behaviour to become substantially more automatic. But – and this is important – the variation between people was huge. Some behaviours took considerably less time and others took many months.
So perhaps the number itself isn’t the most interesting part.
Repetition tells a story.
When we return to an experience, behaviour or skill again and again, we give the brain repeated opportunities to learn from it.
And I still rather like imagining the brain eventually saying:
“You keep doing this. It seems to matter.”
Not on Day 21. Not necessarily on Day 66.
But gradually, through attention, experience and repetition, something that once required effort can become more familiar – and sometimes more automatic.
And here’s something I particularly love:
Your brain can be learning even while the new behaviour still feels difficult.
Difficulty doesn’t necessarily mean nothing is happening.
Neuroplasticity is the brain’s remarkable ability to adapt and reorganise in response to experience. Connections can strengthen or weaken, networks can become more efficient, and after injury the brain can sometimes recruit or reorganise functions in extraordinary ways.
Our brains are not lumps of biological concrete. They are living, changing systems.
And that is precisely why I called this series Neuroplastic Fantastic.
Notice. Attend. Repeat. Learn. Change.
I rather like thinking about it this way:
NOTICE → ATTEND → REPEAT → LEARN → CHANGE
It isn’t a magic formula. Not everything we notice changes our brain in some meaningful or permanent way, and neuroplasticity is far more complicated than five words with arrows between them.
But it does capture something I find fascinating.
What we repeatedly experience, practise and learn from matters.
Think about learning to drive.
At the beginning, EVERYTHING requires attention:
- mirrors
- gears and clutch
- indicators and speed
- the road and all the other cars
- that pedestrian who has apparently decided today is an excellent day to wander into traffic
Your brain is working overtime.
Then, with experience and repetition, something changes. Actions that once demanded enormous conscious effort become more familiar and increasingly automatic.
You haven’t merely become better at remembering a list of instructions.
Your brain has learned.
That is neuroplasticity in everyday clothes.
So what are you teaching your brain?
This is where I think things become really interesting.
Because we tend to think of learning as something that happens when we deliberately sit down to acquire a skill:
- learn Danish
- learn the piano
- learn how to use whatever piece of technology has just been updated and moved every button you knew somewhere else
But our brains are learning from experience all the time.
We learn routines. We learn reactions. We learn what deserves our attention. We become familiar with patterns simply because we encounter and practise them repeatedly.
That doesn’t mean we can magically “rewire our brains” by thinking happy thoughts for five minutes every morning.
If only neuroscience were quite that convenient.
But it does mean we are not necessarily stuck forever with every pattern we’ve acquired.
The brain retains a capacity for change.
And for me, that is where laughter becomes particularly interesting.
Practice something different
One of the things I have loved about Laughter Yoga for all these years is that we don’t have to wait for something funny to happen before we laugh.
We can practise laughter deliberately.
At first it may feel unfamiliar – even ridiculous.
Then we do it again.
We breathe differently. We move. We make eye contact. We connect with other people. We experience laughter in circumstances where our old rulebook might have said there was nothing to laugh about.
Does one Laughter Yoga session magically rewire your brain for happiness?
No.
And I wouldn’t want to pretend that it does.
But every time we practise something outside our familiar pattern, we give ourselves another experience from which the brain can learn.
And remember:
Your brain can be changing while you’re still finding the new behaviour bloody difficult.
Just because something hasn’t become easy yet doesn’t mean nothing is happening.
And perhaps that is the part of neuroplasticity I find most fantastic.
We are shaped by our experiences.
But we are also capable of having new ones.
The Neuro-Action Step for This Month
This month, don’t try to change anything.
Just notice.
For one day, pay attention to what repeatedly gets your attention. What makes it through all that background noise and seems to earn the message:
“This matters.”
Perhaps it’s:
- something that irritates or worries you
- your phone
- another person
- something that makes you smile
- an opportunity
- a particular thought that keeps returning
Don’t judge it. Don’t try to fix it. And don’t immediately decide you need a 21-day programme to rewire your brain.
Just become curious about what your brain seems to put on its “this matters” list.
And perhaps, once you’ve noticed what is already getting your attention, choose one small thing you’d like to give a little more attention to:
- something you want to learn
- something you’d like to practise
- something that brings you joy
- something different
Because noticing may not be the whole story of change.
But sometimes it is where the story begins.
Neuroplastic? Absolutely.
Fantastic? I think so. ❤️
I am easily contacted on email info@lottemikkelsen.com, or mobile +44 (0) 7736341717.
Laughter Yoga Teacher Reunion BOOK 2028 NOW
The more you see this reminder to book, the more likely you may feel to book… #neuroplasticity
If you are a Laughter Yoga Teacher please join us on 7-9 July 2028 at De Vere Latimer Estate in Chesham, Buckinghamshire, HP5 1UG.
Make sure you get your space and room now as there is limited space (the message from the estate itself)!
The cost per room for the weekend is £290 paid via bank transfer or £300 paid via card, Klarna, or PayPal. Book via the Shop on www.unitedmind.co.uk/product/laughter-yoga-teacher-reunion/.
2026 New Memory
2024 Memory
2022 Older Memory
2019 Oldest Memory
Laughter Club and Telephone Laughter
Anyone and everyone is welcome to share laughter with us in the Laughter Club International (UK) St Albans on Zoom – and bring a friend or your whole tribe.
The Laughter Club in St Albans is sharing laughter on Zoom on 1st Sunday every month (except August) at 1pm-1:30pm!
Please register online on https://form.jotform.com/200864136631350.
- Sunday 01 November 2026 from 13:00-13:30 online on Zoom
- We are looking to start laughing in Hemel Hempstead at 13:00-14:15 UK time real soon – more to come
- Please join on https://us04web.zoom.us/j/132683686 pw 305815
Please get in touch about the laughter clubs and other options via email, info@unitedmind.co.uk, mobile/WhatsApp +447736341717.
The Google Map of Laughter Clubs in the UK is on track with up-to-date information about Laughter Clubs.
Note, updated laughter clubs are listed with 2024/2025/2026 at their name, in-person laughter clubs have a blue star place marker, and online laughter clubs have an orange star place marker. Check it out on https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1Q-HDOwxlZX1kk7bW4U5haXxrRjM&usp=sharing.
If you know of any laughter clubs that are not listed or need updating please email lotte@unitedmind.co.uk with your information.
In addition The Telephone Laughter Club runs Monday to Friday at 7:00 to 7:10 on
- Dial: 0333 011 2319
- Room number: 33928453 #
- PIN: 8494 #
Please also contact me about The Telephone Laughter Club where we laugh weekday mornings from 7:00 to 7:10 if you have any questions about this service, lotte@unitedmind.co.uk.
Laughter Yoga Training
London, Hemel Hempstead, Your Venue, Online
We are moving into the cosiness of the northern hemisphere cooling down and days darkening, the soup is brewing on the stove, and snuggling up in a warm throw seems a likely pass-time activity.
Laughter brings warmth to your heart, health and soul, it picks you up when the days provide less sun-vitamins and mental health goodness.
I would love to share the wisdom of Laughter Yoga with you.
If you cannot make the dates and locations, there is also an online option running every month over 4 sessions at 19:00-21:30 all four days plus an extra optional catch up session.
It is an outstanding opportunity to learn how you can impact others with joy and connecting inside and out, get tools to tackle stressors all around in everyday life, and experience health on a whole new level.
You can book your place via the shop on www.unitedmind.co.uk/product-category/laughteryogaleader/ and read more about the training on www.unitedmind.co.uk/training/laughter-yoga-leader.
If you are already a Laughter Yoga Leader this is an invitation to deepen your knowledge and submerge yourself into the vastness of universal laughter and joy. Step your Laughter Journey up one notch and book on www.unitedmind.co.uk/product-category/laughteryogateacher/.
Or you can ask me about the training courses via WhatsApp or call +447736341717 or mail lotte@unitedmind.co.uk, and I am happy to discuss the options with you.
Laughter Training Dates and News
Laughter Yoga is for everyone and even in our breathing exercises which are the closest you get to any Yoga-related activity, we have ways of breathing where you do not even need to stretch.
This activity leads to a wealth of benefits both physically, mentally and emotionally for you and for everyone you share laughter with in groups, by yourself or one-on-one.
Learning Laughter Yoga is easy, available, and assessible for you to learn right now.
To understand more about the training programmes, options and requirements, please contact me via email lotte@unitedmind.co.uk.
The Accredited Laughter Yoga Training
More information about the different programmes is available on the links below
- Laughter Yoga Leader – £225 per person
- Laughter Yoga Teacher – £625 per person in person, £475 per person online
- Laughter Yoga Coach – £825 per person (including Leader and Teacher training)
Now is the best time to book your training – because it is the present where laughter and joy happens!
UnitedMind is registered with our insurance company as a Training Provider which means that our certificates grant you insurance.
When you choose your training provider please make sure you check their credentials as online training methods and courses are not always covered by insurers.
FHT Accredited courses uniquely from UnitedMind Laughter Yoga and our Accredited Laughter Yoga Teachers are
- 2-day Laughter Yoga Leader Training or 4-week online or self-study
- 5-day Laughter Yoga Teacher Training or Online over 6 Sundays
- 1-day Laughter Yoga Coach Training for Laughter Yoga Teachers
- Laughter Therapist Training for practicing therapists
With accreditation we are taking Laughter Yoga seriously and we are bringing the standards to a level of nationwide approval within the education system. The UnitedMind accreditation is the only UK accreditation for Laughter Yoga Training.
Our courses are recognised continued professional development and gives you points to add to your CPD list!
To learn more about how you can become a Laughter Yoga Leader or Teacher please contact Lotte on mobile/WhatsApp +44 (0) 7736341717 or email lotte@unitedmind.co.uk.
UnitedMind teaches Laughter Yoga courses in the following locations:
- Accredited Laughter Yoga Leader Training
This training is a requirement for becoming a Laughter Yoga Teacher- London, Online, Preston, Durham, St Albans, or Your venue your group – minimum 4 people
- Accredited Laughter Yoga Teacher Training
This training is a requirement for becoming a Laughter Yoga Coach- Hemel Hempstead, Stanmore, or Your venue, your group – minimum 4 people
- Accredited Laughter Therapist Training
- Hemel Hempstead
- Accredited Laughter Coach and Certified Gibberish Coach Training
- Online, or Your venue, your group – minimum 4 people
Your Self Study
A way to learn at your own leisure, at times to suit at only £150. If you are able to come to the in-person training at a later time we can schedule it at a small additional fee of £75.
Learn Laughter Yoga online as an almost-self-study, where you will be able to learn at your own pace and finish by presenting a Laughter Yoga session as you will have learned through the lessons, at a face-to-face Zoom session.
Book www.pensight.com/x/unitedmind.
Accredited Laughter Yoga Leader
The 2-day Laughter Yoga Leader Training runs on the following dates and venues (full details are listed on www.unitedmind.co.uk/training/laughter-yoga-leader/) provided by UnitedMind in the UK since 2007:
- 05-06 December 2026 Laughter Yoga Leader London £225
- 16-17 January 2027 Laughter Yoga Leader Hemel Hempstead £225
- 06-07 March 2027 Laughter Yoga Leader London £225
- 08-09 May 2027 Laughter Yoga Leader Hemel Hempstead £225
- More dates are listed on www.unitedmind.co.uk/training/laughter-yoga-leader/
- Your workplace or with your group at dates to suit you!
Certified Laughter Yoga Leader Training Online – click to choose your dates:
More online training dates are listed on www.unitedmind.co.uk/product-category/laughter-leader-training-online/
Accredited Laughter Yoga Teacher
The Laughter Yoga Teacher Training and Hybrid Laughter Yoga Teacher Training runs on the following dates and venues (full details are listed on www.unitedmind.co.uk/training/laughter-yoga-teacher/) provided by UnitedMind in the UK since 2012:
- 27-30 November 2026 in Stanmore / North London non-residential all days 8:00-18:00 £625
- Sundays 24, 31 January, 7, 14, 21, 28 February Online 9:30-15:30 £475
- Tuesdays+Wednesdays 19, 20, 26, 27 January, 2, 3, 9, 10, 16, 17, 23, 24 February Online 19:00-21:30 £475
- More dates for 2027 on www.unitedmind.co.uk/training/laughter-yoga-teacher/
Accommodation is not included.
Feel free to enquire about special offers at any time, info@unitedmind.co.uk.
Accredited Laughter Yoga Coach
The 1-day Laughter Yoga Coach Training for Laughter Yoga Teachers runs online on the following dates (full details are listed on www.unitedmind.co.uk/training/laughter-yoga-coach-cpd/):
Add-On to Laughter Yoga Teacher Certification
Or you can book your 8-week One On One Laughter Coaching Programme and get closer to your real laughter through the practice of Laughter Yoga exercises.
Accredited Laughter Therapist
The 2-day Laughter Therapist Training is only the beginning of the 6-12 months programme (full details on www.unitedmind.co.uk/training/laughter-therapist/)
Accredited Gibberish Coach
The 1-day Gibberish Coach Training for Laughter Yoga Leaders and Teachers runs on the following dates (full details are listed on www.unitedmind.co.uk/training/gibberish-coach/):
All fees listed in the newsletter are early bird fees available until one month before training dates and excluding travel and accommodation costs unless otherwise stated. Other deals may be available as well as special agreements with companies and organisations who wish to train teams and individuals in their workplace.
If you want to be sure to get a place on the course of your choice please book now in the UnitedMind Online Shop.
For more information about accredited training courses, workplace workshops, and keynote talks, please contact us via info@unitedmind.co.uk, phone 0800 1214 714, or mobile/WhatsApp +447736341717.