Sebastien Gendry, C.E.O. American School Of Laughter Yoga
Sebastien Gendry is the C.E.O. of the American School Of Laughter Yoga, a master Laughter Yoga Teacher and an international Public Speaker. He travels over 70,000 miles every year to train several hundred Laughter Yoga Professionals in North America and Europe. He is the author of a series of reference books and DVDs on Laughter Yoga that are sold worldwide and is often referred to as the most creative Laughter Yoga Teacher of his generation. He has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show and numerous other national mainstream media in the USA.
Sebastien is a witty, insightful and engaging laughter yoga expert whose expertise, patience, willingness to always seek the best in each person, enthusiasm and ability to adapt to the needs of each individual has helped many people “get out of their head” and move to a higher level of happiness. He encapsulates and shares the power of positive and playful energy and creativity.
He has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show and numerous other national mainstream media in the USA.
Sebastien is the author of:
- Book: Laughter Yoga 101: From Zero To Laughter In 0.5 Seconds
- Book: Laughter Yoga FUNdamental Companion Handbook
- DVD: American School Of Laughter Yoga Educational Series
- 65 Foundational Laughter Yoga Exercises + Learn To Create Your Own!
- Chair Laughter Yoga 101: Focus On A Gentle Full Body Workout
- Chair Laughter Yoga 102: Focus On Hand-Eye Coordination Exercises To Improve Mental Functioning
- Chair Laughter Yoga 103: Focus On Emotional Wellness and Stress Reduction
- Laughter Yoga Systems & Procedures: Part 1 (Clapping and Breathing Exercises)
- Laughter Yoga Systems & Procedures: Part 2 (Laughter Yoga Exercises – From 65 To Infinity)
- Laughter Yoga Systems & Procedures: Part 3 (Benefits, Concepts & Philosophy Of Laughter Yoga)
- Run-Through Laughter Yoga Session STANDING – With Instructions On What’s Important
- Run-Through Laughter Yoga Session SITTING – With Instructions On What’s Important
- Exercise Cards:
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Where Is Sebastien?
Tour schedule, classes, special events and more.
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Train with Sebastien!
Discover how the American School Of Laughter Yoga Certified Laughter Yoga Leader Training Program opens yourself up to higher levels of happiness, while complementing and enhancing any other practice you may already have.
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Schedule Sebastien
If you would like to book Sebastien for a corporate ice-breaker, team-building or keynote program, please click here.
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Full Biography
Typical is not a word that describes Sebastien Gendry. Born and raised in a small French village, he has lived in places such as Paris, Munich, Vienna, Florence, Hong-Kong, Calcutta, Mumbai, London and Los Angeles while crafting a compelling professional record.
A man of talent, global glamor and international appeal, he has managed to preserve a palatable connection to his own country and culture, and is like France’s thoughtful heartthrobs.
He is the C.E.O. of the American School Of Laughter Yoga, the oldest and largest provider of Laughter Yoga education in North America. A passionate and charismatic individual he played a major role in helping introduce Laughter Yoga in the USA. He is also one of the top leading Laughter Yoga experts in the world. He served for 2.5 years (2005-2007) as World Operations Director for Laughter Yoga International and will be together with 2 of his students the first Master Laughter Yoga Teacher after Dr Kataria to train Laughter Yoga Teachers (trainers of trainers) as of 2011. He was the first to introduce Laughter Yoga in Russia in 2008.
A man of global vision and great generosity of spirit he travels over 70,000 miles every year to train several hundred Laughter Yoga Professionals in North America and Europe.
A seasoned businessman, he combines a rare skill set of technical, sales & marketing as well as creative abilities. As he likes to put it “I learned my many trades in many professional lifetimes by reinventing wheels and then working out why they don’t go straight.” An entrepreneur, he started his first business in England at age 25 and grew it with his two partners to a multi-million $ company within 6 years.
An intuitive teacher, he is emotionally open and intensely thoughtful. He projects a combination of earnestness, recklessness, adolescence, mischievousness and yet has a mature introspection that is much more than intriguing. He is playful with people from all walks of life, and manages to expand their mind in a trivial manner. He encapsulates and shares the power of positive and playful energy and creativity.
A charismatic and articulate speaker, he has been featured several times in the US media (The Oprah Winfrey Show, Good Morning America, National Public Radio, Associated Press, CBS News, Telemundo, Celebrity Fit Club, KCAL 9, Los Angeles Times, San Diego Union Tribune, Inspire, and more). He has also appeared at prime time on national Indian television.
His sensibility communicates across social and cultural barriers, giving him a chameleon quality. His richness lies in the fact that his intelligence and curiosity have granted him a much more complex understanding of life. He is like a throwback to the old school gentlemen era and his persona magnifies and radiates.
He holds a B.A. degree in Business Administration from the University of Angers, France, speaks five languages, has run 5 marathons and 1 ultra marathon, and loves to push his own limits.
He strives to inspire and empower others to live healthier, happier lives. His life passion is a field of knowledge he refers to as “Folk Wisdom”: what anybody can do anytime, anywhere, at no or minimum cost to get better in body, mind and spirit. An experienced Fitness Trainer and Hatha Yoga Teacher, he is also certified in 7 other forms of mainstream alternative healing therapies (massage, acupressure, energy work) which he has used on a one-on-one basis with over 1000 people.
Life unexpectedly led him to emigrate to the USA in the early 2000. He lives in Los Angeles, California.
In His Own Words
Laughter Yoga has had a profound impact on who I now am. I lived most of my life as a child lost in the mind of an adult ice cube and utterly miserable. The worst part of that story is that I had no idea why. I conformed with society and what I thought was expected of me: I worked hard, was successful in my line of business, had everything I wanted. And one day I reached a point where my very soul sensed it would soon die in a self-made box of anger and sadness. The message was clear and powerful enough. I dramatically changed my lifestyle, job, country, and pursued activities closer to my heart. Things improved and yet “joy” still eluded me. I claimed inner peace but my face didn’t know it. It was time for the child to come out of hiding. Laughter Yoga crossed my path at that precise moment. I read one day an article about the emerging movement of Indian Laughter Clubs and found myself instantly on fire. While I could not make any sense out of it, I deeply resonated with this concept of “laughing for no reason”. Within 3 weeks I was on a plane to Mumbai, India, some 12,000 miles away. This was not in my schedule nor budget. My then 2 year old son did not agree with it. And yet the little voice inside was crystal clear: I had to go.
Here is not the place to expand on what happened next. It wasn’t much and it still is everything. Dr. Kataria rescued me from drowning and empowered me to give myself permission to laugh at will and for no particular reason. This simple decision gave me control back over my very own life. I stopped being who I thought I should be versus who I really wanted to be. The mask fell.
Laughter Yoga did not change my life. It was much better than that. It changed me.
