Laugh Your Way to Enlightenment! by Pragito Dove

As I sat in a restaurant one Sunday evening enjoying my pasta
salad and the company of some friends, the sounds of giggles
and laughter drifted over from the next table. We turned to see
a family with two teenage daughters who had a bad case of the
giggles. The father, obviously not in a good mood, became more and more exasperated with the girls' inability to contain their laughter. Finally, with a very serious straight face, he said,
"That's enough laughing for the weekend, Julia."

I had to turn away so he wouldn't see my grin. Julia,
meanwhile, tried to talk her father into starting on Monday's
quota of laughter. Her rationale was that she would be at
school and wouldn't be able to laugh as much as on a Sunday.

The absurdity of being given a ration of laughter each day
reminded me of the way I was raised. Until then, I hadn't
really thought much about how serious my upbringing had been.
My laughter had been largely repressed. Giggling and laughing
were definitely frowned upon at school, church and other
childhood places.

I wasn't aware of just how much it had been repressed until I
started practicing The Mystic Rose Meditation. This technique
has three stages: Laughter, Tears, Sitting in Silence.The
twentieth-century Indian mystic, Osho, developed this practice
for Americans-and all people living in high tech societies-
because we respond well to expressive forms of meditation.
During the first stage, one spends a good deal of time just
laughing and it is most effective in a group environment.

During my first experience, it felt strange to laugh for three
hours, especially in the presence of other people; however, it
didn't take long to get in the swing of it. After a while, my
natural laughter just kept bubbling up to the surface.

We don't have to wait to be happy. The different laughter
meditations I teach and practice are a way to help us relax,
loosen up and enjoy life. They provide opportunities for a
playfulness, a reminder that life does not have to be a
constant struggle.

Happiness is our essential nature.

Rather than waiting for external events to determine our
happiness, we can find it deep inside ourselves. Perhaps we
think we have to be relaxed and calm, or that all sorts of
conditions must exist for us to be happy. This is not the
case; happiness can exist for no reason. The more we practice
smiling, laughing and enjoying ourselves for no reason, the
more we will discover that we already have what we seek.

Many of us know that laughter is good for us, but we might feel
that we have nothing to laugh about; we may feel more like
crying. The second stage of The Mystic Rose can help us to
release and heal old wounds, unburden sorrows and discover deep
peace within.

So try some laughter techniques, but be kind and gentle with
yourself. And remember: If you are in the midst of a difficult
time in your life, commit an equal amount of time to allow your
sadness to exist. The balanced awareness and expression of
both of these energies will bring you to a deeper harmony and
peace within yourself.

The Benefits

Laughter is good for us in every way as several studies have
shown.(See, for example, articles by N.Lehrman in Archives of
Internal Medicine,April26,1993; by Lee Berk, Dr.P.H. in Loma
Linda University School of Medicine News,March 11,1999; by
N.Silver in American Health, November 1986; by J.McCormick in
Lancet, August 1994. Among these findings:

* Laughter stimulates physical healing.
* Laughter enhances our creativity.
* Laughter is rejuvenating and regenerating.
* Laughter is sexy.
* Laughter is good for relationships.
* Laughter opens the heart.
* Laughter gives us a glimpse of freedom from the mind.

The Laughter Meditation

When you wake up in the morning, stretch your body-every
muscle, cell and fiber-just like a cat. After a few moments,
start laughing. Just start. At the beginning you may have to
force it a little, saying 'Ha, Ha, Ha,' or 'Ho, Ho, Ho' to get
the laughter energy moving. Soon, a spontaneous laughter will
arise at the sound of your attempts at laughing. Try it for
five minutes. Just laugh for no reason at all. Laugh for the
sake of laughing.

Try it again for five minutes when you go to bed, just before
you go to sleep. Try it in the shower or while driving your
car in traffic. Ha, Ha, Ha. Even to say those words out loud
will start a transformation in your energy, in your mood.

At the beginning, it will take some effort; you might want to
use a laughter CD to help you get started. After a little
while, it will start to happen naturally. Your body will get
used to it, will start to expect it.

Laughter is one of the easiest ways to free yourself from the
mind's constant thought process and find inner peace. It will
make you more alive, more healthy, more creative, and more
silent. Simply relax into the enjoyment. You will discover in
yourself a tremendous natural talent for rejoicing in life. You
may even laugh your way to enlightenment. Yes, it's that good.
Remember to laugh-a lot-every day.
Copyright 2004 Pragito Dove. 887 words

(c)2004, Pragito Dove. All rights reserved in all media.
Permission to reprint granted so long as the article and by-
line are reprinted intact.

Pragito Dove is an author, keynote speaker and trainer in the
areas of laughter and tears, anger, grief, stress management
and meditation. Transform Your Life Today! Contact Pragito at:
415.925.9533 to use her resources and book her services. Her
Web site is http://www.pragito.com.