How often do we see people, both on and off the spiritual path, taking their lives so seriously that we ask ourselves, "How can the light get in? Where is their laughter? Where is their joy?"
Humor is an intrinsic part of a happy life. It is even more vital for those living by spiritual precepts, because our light and vibrations are picked up by people seeking to improve their lives and/or their conscious contact with the Infinite. Thus, our ability to laugh, find positive humor in the world and in ourselves, automatically has an audience that is greater than we might imagine.
Laughter lightens moods. Laughter projects positive energy. Laughter draws people together. Laughter heals and maintains good emotional and physical health.
One of the most famous examples is Dr. Norman Cousens, who laughed his way beyond terminal cancer. How did he do it? He examined his life, found that it was lacking both humor and the presence of spirit, and sat in a room and watched Marx Brothers and Three Stooges movies. His laughter lightened and opened his energetic system. His energy had become so light and his emotions so positive that there was no place for the cancer to grow!
"At times, the release of laughter brings on a sudden shift on the emotional level," explains massage therapist and energy worker Cecile Martin. "Before you realize what is happening, you are in tears. In this case, the laughter is a release that triggers a deeper emotional issue. After your tears, you feel a great relief, a great peace and sense of balance that was not present during your moodiness. It is natural for us to be in a state of joy."
Cousens' laughter remedy bore out a very simple truth: when the light appears, the shadow flees. In this case, the shadow was a nasty case of cancer -- according to Ayurveda, the sixth and final stage of a dis-ease process that, for Cousens, began by taking life too seriously.
One of the greatest spiritual teachers of this century, the Indian master Paramhansa Yogananda, always delivered plenty of humor in his lectures. From the moment he first set foot in America in 1920, Yogananda showed audiences of thousands that laughter and deeper spiritual teachings belong together; after all, the second half of his guru-given name, "Ananda," means bliss. Bliss is not attained by wearing the weight of everyone's world on our shoulders.
Not only did Yogananda deliver the sacred science of kriya yoga to these shores, but until his passing in 1952, he delivered more laughs than anyone can count. His credo: we're on Earth to be educated and entertained. Being the enlightened master that he was, you can bet Yogananda's use of humor was a case of "inside-outside" spiritual teaching -- the outside consisting of showing people that laughter was vital to healthy living, and the inside showing that laughter further opens our hearts, minds and souls to constantly receive the spirit and intuitive guidance that produces heaven-on-earth living.
"When people laugh they are more receptive," says David Gamow, a California-based devotee of Yogananda's. "Humor breaks down barriers and opens the mind to new possibilities. It's our hearts' commitments to seeing things a certain way that blocks our progress on the path. Humor can be used to get past that 'stuckness.' A brief introspection as to how you feel after a good laugh will corroborate this viewpoint."
One of the easiest ways to incorporate laughter and humor into your spiritual life is to hang around with funny people who also are living in the light. Another way is to experience all situations in your life from a detached, impersonal perspective. That alone can bring plenty of laughs! Simply play -- it's not a right reserved only for children! After all, the Sanskrit word for the reality that God created here is "lila," which means, "play." We close our monthly kirtans -- very deep, meditative devotional chanting -- at our center by dancing and playing. It always assures an exit to the sounds of laughter.
An excellent way to bring laughter into every day begins with morning meditation. While immersed in the light and focused at the spiritual eye, bring up situations that beg for humor and ask your guidance to deliver the funny moment within each situation. Then sit silently, awaiting the answer. Often, a lighter vibrational feeling within you will enable humor to present itself. Perhaps it will be a suggestion that you, the meditator, are the person who's truly funny.
"Most of our life events that cause us trouble would be funny if they had happened to someone else! " says Karen Gamow, who has lived in the Ananda community in California for 15 years. "Even our own circumstances get us to laugh and smile a year later. When we are in them, we are too caught up in them to see the humor. Humor, then, is born of detachment, and detachment is the cornerstone of the yogic lifestyle."
Following the meditation, go for a walk, call a friend or perform some kind of activity. Consciously seek the humor in whatever it is you say or see. Allow your soul to envelop the concept of laughter, fun and play -- and being the receptacle of pure spirit that the soul is, the soul will find it. "Light-hearted laughter is contagious and can change the energy of an entire roomful of people," Cecile Martin says. "It can change this moment you are in now, and it can change the rest of your life."
In so doing, soar with your spirit -- and into Spirit.
Bob Yehling coordinates the Ananda Meditation Group of Tampa Bay. An editor and writer by trade, he has taught yoga meditation for six years. He also leads monthly chanting at Treehouse Yoga Center in Tampa. (813) 935-3087