Connecting Through Laughter, A Joy Practice!
My dearest friend Janet and I (above pix) laughed together all the time. She was my original joy buddy!
She could always bring a smile to my face! It was so much fun to play with her in the garden, in the kitchen, on the beach, anywhere we went… we had a blast!
This picture above is a selfie of us laughing together. It was taken shortly after my mom died. She always knew how to cultivate connection with me when I was feeling alone, sad and stuck.
Of course, she knew that the laughter helped to move the stuck energy and help me to feel better. (Laughter oxygenates the body, relaxes the mind, and brings you into the present moment, releasing fear and worry.)
And the laughter also helped me to connect to her more deeply.
Little did we know that less than a year later she would make her transition due to breast cancer. The times that we spent laughing, and crying together are priceless to me.
I remember one time, in the middle of one of her cancer treatments, she wanted to speak gibberish together about how angry, frustrated and powerless she felt with the experience going on in her body.
For 30 minutes we spoke in frustrated, gibberish ways, letting the heavy feeling of the emotions out. Then at times we would explode into laughter. And then tears. And it was all welcome… and such a relief.
In the midst of that trying time, I just wanted to connect with her, but I didn’t know how to help. Laughter was the perfect balm.
Laughter is such a huge blessing in my life. It has taken me through so much loss and heartbreak, so much frustration and disappointment… so much heaviness and apathy.
Every time I walk into a laughter experience my mind tells me, “why are you even here? You don’t have time for this. It’s not gonna work. There’s so many other things you need to do right now. This is a waste of time….” And on and on.
My mind will always find a reason to support me in suffering. Laughter is such a welcome break to that.
Laughter is like forced breathing, triggering the body to release happy chemicals, even if you’re not feeling happy. The body doesn’t know the difference and the increased oxygen and happy chemicals rebalances the body so you feel better fast!
It’s such a great thing to be addicted to! I encourage you to try out an online Laughter class. There are hundreds and hundreds of them available by zoom all over the world. Just look it up. Or attend one with me on Wednesdays weekly at 5:45 Pacific/845 Eastern time. We have an amazing community that’s been showing up since the pandemic started. We have so much fun together! Come join in the party! We take on some heavy topics and transform our feelings with laughter. It’s so much fun, and so healing.
Woot woot! Come play!
With joy,
Carla