Laugh as you live

[1]

Amrit Sadhana [1]

If you ask me when did I have a good laugh the last time, I would say, “a few minutes ago”. It is no joke, I mean really, factually. For people who practise Osho meditations, laughter is a part of their lifestyle. They laugh very easily, frequently and totally.

Osho gives tremendous importance to laughter and sense of humour. He says, these are spiritual qualities and a sign of a healthy human being. Seriousness is sickness. The modern man suffers from this disease because he has repressed too much pain and misery in his unconscious mind.
On top of it, the modern man has collected a lot of knowledge, which is intellectual, and that makes his mind heavy. This knowledge comes from the books; it does not come directly from life; it is not experiential. It is like garbage collected from others. Knowledge has to be digested and assimilated in the system by living it.
Laughter is therapeutic, it unplugs mental blocks and inhibitions and unleashes the energy stored in every pore of the body. It’s a great joint-relaxing exercise, too. We have no idea how much rubbish we carry in the form of memories and thoughts. Once the mind is unburdened, laughter springs up like a fountainhead. You can start seeing the lighter side of life. It helps you develop a sense of humour, which means you can learn to laugh at yourself.
Laughter is wonderful for building up muscles and physical strength. Even medical science says that laughter is one of the strongest medicines nature has provided. If you can laugh when you are ill, you will get back to good health sooner. If you cannot laugh, even if you are healthy, sooner or later you will become ill.
The best laughter is laughing for no reason. Just sitting in your room, close the doors and burst into simple laughter. You will feel very energetic and it will bring lightness to the whole body. Laughter should be one of the most valued, cherished qualities of human beings because only man can laugh; no animal is capable of it.
Here is an Osho prescription for good health: Have a good laugh first thing in the morning. After waking up in your bed, don’t open your eyes. The moment you feel that sleep is gone, start laughing, then open your eyes — this will set the tone for the whole day. If you can laugh early in the morning, you will laugh the whole day. You have created a chain effect: laughter leads to more laughter. Start and finish your day with laughter, and you will see that the quality of your life has changed.

Amrit Sadhana is in the management team of Osho International Meditation Resort, Pune. She facilitates meditation workshops around the country and abroad.