The Healing Power of Joy

I had the amazing opportunity yesterday to present a laughter yoga class at a nearby retirement community.  I walked in to a group of about 20 or so intrepid  individuals most of who were chair bound, some who could not see or hear.  Yet, there was an air of excitement in the class for what lay ahead in the next hour. Despite the outward appearance,I felt as I looked into each of their faces that I was looking at a tribe of kids with dreams and mischief still hidden in their back pocket.

You could tell their surprise when I talked about the power of laughing without humor and how by just practicing laughter we can feel a sense of being lighter than what is going on around us.  We talked about how this feeling of buoyancy is  about feeling an inner lightheartedness.  One woman shouted,  “I NEED some light-heartedness” and several others nodded.

As we began to laugh, years slipped from their faces and the warmth returned to their eyes.  When I asked them what pastime did they most miss…a quiet man who was shaking  quickly said, “Skiing!” followed by another voice, “skating” and finally echoed by a tearful “snowshoeing”.  Since Laughter Yoga uses a lot of imagery I said, ” Let’s boot up!”  And everyone began to slide on their favorite pair of ski boots, ice skates, or snowshoeing boots.   We sat as upright as possible and began our memory adventure using laughter to share our excitement.

At that moment, the energy completely changed in the room as everyone sat remembering their more able and boundless selves.  There were hoots and hollers, big smiles, and much laughter,  For one moment, through laughter and play, there was no time only truth.  The truth that life is an experience of joy and exploration, that we want to feel light and connected to others and that we carry this power within us.

One woman said, “We should all go into the dining room and start laughing!”  I gave her my full approval.

Upon arriving home, I was reading a friend’s ever witty blog and came upon this video below created by the employees of a hospital in Portland, OR.  They made it to promote breast cancer awareness.  It brought tears to my eyes as you can feel the energy and passion they have for the cause.  It illustrates so well how powerful light-heartedness is when shared openly and boldly with others. By light heartedness, I do not mean making light of something that is deeply serious or difficult.  Instead, it is about allowing the buoyant nature of joy and gratitude to give us strength, hope and grace to see our way through.

And when we are able to allow joy to shine through us, it becomes a gift to those who witness it and perhaps need it most.

Whether it is in a retirement community, in the name of breast cancer awareness, or when facing any situation that feels insurmountable, may we all help each other remember the healing power of joy and laughter.  And may we shine joy with everyone with meet.

Also, in honor of breast cancer awareness, I want to share this project put together by Lance Ekum and Joanna Sutter, in which 150 bloggers, myself included shared stories to help raise funds for breast cancer research.  To learn more or to donate for your copy, please visit the Susan G Komen for the Cure site.