Why is Laughter Terrifying?

I don’t think it is by chance that cubicles are typically the color of dark clouds.  On most days when I walk into my office the only sound is the chatter of keyboards.  A fluorescent dungeon where hellos are whispered and smiles are rarely cracked.   It begs the question, why?  Why are we afraid to laugh?

It was the winter when I let the darkness invade both my body and my mind.  I was home sick with the worst case of bronchitis I have had in years when my phone rang.  A cheerful hello burst into my ear.   “Hello my sister, how are you feeling?”  My sister Erica delivering happiness from a couple states away.  “Hello, I coughed out, hanging in there.”  Hanging by a thread seemed more fitting.  With an empathetic sigh my sister responded, “I think I have something that will make you feel better.  How would you like to take a trip with me?”   In my delirium I thought, anywhere but here sounds perfect.  I had just made it to the couch following a week in bed.  I didn’t need to know where we were going, my answer was yes.   “Perfect, she exclaimed, we are going to become certified to teach Laughter Yoga!”   I could hear the screeching tires in my mind, I responded, “What?”   Erica said, “We love to laugh and we love to exercise, this will combine both, I can’t think of anything better.”   I coughed and said, “When do we leave?”

Fear is a funny thing.  It creeps up on you like a storm rolling over a mountain.  Sometimes you don’t see it coming till the lightning strikes.   It would be a month till my sister and I went on our journey and from the minute I hung up the phone, the panic set in.  A monster of doubt screamed inside me.  “You are going to make a fool of yourself,” the monster growled.  “Laughter Yoga seems weird and uncomfortable, this is not for you.”

“This is not for you.”  I was still convinced as I walked into the classroom. A large group of people were sitting in a circle and they were all smiling.  The instructor was laughing without reason and before I knew it, so was I.

Laughter Yoga seems intimidating at first because as adults we have forgotten how to play.  Kids are not afraid to be judged so they laugh with abandon.  What are we afraid of?  If we are all laughing together then we can’t be laughed at.   Simply, Laughter Yoga forces us to connect through eye contact, take a deep breath, clap for new friends and laugh at ourselves.  It makes it okay to play, frees us from the chains of judgment and for just a moment it makes us forget what we were worrying about.

In many ways that weekend changed my life.  With a handshake, strangers turned to friends.   Everyone was clapping, dancing, screaming and laughing.  We celebrated and celebrated each other.  Lighter, our shoulders lifted.  My stomach ached with glee.  When it was over we were awarded certifications.  Certified to teach others to laugh for simply no reason at all.

On Monday Morning I returned to the real world.  I walked into my office and no one was laughing.  Only the sound of keyboard chatter filled the air that felt so heavy it was like breathing cement.  For just a moment, I closed my eyes and smiled.   Work is not life but it takes up so much of it.  We should decide to laugh at it all because in the end, it’s not that serious.  We are only promised the current breath that fills our lungs.  If this was your last would you be thinking about office politics?   Laugh and make others laugh, even when they think they can’t.  I promise you, it will make you feel better.

For more information on how you can become Laughter Yoga certified, click the link below.  Learn to laugh again and teach others how laughter can heal so much more than sadness.

https://www.yogaville.org/