English Literature – Article ☆ Mission HAPPINESS – My Idyllic Life – My Laughter Yoga Journey-1 ☆ Mr. Jagat Singh Bisht ☆ 

Excerpts from – Mission HAPPINESS 

MY LAUGHTER YOGA JOURNEY– 1 

(e-abhivyakti presents chapter MY LAUGHTER YOGA JOURNEY in three parts.)

Radhika and I always thought of contributing to the happiness and well-being of people around us. We decided to learn and propagate Laughter Yoga for health, happiness, and welfare of people.

Laughter yoga is a unique concept where any one can laugh for no reason, without the use of jokes, comedy, or humour. It generates a lot of feel-good hormones, positive vibes, and cheer.

It was sometime in the mid-nineties. I was on deputation to corporate centre in connection with compilation of compendium of staff instructions. As usual, I had gone for a morning walk in the Lokhandwala Park, Mumbai. I found Madhuri and Madan Kataria, founders of laughter yoga, conducting a laughter session there. The laughter club movement was just taking shape.

The Katarias had meanwhile moved to Bengaluru and there was some time for the next training programme to begin. I requested Dr Kataria to send some literature and videos. Every evening, after coming back from the bank, I used to watch laughter yoga learning videos, along with Radhika, and practise the exercises.

Even before going for the training and being formally trained, we felt confident that we could conduct a laughter session. We formed laughter club of state bank learning centre and started conducting regular sessions in the morning for the benefit of participants coming for training to the centre.

The decision to enroll for the laughter yoga teacher’s training in Bangalore proved to be a rewarding experience of our life. There were 23 of us there, coming from Sweden, Austria, United Kingdom, Iran, United States, Malaysia, South Africa, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and, of course, India. We were privileged to have Dr Kataria as our trainer in the serene settings of the school of ancient wisdom, just outside the city.

When we landed there, none of us had even imagined that the course of our lives is going to change forever. It was not just another program that we were attending. It was an intense experience, as intense as it can get. Within no time, all of us got so close to each other that we felt we had been familiar for ages.

It was the warmest and most cheerful bonding. During our stay there, we became dearest friends forever. It is such a nice feeling that you have close friends all around the globe, who would be only too happy to receive you, when you visit them.

After returning to Indore, we formed suniket laughter club in our neighborhood and got connected to hundreds of people instantly. It was not a casual hello-hi relationship but full of cheer and warmth. The club acquired international fame and attracted visitors from many countries.

We were also fortunate to laugh with bank employees every week, who came for various trainings to the learning center. It was an instant connect with each one of them at the being level. In general, official interactions are mostly at the functional level and it is rather difficult to relate at the being level.

We also had opportunities to present laughter yoga in schools, ashrams, naturopathy centers, and many other forums. Each occasion brought us close to many people. The laughter connect is instant, as well as long lasting. We develop close, warm, and assuring relations of mutual care and deep trust.

Carolyn Laughalot and Desmond Nicholson, laughter yoga leaders from eltham laughter club, Melbourne were our guests. They visited our laughter clubs and Sri Sarada Ramakrishna vidya mandir.

Positive psychologists, after years of research, have come to the conclusion that we experience authentic happiness if we have some close, dependable, and intimate friends. Happiness comes from warm bonding and intimate sharing at the being level.

Laughter yoga opens frontiers of personal bonding. We felt proud to have several warm hearts beating in resonance with us, in our neighborhood, workplace, and all over the world. We were deeply connected and inter-connected.

We gave a presentation on laughter yoga before a hundred girl students at Sri Sarada Ramakrishna vidya mandir, Indore. The connect was instant and the atmosphere turned ethereal within a few minutes.

Earlier, the principal of the school had shared with us that the students were finding it difficult to concentrate on their studies and appeared sad, tired, and depleted of energy. She felt sad that the children were not cheerful at all and faced a lot of stress. When we told her about the benefits of laughter yoga, she readily agreed to give it a try in the school.

The principal and the teachers were amazed by the simplicity, instant impact, and tremendous transformative power of laughter yoga. They observed that the children listened to the directions given to them with rapt attention and showed a great sense of discipline during the exercise routine.

We also conducted a personality development workshop for children using laughter yoga as a tool. The children really liked it. We feel laughter yoga is a powerful tool for personality development, which enhances communication skills, leadership qualities, team building, creativity, and self-confidence in children.

Laughter yoga made me a better human being in many respects. I could now relate to people more warmly and add some joy to their lives. I looked forward to meeting and greeting people. The people also sensed my inner warmth and responded smilingly. My inter-personal skills improved tremendously.

As a person, I matured and mellowed to a great extent. All the stress and tension had gone. There was a feeling of tranquility and trust that things would go right. There were no worries and unnecessary apprehensions. I found a deeper meaning in life. I added value and joy to the lives of scores of human beings with each sunrise and felt fulfilled in my heart as the sun set.

I discovered a mission to which I was devoted whole-heartedly and felt rewarded in my pursuit. It was a great experience touching the lives of young children and the elderly people. There could be nothing more satisfying.

In my journey of laughter yoga, I came close to several people and institutions. I became more understanding and compassionate. As a trainer and facilitator at my workplace, I could walk into any class and break the ice spontaneously. I had heart-to-heart talks, full of intimacy, and imparted lessons of authentic happiness in a subtle, yet effective, manner.

I could lead any group to joyful singing, dancing, laughter, and play, whenever required to enhance their training experience. I had something in my armory to give it to them, which had a lot of back-home utility to enrich their lives, and the lives of their near and dear ones.

I spread the message of health, happiness, and peace, wherever I went. I made it a point to meet as many people as possible and laugh with them. I preferred to spend more and more quality time with human beings. The entire focus of my life shifted to contributing my bit for the good of human beings.

I became more caring and loving for those around me. I communicated better, felt fearless, and became more effective. Laughter yoga gradually transformed me to be a better human being.

A compliment that I cherish even today came from my son, then just 24-year-old. I was visiting Gurgaon, where he was working, and was asked to do a presentation on laughter yoga at the state bank academy.

When I told him about it, he remarked, “Papa, this is a unique life skill that you have acquired. You can do it anytime, anywhere, for anyone. Now, you have the heavenly gift of giving joy to other beings. It is truly inspiring.”

This insight, coming from a youngster, was amazing. No doubt, laughter yoga is an invaluable life skill which we can use to bring joy to all around us. It is divine!

We visited Kausani at the foothills of Himalayas in north India. It is one of the most picturesque and tranquil places we have ever been to.

Mahatma Gandhi called it the Switzerland of India. He compiled Gujarati translation ‘Anasakti Yog’ of the Bhagavad Gita while staying at an ashram, now named as anasakti ashram.

Sarla Ben, fondly remembered as Gandhi’s British daughter, established lakshmi ashram here in 1946. It was set up as a basic education program where girls would receive academic education along Gandhian lines and get trained to become social activists, so that they would, in turn, work to become self-reliant to uplift their village sisters of remote Uttarakhand.

Most of the students at the ashram come from poor, rural families. Others are from particularly remote villages where access to post primary school is still a problem, especially for girls. They belong to small, off-road villages and relatively uneducated families. The school considers it important that everyone at the ashram lives and works together, irrespective of social differences.

We reached the ashram, after a steep climb, in the afternoon. Two little girls guided us to Kanti Didi, a devoted Gandhian and in-charge of the school activities, affectionately called Odee by all in the ashram. She bonded with us in no time as she understood the deep value hidden in laughter.

Odee summoned a girl and asked her to ring the ashram bell. All the girls assembled in a jiffy and were told to proceed to the shanti bhavan, community hall for prayers and cultural activities. In her simple, yet sincere and effective way, Odee announced that we had something valuable to share and everyone should pay apt attention.

There were about 60-70 lovely, little girls there. We told them how much we loved children and how wonderful each one of them was. Then, we explained the concept of laughter yoga in a simple manner. A laughter session followed.

Oh, what an amazing session it was! We had never experienced anything like that before. It was joy, cheers, and energy all around. Odee, probably in her seventies, was as ecstatic as the kids.

The session lasted for one and a half hours. Sheer joy, nothing else. Towards the end, everyone was lying down, face up, meditating laughingly, as if in a trance.

They offered us kaadha, a concoction of Himalayan herbs, and requested us to stay back for the evening play time. We agreed readily.

In the evening, we went to a lush green play field, surrounded by tall trees, and the girls, clutching our hands tightly, took us back to our childhood days. We ran and played with them like kids.

First, we formed a laughter train and ran around the entire field and then marched like soldiers with loud shouts of ho-ho ha-ha. Towards the end, we performed a laughter orchestra. It seemed we had slipped into super consciousness.

All the girls were talented in their own way – some were athletes, some good at games, and almost everyone could sing and dance well. There were some volunteers there, Michelle from Denmark, Alexandra (UK), Leo (Germany), David (UK), Pramila (Italy) and Uma (Hyderabad). It was an awesome evening.

By now, we were like a family and the girls would not let us go back. We promised that we would come back the next day, stay, and laugh with them the whole day, and have lunch together.

Next evening, we were there and joined them for their evening prayers in Gandhian style. They arranged an impromptu cultural evening and farewell for us. It was singing, dancing, play, and laughter – pure joy all the way. What terrific talent those girls possess! Unbelievable. It was a marvelous evening, brimming with emotions. By now, we were all theirs and they were all ours.

The girls surrounded us and held our hands with so much warmth that Radhika had tears in her eyes. It was difficult to depart. Two girls, with torches, came down the hills to escort us back to our hotel, in pitch darkness.

Early in the morning, as we were preparing to leave, we saw Odee knocking at our door. She had come to bid adieu. How thoughtful of her! She assured us that they will keep practicing laughter yoga regularly in their ashram, as they find immense value in it.

Have you ever had the experience of laughter meditation? It is one of the most intense and beautiful experiences that you can ever have. But you have to experience it yourself. It is a mystery. It cannot be told in words by anyone to you.

When you laugh, you forget the past. You cannot bother about the future. And you are oblivious of the surroundings.

Laughter starts to flow like a fountain. There is no laugher, it’s only laughter. The laugher mingles with laughter, and they become one. It is something divine. It is pure bliss. The mind becomes serene and radiant like the full moon.

I have got my deepest fulfilment while conducting laughter meditation. The participants feel cathartic and fully liberated. All the pain and agony vanish. It feels so good and light. There is no trace of physical, mental, or emotional stress left.

Every molecule of the universe becomes still and tranquil. All the blockages are cleared. Consciousness begins to flow happily and freely. You become a part of the joyous cosmic dance. A sufi inside you starts singing the most enchanting melodies.

Laughter meditation opens a sublime door to transcendence. It is a state of no mind. Complete mindlessness. But it is also total existence. You have a feel of totality for the first time. It is a paradise that you can create on your own – anytime, anywhere.

According to Madan Kataria, “Laughter meditation is the purest kind of laughter and a very cathartic experience that opens up the layers of your subconscious mind, and you will experience laughter from deep within.”

In some of the Zen monasteries, every monk has to start the day with laughter, and has to end it with laughter – the first and the last thing every day.

Says Osho, “If you become silent after your laughter, one day you will feel God also laughing, you will hear the whole existence laughing, trees and stones and stars with you!”

I recommend laughter meditation for all those who face a lot of stress at the workplace. It is also beneficial for students and homemakers.

We conducted laughter meditation for Osho disciples and sanyasis. They fell into a trance. Osho realized the value in laughter and introduced laughter meditation in his ashram. He also encouraged the practice of gibberish meditation and silence.

I read Osho’s book From Sex to Superconsciousness in the prime of my youth for non-spiritual and non-religious reasons. I have also read many of his other books and heard his discourses.

We have within us a child, an adult, and a parent. One discernible part of the child is the little professor. This part of the child is innately intuitive, creative, and manipulative. Osho’s discourses come from a genius mind, until the little professor in him turns mischievous.

My final posting in the bank was at the state bank foundation institute, chetana, Indore. It has now been renamed as the state bank institute of human resource development.

The institute was set up to groom fresh officers of the bank. We formed chetana laughter club so that every new officer had a tryst with laughter yoga.

Debrati Dey, a probationary officer who came to the institute from Kolkata was totally unaware of what was in store for her. She said, “The laughter session was one laugh riot. Every time a new exercise for laughter was introduced, it instantly generated excitement and contemplation of the possible outcome.

“One of the phrases which everyone chanted, after every act, was ‘very good, very good, yay!’ It is a simple phrase. But when you clap your hands and say it loud, the phrase brings out its actual magic. It became an instant hit and a college anthem for us.

“In this era of ‘survival of the fittest’, laughter club has the guts to say, ‘survival of the happiest ‘. I didn’t realize, through the course of the session, how it had a positive biochemical effect on my cardiovascular and nervous system. It’s only when I got back to my room that I could see myself happy, de-stressed, and re-energized.”

I am grateful to Vijay Puri, Ranjeev Ranjan Tiwari, Satish Polisetty, and Rajesh Kumar Singh, faculty at the institute, who supported me in the conduct of sessions outside of working hours.

I am proud that I introduced laughter yoga in the State Bank of India and laughed with thousands of colleagues from all over the country.

During this period, we were invited by Nestle to conduct a laughter yoga session during their zone Asia-Oceania-Africa safety, health, and environmental sustainability workshop at the Marriott Resort and Spa, Goa.

The participants included the executive vice president from Nestle headquarters at Vevey, Switzerland and market corporate safety managers from 20 countries including Australia, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Turkey, along with the factory safety heads from Bangladesh, India, and Sri Lanka.

After some time, Nestle India invited us to conduct sessions for the staff working at their factory in Samalkha, Haryana with a view to enhance employee wellness and build a more cheerful work environment.

We conducted laughter yoga for senior level executives of Abercrombie & Kent – the world’s leading authority on luxury and experiential travel – at the picturesque city of Udaipur, where twenty-six delegates had gathered at Hotel Leela Palace Kempinski, on the beautiful Pichola lake, for their cruise conference 2013.

Their global cruise ambassador, David Vass, expressed, “Thank you, both of you, for excellent energy, understanding of our group time constraints, and the delicious outcome you brought to us.

“Everybody truly enjoyed this session, especially in the middle of ‘budget day’. We referenced the Laughter yoga techniques throughout the remainder of the conference – making milkshakes, being an elephant, and so many of the other happy little bits you supplied us with.”

A small group of laughter lovers – including a young fashion designer, a scientist, an engineer, a doctor, a psychologist, a teacher, and two yoga teachers – flew down from Tashkent to Rishikesh, known as the world capital of yoga, to learn the basics of laughter yoga.

All of them had a background of yoga but had come to India with an eagerness to master the happiest workout in the world – laughter yoga.

We conducted two-day certified laughter yoga leader training program for them covering theoretical and practical aspects of laughter yoga, including the inner spirit of laughter, laughter meditation. and guided relaxation.

The program was well appreciated by all the participants. Here is the feedback received from some of them:

“In my normal life, I do not laugh much. Here, I discovered that I have so much laughter hidden inside me. Everyone seems to have an infinite capacity to laugh. And it feels so good. My daughter is also here with me. Now, we will go back home, and it is going to be a happy, cheerful place forever!”

“I am a psychologist and have found the concept of laughter yoga to be very useful. Laughter can be a good tool for healing. I shall be applying in practice, what I have learned here.”

“I have found a new way to engage with my grandchildren. We are going to sing, dance, laugh, and play the whole day. The kids are going to find the fun-based laughter exercises really interesting.”

“I am a yoga teacher and have included laughter yoga in my curriculum after I came to Rishikesh a few months ago and learned it from you. I have come along with one of my students and we have got deep insights into laughter and meditation. Laughter has enormous potential for healing depression and aches.“

“I also came here in April 2013 to undergo laughter yoga training. After going back to my country, I organized several laughter retreats in the mountains on the weekends. The retreats got fantastic response as laughter touches the innermost core of being.

“I have also been to two neighbouring countries, namely Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, and made presentations on laughter yoga before large groups. I propose to come back here for laughter yoga soon with a group from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.”

This was the second laughter yoga training organized in Rishikesh for nationals from Uzbekistan by us and three participants had come for the second time again in the program due to sheer love for laughter yoga.

The efforts made by Ivan Skofenko, yoga teacher and professor of psychology, for propagating laughter yoga in Uzbekistan, and the neighbouring countries, are truly commendable. He got in touch with us and invited us to Rishikesh for conducting the programs.