When all else fails…consider practicing the laughing meditation.

“You should simply laugh of your own accord, without waiting for reasons to laugh. If you start looking into things, you will not be able to stop laughing. Everything is simply perfect for laughter – nothing is lacking – but we won’t allow it. We are very miserly … miserly about laughter, about love, about life. Once you know that miserliness can be dropped, you move into a different dimension. Laughter is the real religion. Everything else is just metaphysics.”~Osho, EVERYDAY OSHO: 365 daily meditations for the here and now

University of Berkeley posted a term paper on the physiological benefits of laughter. In the section, Laughter in healing, the author discusses the fairly recent phenomenon of studies done on the physiology of mirthful laughter. This is scientifically known as gelotology.

Apparently, through these descriptions of convalescence through positive emotional states, there has been a sparked interest in the healing potential of mirthful laughter. In 1989, Norman Cousins wrote accounts of the therapeutic effects of laughter during his treatment and recovery from ankylosing spondylitis.

According to the research in this paper, Cousins’ is but one of many anecdotal claims regarding the healing benefits of maintaining a positive emotional state, particularly in response to illness. He formed a ‘humor research task force’ as a result of his experience, with the intention of pursuing studies of this connection. As a result, a variety of experiments were performed to examine both the physiological changes and ramifications resulting from mirthful laughter.

If you’d like a kick-start for your mirthful meditation session, refer back to the Mike Myers’ trailer…