My back sank down into the grass beneath the lone oak tree across the parking lot from the metal art studio at Rice University Campus. After a long morning on the south side of town, I was drawn to the school's old-world architecture and lush landscaping for a brief play break.
It was 11:10 and I dialed into Laughter Yoga on the Phone for the morning call, which was already a bubbling fountain of laughter! My voice soon joined in with those of seven other gigglers, all joyfully welcoming the day and wishing one of our fellow callers our hearts' desires for her birthday.
I lay on the grass allowing "hee hee hee" and "ho ho ho" to flow through my body like water, sending the sounds up into the branches of the oak tree that hung above me, radiant against the blue sky. Their green leaves shimmered like lanterns in the mid-day sun. My laughter flowed and flowed, sometimes low, sometimes high. Now and then a playful giggle would ripple through me and I felt as though I were a child again, or a deep belly laugh would rumble through me in a deep "ho ho ho."
I could feel the air clear around me and as I laughed, I kept my eyes open, taking in the details of the tree above me. Her branches and trunk were a brindle of grays and blacks and on her trunk and northernmost branch grew blackish mushrooms that decorated her bark in fans of filigree. Now and then a bee arrived to circle leaves and weave among branches--it seemed to dance to the music of the spontaneous laughter that erupted from my being.
Soon a new friend arrived, a tree squirrel. I watched his belly from below as he moved from one side of the tree to the other, and back again, looking for snacks. When he found them, he would pause for a few moments to nibble, giving me the pleasure of savoring the vivid contrast between the rusty color of his underfur and the blue sky behind him, with the emerald green of the tree's leaves as a natural frame.
I laughed and laughed, my heart opening further and further, body sinking deeper into the loving energy of the earth below me. With each peel of laugher, I seemed to come closer and closer into union with the sky above me.
In that moment, there was nothing to be desired, no where else to be. I was blissfully at one with all around, in a full expression of the purest Me.
The call soon came to a close. We all sounded three deep hums "mmmmmmm" with gratitude for our practice. Smiling, I enjoyed the buzzing feeling of the hum as it cleared my body and the space around me of anything that was no longer needed. My voice naturally found the note that was harmonious with my body, and multiple harmonic tones emerged from the fertile primordial sound. As I continued to "mmmmm," I sank deeper into the support of the earth below me.
With deep gratitude, I ended the call and gazed up at the squirrel in the tree who had paused, it seemed, in time with our hums.
How precious, I felt, is this gift of laughter, and how deftly it wipes away any illusion about the union of all living things.
I knelt in namaskar, a child's pose, palms facing the sky.
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Giggles are good for you: