Yoga - Laughter Empowerment Newsletter #1“No Pain No Gain”
I went for a massage the other day. The massager was a real pro who knew exactly where all my knotted muscles were, and was ruthlessly determined to release them. I started squirming...... It was painful! But I knew if I could just stay still enough to allow the process, I would feel much better later. Ouch! No pain, no gain! I remembered how laughter is so empowering in other situations so I started doing yoga-laughter. Lo & behold! My mind instantly switched off from the pain and I was able to bear the digs! I actually felt that the laughter affected my muscles too, making it easier to relax. It was quite hilarious really. When the digs got deep I would roar with laughter!
The Pain Gets Worse.........a Lot Worse! The next day, I had a horrible accident. I crushed my finger in a steel jaw clamp, giving me bad laceration, & shattering the tip of my finger bone into 8 pieces. I was lucky not to chop it off.Was it the universe saying... "Oh yeah?...... You like to talk .....Let's really test you!" ? Was it inauspicious? ......Maybe.
My response was pretty natural....huge agony accompanied by shock & a massive dose of adrenalin. I leapt into action. I had to race to the doctors with blood pouring everywhere. Now if you're expecting that I was able to switch off the pain with laughter, sorry to disappoint you!
But here's the thing. ......I was going DOWN man. Big time. Pain is one thing but I was getting hugely frustrated, angry & resentful at my own stupidity.I was crucifying myself with all the scenarios of how this accident would affect my life.
I forced myself laugh at my predicament .....pretty half-heartedly mind you at first but it did make me feel better. After a while I noticed a physical shift...the terrible feeling I had in my stomach & limbs because of my shock, anger & being down on myself.....began to lift.
After that I was able to see things in perspective and it didn't seem so bad. Looking back on it, what I did was change the chemicals in my body for more positive ones. Laughter does that!
I got first class medical attention and things kind of flowed as smoothly as possible. I think if I hadn't had the help of yoga-laughter I would have plunged into despair and made it a lot worse.
Empowerment?......let's just say I prevented myself from totally disempowering myself. & I'm sure I will heal faster now.And Yes! I have been able to divert my attention away from the pain with yoga-laughter. Michael