Ayurveda Article - Healing Laughter For Everyone

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Healing Laughter

 

Laughter heals. It reduces pain. It protects the heart. But despite

hundreds of studies on the healing power of laughter, researchers

still haven't answered a vital question: Does making an effort to

laugh stop disease, or do people who are naturally happier enjoy

better immunity?

 

"Maharishi Ayurveda answers that question by taking the concept of

medicinal laughter to a deeper level, to the level of bliss," says

Vaidya R.K. Mishra, Director of Product Research and Development at

Maharishi Ayurveda Products International. "Laughter is healing when

it is a spontaneous expression of bliss."

 

Vaidya Mishra, who comes from a long tradition of ayurvedic experts,

points out that bliss is a state of unshakable inner happiness, not

dependent on outer expressions such as laughter. "Not all laughter is

happy, nor all tears sorrowful," he says.

 

For instance, Halle Berry cried when she became the first African

American woman to receive an Oscar for best actress, and that wasn't

because she was sad. On the other hand, a person could fake a laugh

and not feel happy inside at all.

The real question, then, is how to create bliss. "Bliss supports the

immune system, the endocrine system and balances the heart and mind,"

says Vaidya Mishra. "If you sustain a permanent state of bliss, then

you will always enjoy the healing benefits of laughter."

 

What is Bliss?

 

Bliss (ananda) is a quality of pure consciousness. In a famous

definition of health from the ayurvedic text Charaka Samhitå, a

healthy person is defined as someone whose mind is full of bliss.

Bliss results from a state of balance in mind and body.

 

"All of the treatments of Maharishi Ayurveda are aimed at this one

thing: to cultivate bliss," says Vaidya Mishra. "That's why we never

prescribe anything with harmful side effects, because that would take

an individual away from bliss. Every herbal formula contributes to

overall well-being and bliss as well as targeting the specific cause

of symptoms."

 

Vaidya Mishra describes five components of bliss mentioned in the

ayurvedic texts.

 

Become Established in Ahimsa, Nonviolence

 

Ahimsa means to be nonviolent in thought, speech and action.

"Anger, suspicion, frustration--these negative emotions destroy

bliss," says Vaidya Mishra. "They disturb the balance of Sadhaka

Pitta, the subdosha of Pitta that governs the emotions and their

effect on your heart."

Nonviolence is one of the Behavioral Rasayanas, or behaviors that

create bliss and longevity in the same way as the most refined

ayurvedic herbal compounds, known as Rasayanas. Behavioral Rasayanas

include a wide range of behaviors, from respecting elders to

cleanliness to sweet, truthful speech. Of course, these behaviors are

spontaneously expressed by those established in higher states of

consciousness. But for anyone who wishes to cultivate a blissful,

spiritual mind, it's wise to observe them as best we can.

 

Eat Foods that Create Bliss

"Foods that contain more intelligence of nature convert most easily

into ojas," says Vaidya Mishra. "And ojas is the material equivalent

of bliss."

Ojas is the finest product of healthy digestion. It gives a sparkle

to the eyes, glow to the skin, and immunity to the cells. Examples of

ojas-producing foods are milk; ghee; whole grains; fresh, organic

vegetables and fresh, sweet, juicy fruits.

 

Examples of foods that destroy bliss from the ayurvedic perspective

are leftovers, red meat, "junk" food, and canned, processed, packaged

or frozen foods. These types of foods are difficult to digest and

create ama, the toxic waste product of incomplete digestion that

underlies most disease, dullness and negative emotions.

 

"You want to eat foods that are alive, not dead," says Vaidya

Mishra. "Rather than looking at the caloric content of food, first

make sure it is lively with nature's intelligence."

 

Know the Ayurvedic Daily Routine

 

"Knowledge (vidya) of how to manage your day-to-day life brings

bliss," says Vaidya Mishra. "When to go to sleep, when to wake up,

when to eat--this practical knowledge helps you become attuned with

nature."

If you stay awake at night and sleep during the day, for instance,

you may get the same amount of sleep, but you'll feel duller and less

blissful. For sleep to rejuvenate, you need to fall asleep when all

of nature settles down, before 10:00 at night. It's easier to fall

asleep then and your sleep will be of a deeper quality. Waking up

before 6:00 is also healthiest, because body and mind become infused

with the energy of the early morning. Sleeping during the day causes

the shrotas (microchannels) of the body to clog up, resulting in a

dull, depressed feeling.

 

Control the Senses

 

"There is a phrase in Sanskrit, 'indriya jaya,' which means 'winning

over the senses," says Vaidya Mishra. "For deep inner happiness, your

senses can't be ruling your mind. Rather, your mind should be

governing them."

After all, it's usually the desire to indulge in one of the senses

that causes people to make mistakes (pragya apradha) that cause ill-

health, Vaidya Mishra points out.

 

For example, if you have a Pitta imbalance, and thus have too much

heat in your body, you will feel healthier if you eat sweeter, more

cooling foods to counteract the heat. But if you crave the taste of

hot chilies, and eat them on a regular basis, you will intensify your

Pitta imbalance, which in time could lead to problems such as anger,

frustration, peptic ulcers or hemorrhoids. Your sense of taste in

this case is driving your mind to make decisions that create ill-

health and destroy bliss.

 

Staying up late watching TV is another example of being overshadowed

by the sense of sight, leading to an overactive mind, the destruction

of ojas, and disturbed sleep.

 

"Allowing your mind to be overshadowed by the senses destroys bliss,"

says Vaidya Mishra. Paradoxically, the only way to break the grip of

the senses is to fill the mind with bliss, so that its own nature

becomes more charming than the objects of the senses.

 

Infuse Your Mind with Bliss

 

"Tattvagyan, or transcendental knowledge of life, is the most

important component of bliss," says Vaidya Mishra. "The Vedic texts

teach us that when you know the transcendent, then bliss comes

spontaneously, because the transcendent is a field of pure bliss."

 

Vaidya Mishra recommends Maharishi's Transcendental Meditation®

technique, which takes only twenty minutes twice a day. Many studies

conducted in major research institutions all over the world have

demonstrated that people who practice Transcendental Meditation

experience increased happiness, better health, more harmonious

relationships and an overall sense of well-being.

"The interesting thing is that once you start experiencing the bliss

of the transcendent, you naturally find it easier to act in harmony

with natural law," says Vaidya Mishra. "In other words, it becomes

easier to observe nonviolence, to choose foods that bring bliss, and

to keep a healthy ayurvedic routine. And as your mind becomes more

blissful, your mind will no longer be driven by the senses."

 

Finally, Vaidya Mishra recommends two bliss-producing groups of

herbs, mentioned in the ayurvedic texts. Ojaskar herbs are ojas-

enhancing, and include Maharishi Amrit Kalash Nectar and Maharishi

Amrit Kalash Ambrosia, the most cherished ojas-enhancing herbal

formulas in the ayurvedic tradition. Research supports traditional

claims that they promote balance, longevity and higher states of

consciousness.

 

The second type is called somanasajaya, herbs which enhance

coordination between heart and mind, creating more physical and

mental bliss. Somanasajaya herbs are found in Blissful Joy, Worry

Free Tablets and Tea, and Rose Petal Preserve.

Youthful Skin Oil for Men and Youthful Skin Oil for Women also

contain somanasajaya herbs such as Shankapushpi. When used as a

massage oil, it's ideal for maintaining youthful elasticity of the

skin and creating bliss in the mind and emotions.

 

"If you follow these simple guidelines, you'll find that your

laughter will reflect a spontaneous state of bliss," says Vaidya

Mishra. "That is the healthiest state of all."

 

 

 

Note : This ayurvedic information is educational and is not intended

to replace standard medical care or advice.

Copyright MAPI, 2002.

 

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