THE IMPORTANCE OF KEEPING ALIVE THAT LITTLE SPARK OF BOZO

THE IMPORTANCE OF KEEPING ALIVE THAT

 LITTLE SPARK

 OF BOZO

“Laugh! It's good for you!" C. S Roberts in S4S

I facilitate a Law of Attraction meeting twice a month and it is one of the most enjoyable things that I do. Our group is close knit with room for newcomers, ideas, experiences and we seem to laugh a lot. So much so that one of the members of the group calls us her laughing group. I got to wondering just what happens when we laugh? And why is it so good for us? And as is my nature I went searching out the physical side of it to go along with the mental and spiritual side of things. Here is what I found out.

In laughing long and well, we breathe deeply. When we breathe deeply, we expand the cells of our lungs which prevents them from sticking together.(I was completely unaware that this could occur.) Because of this expansion, a predisposition to fight infection is created. We know that oxygenation of the blood is a good thing and the other side of that is riding our bodies of carbon dioxide which is great for our overall health, laughing does all of this for us. Researchers have found that laughing long, hard and often releases endorphins. These hormones being released in our brains does amazing things; they make us feel happy with a sense of overall well being, they also help lower pain levels.

This information was the brain child of a man named Norman Cousins. Mr Cousins was the editor of The Saturday Review and one day he found out that he had a life threatening illness. He was not ready to give the illness an upper hand so he chose to be proactive. During his research he read a theory that said having lower vibrational feelings ( such as worry, fear, anticipation of the worst case scenario) about ones life and situations may have detrimental effects on ones biology; so,conversely, higher vibrational feelings must make one feel better and be healthier. (such as feeling happy, anticipation of the best outcome, joy) He decided that the easiest way to accomplish this goal of better health was to laugh. He decided to watch movies of the “Three Stooges” for eight hours a day for many weeks and he read a lot of funny books. By listening to his body, he just knew that this was what he needed to create wellness within himself.

OK so how did this work? Those endorphins come into play again, they are aided by dopamine and oxytocin. All of these natural hormonal chemicals work together to keep you up, happy and functioning at your best. Mr cousins found that he was incapable of feeling depressed because it is a physical impossibility to be both depressed and laugh at the same time. He also found that the laughing helped him sleep better. He lengthened his life span by fifteen years. He also wrote a book about his experience. (“The Anatomy of An Illness”) Now the wonderful thing here is that the AMA paid attention and published an article about laughter and it's healing properties in the 1989 Journal of the American Medical Association that stated that “laughter would relieve symptoms and improve patients overall quality of life.”

Laughter does several other things that are beneficial to our biology;

It helps flush out many of the toxins that are released when your heart and lungs begin moving your highly oxygenated blood pumping throughout your body. You could see it as; laughter+a higher energy vibration= movement and change.

Laughter renews hope;
It can ease all types of pain from arthritis to that of a heart break, it relieves tension (it is why we sometimes laugh in what we feel is an inappropriate situation) Laughter causes us to change the way we are looking at a situation.

As you laugh and relax;

You begin to feel good all over, it raises your mood, gives you an adrenalin rush which invigorates both your mind and body.

Laughter spreads through a group;

Have you ever experienced this? A group of friends is laughing and you get caught up in it without any idea what is so funny? Try watching a baby laughing and not laugh yourself...it is almost impossible! (LOL, just writing about it made me laugh)

Being in a state of good humor, amusement and joy will help you feel where you are stuck and allow you to move the blockage. When you are in joy you are lighter; vibrating higher and this will overflow onto those around you because you are uplifting and positive. You are more at peace and this will radiate from you.

If you should find yourself in a circumstance that makes it difficult to find the lighter side, try taking a break to watch a funny movie (one that is funny to YOU, not everyone is amused by the same things) read a humorous book, watch funny videos or some standup. Just like you would look for gratitude in any situation, look for humor within this situation.

We were born to laugh, it is part of us as natural as breathing or crying, it is an innate gift of humanity. If you smile, no matter how you think you feel, soon you will feel true bliss and joy. It is OK to feel good, no matter how those around you feel, it is OK to smile no matter whether others are smiling or not. It is OK to be happy, to laugh to be in a joyful state. The longer you live in happiness, the more you will like it.

Speaking of liking something, the Law of Attraction tells us that like attracts like and you know this is true. If something or someone does not vibrate with you, you find somewhere else to be, right? If you are not vibrating at a high frequency, you attract lower frequency people and places to you. When you raise your frequency, so does your environment. You laugh, you smile, you are happy!

Laughter lifts us over high ridges and lights up dark valleys
in a way that makes life so much easier. It is a priceless gem,
a gift of release and healing direct from Heaven.{Alan Cohen}

Did you know that children laugh, up to 400 times a day? Adults laugh only about 17 times a day. That to me is a sad statistic. I know that since I have started laughing more often, my life is better on all levels. Being serious is now a sometimes thing for me and I like that. Laughter can turn your perceptions and mind-stream around in an instant, it can change your viewpoint, help you heal yourself and handle most anything when you are light-hearted.

“A day without laughter, is a day wasted” {Charlie Chaplin}

Here are some tips to help you get started;

A good exercise for your brain and your lungs is to laugh and smile, it is that oxygenation thing again. You will find that you think clearer and feel more energized.

The other brain benefit is that nerves within the brain are used that you don't usually use, this falls under the “use it or lose it” rule. Your facial muscles get a good work out too and that is good for keeping that young look. Research shows that by laughing for only five minutes is more beneficial than working out for five hours.

As you focus on laughing and smiling you will find that you will be joyous within your being; your heart chakra will take up the habit and soon you will begin radiating joy and love from deep within you. Truthfully it has always been there, you just need to remember it, find it and use it again.

Laughter is one of you most powerful tools that you have at your disposal to make improvements in your life. The Law of Laughter says if you laugh with all your heart, your health improves and your life changes. Laughter will bring you closer to your goal of wholeness and happiness.

I send you all Light, Love, Laughter and Bright Blessings, Chessie

© 2012 Chessie Roberts, All rights reserved

              

                      ON GROWING SLEEP

Getting to sleep has become a large problem in our society. We are too busy fighting with the weeds of our day to slow down and plant the proper seeds for relaxation in our daily garden of “doing things” and then wonder why sleep eludes us. Sleep is what our body uses as our time for healing and restoration.

We should be sleeping for about 1/3rd of our lives. Deep, good quality sleep allows our natural pharmacopeia to release the chemicals inherent in us that keep us operating at peak efficiency. Without the proper amount and types of sleep, we become fuzzy brained, scattered, tired and ill. Now some of you would argue that there are pills to help with getting to sleep, but sleep should be blissful, silent and deep enough for a dream state to be invoked. In our search for this type of sleep we often sabotage our efforts without realizing it.

The most frequent reasons the dream state is not reached are 1) tranquilizers, 2) sleeping pills, and 3) alcohol.

Consider the fact that our bodies are already equipped with all the appropriate chemicals and in the proper dosages for each person to function as they should in this (and all areas of life), why mess with that? Let us look at some lifestyle changes that we can cultivate in order to access our natural ability to sleep.

Seed one) Have a light supper 2 to 3 hours before you go to bed. Have a set bedtime and stick to it. Give yourself at LEAST 30 min. quiet time before bed. Stop doing whatever you were doing and turn off everything noisy. Lower the lights, if you wear glasses, take them off and let go of your day and sink into the quiet. Let the thoughts that bedevil you stay just long enough for you to say "listening" 3 times (a Buddhist thingy) after you speak, let go of the thought. If it is a "to do thing", write it down on paper so your mind can let it go.

Next, start with either your head or feet (different for different folks-try both to see where you land) and tense up all the muscles in whatever area your working with, let them relax and move to the next group. For instance, feet; tense, relax move. Calves: tense, relax, move. Thighs and so on working your way up your body (or down as your case may be), you get the picture. When you get to your head, do your face, jaws, scalp, anything you can to stretch the muscles and relax them. Feel the difference in your tension level, it will be lower and relaxation will be in your reach. You can do this as many times as you wish.

Seed two) This one I learned from a friend of mine, Geo Clark and he calls it pyramid breathing; focus all attention on your breathing, inhale, hold 1, exhale. Inhale, hold 2, and exhale. And so on, do this all the way to 10 then come back down to 1. Somewhere in there you will fall asleep. Let me know how you manage. Another breathing technique is to inhale deeply through the nose and then exhale, through the nose in little puffs like blowing out a candle. Do this about 20 reps as a relaxation aid.

Seed three) Again quiet the room and lower the lights. If you have quiet relaxing music or guided meditation on CD you may wish to use them to help you become quiet. An aroma therapy candle (burned in a safe dish) or an essential oil or herbal relaxation aromas such as saffron or lavender can aid in easing you into a more relaxed state. Warm some milk with a touch of saffron or nutmeg, poppy seed or, if you prefer 1 Tablespoon gotacola in 1 cup water for tea.

Seed four) understand that different people require different amounts of sleep so find out what is best for you and make it part of your healthy, daily lifestyle. Mix and match the different ideas and techniques to find out your best formula and know that sometimes it will change. Don’t stress over it, just let it happen as you practice the suggestions I have laid out here (and there are others out there just a little research will bring them to light) and you will find that your sleep garden will grow better results in your waking life and your efforts will bloom brightly.

Bright Blessings, Chessie

©Chessie Roberts 2010 all rights reserved