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The quantum physical reality of Laughter Yoga?

Hold on to your hats and open up ya coconut! It’s time to go quantum. That’s right folks. It might seem a bit far out to some, but through the lens of quantum physics we learn that matter changes when it is observed and this principle is at the heart of Laughter Yoga. Understanding how it works is fundamental to consistently creating more positive outcomes in every aspect of our lives. First carried out by Thomas Young in 1801 (with many subsequent variations), the double-slit experiment concludes that unobserved waves of light (or possibility) behave as particles of matter (or experience) through the very act of observation. In Laughter Yoga, coaching and Positive Psychology we call this the process of ‘Visualisation,’ or as Dr. Kataria’s father once told him, “If you want to be a happy person, you must act like a happy person.”

Have you ever had that experience where you think about something happening and it happens? Maybe you think about a person and they ring in that exact moment? In quantum physics, we are told that the very act of thinking about something happening increases the chances of that something becoming manifest as we have imagined it to be. Just the other day, I was moving some tins on a kitchen shelf and thought to myself, “I’d better not knock off that pot of ground pepper,” only then to do exactly that. Luckily the little plastic pot landed on the floor, somehow without spilling its contents and I thought to myself, “Phew! That was lucky, I’d better not pick it up upside-down,” only to then do exactly that with the ground pepper spilling everywhere, as it seems was its destiny.

There are many different ways of expressing this principle of ‘wave-particle duality.’ “We get what we expect, energy flows where attention goes, what you see (with your mind’s eye) is what you get,” or maybe even, “fake it until you make it.” They all refer to the same process of holding the thought in your mind of the outcome that you want. So what is the practical benefit of this knowledge and how can it be applied to our everyday lives in the non- quantum world?

It is said that we are all creators of our reality. That we are all creating our reality, all of the time, both individually and collectively, with the very thoughts that we think and the words that we use. In Laughter Yoga, we learn to use this principle to consciously create the reality we want by focusing our thoughts and our physical behaviours towards more positive outcomes, rather than allowing our minds to drift unconsciously, as they so often do, into creating a reality that is not helpful to us.

Our intention is everything. If we have a positive outcome in mind, keep it in our focused attention and diligently work towards it then we will take control of our lives and be able to more effectively choose happiness in each and every moment. A great way to focus our attention is by using affirmations (Sankalpa in Sanskrit). Setting the affirmation in the present moment and repeating it with conviction whenever the need arises can help us to bring our thoughts back into alignment with the outcomes we want. You can create your own affirmation that is personal to you or use one that is tried and tested by many. For example, you might like to start each and every day with the phrase, “Whatever happens today, whatever anybody says or does, I am going to have an amazing day,” or a more simplified version for those in a hurry for full enlightenment might be, “I am happy.”

Whichever affirmation you decide upon, the very process of repeating it to yourself, with a firm belief in the truth of the statement, will cultivate and reinforce the associated positive emotions and start to bring your visualised reality to life. Gaining control of our thoughts and our emotions is the biggest step we can take to gain control of our lives and this is exactly what a regular practice of Laughter Yoga can help us all to do.
Hahahahahahah!
With love and laughter,
Wes Floyd