Today we facilitated a group joy exercise in which we introduced different body postures every 5 minutes during a meeting about a tense topic. The exercise worked with the grounds of flow, physical energy and connection. The postures included slouching, standing up, crossing one's legs and arms, etc. In one posture, the participants were encouraged to imagine themselves as royalty from different countries in medieval times, meeting to discuss the preservation of world peace. We sat with a kind of grounded dignity and openness to the weighty matters at hand.
One of the participants stood up and introduced himself as the "King of Bhutan," a country which includes alongside its statistics for gross national product a number which signifies the country's gross national "happiness." (This is in fact true). He apologized for remarks he had made the previous day that had been difficult for some people. He spoke out of respect for the other people, and he himself had a noble air about him. The energy in the room was a balance of seriousness and perspective, compassion and humor.
We haven't talked a lot about humor and joy. Naturally we have found that humor, especially in situations that have a genuine seriousness about them, can open up a space of joy. As we have discussed the grounds, we often hear humor when people talk about difficult situations that require some sort of letting go. When the letting go finally happens, that is often when the humor appears. We look forward to working more with humor.
