{"id":36875,"date":"2018-07-16T11:18:28","date_gmt":"2018-07-16T15:18:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wanderlust.com\/?p=36875"},"modified":"2018-07-24T15:09:20","modified_gmt":"2018-07-24T19:09:20","slug":"unleashing-the-wild-goddess","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wanderlust.com\/it\/journal\/unleashing-the-wild-goddess\/","title":{"rendered":"Unleashing the Wild Goddess Through Laughter"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hungry to unleash your inner goddess? Practice with wild woman Chelsey Korus at a Wanderlust Festival<\/a> or with her online class, Wild in O’ahu.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

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I used to be a nanny. It was a fabulous\u00a0gig; I got to play school, eat tons of microwave popcorn, and reread Junie B. Jones<\/em>. My clients were two boys, ages five and nine, and they loved a good joke.<\/p>\n

Most of their understanding of comedy was what my\u00a0mother\u00a0would call \u201clittle boy humor.\u201d They asked me if I knew any \u201cdirty jokes,\u201d which really meant if I knew\u00a0anything where the punchline included a bodily function. It was so easy to make them laugh, and when I did, I was rolling on the floor right along with them.<\/p>\n

Those who practice yoga understand\u00a0the deep connection that is shared between mind and body<\/a>. We spend hours on the mat tapping into this connection, attempting to clear\u00a0our thoughts and strengthen our minds. Like yoga, laughter forces us to remain present. A deep belly laugh is an intense sensation, and when we feel it, we can think of\u00a0nothing else. <\/span><\/p>\n

In her book, Women Who Run With the Wolves<\/a><\/em>, Clarissa Pinkola Est\u00e9s describes the effects of laughter on our bodies, specifically for women. According to Est\u00e9s, various ancient cultures often told stories of the \u201cDirty Goddesses,\u201d or women dedicated to the obscene and the sensual. But in this case, Est\u00e9s notes, obscene is not to be taken in its more modern interpretation (unpopular and offensive), but in its older translation, which means wizard or sorceress. It is part of being wild<\/a>. Essentially, these women represented the fun and fantastical, the sensual and the deep belly laughs. They enjoyed life.<\/p>\n

Est\u00e9s also states:<\/span><\/p>\n

In laughter, a woman breathes fully, and when she does, she may begin to feel unsanctioned feelings. And what could these feelings be? Well, they turn out not to be feelings so much as relief and remedies for feelings, often causing the release of stopped-up tears or the reclamation of forgotten memories, or the bursting of chains on the sensual personality.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

In other words, laughter is medicine. According to Time Magazin<\/em>e<\/a>, laughter can even change the way our brain\u2019s neurons communicate with one another. Deep belly laughs seem to \u201cinduce \u2018gamma\u2019 frequencies\u2013the type of brain waves observed among experienced meditators.\u201d When these gamma frequencies increase, they help improve recall and memory.<\/p>\n

The effects of laughter on the body have been traced back to the Greek myths. Baubo, or the goddess of mirth, is of particular importance. Baubo is described as being fun-loving, crude, playful, sexually liberated, wise, and joyful. She is celebrated for her wild energy, her sexuality, and her healing power of laughter. <\/span><\/p>\n

Take the story of Persephone and Demeter. Many of us are familiar with the mother\u2013daughter themes in this particular myth, but we may not know that ancient versions of the story depict Baubo making an appearance. In the myth, Hades abducts Persephone, dragging her into the underworld and sending Demeter into a violent and tearful frenzy as she searches for her child. Demeter is unsuccessful, and in her despair she neglects her work (that of nurturing the crops), and morphs into a crazed and distressed woman. The trees and flowers die. No one is able to console her. Until Baubo arrives.<\/p>\n

Baubo entertains the nearly-lifeless Demeter, shaking her hips and wiggling her breasts in a way that almost suggests sexual intercourse. Then Baubo begins telling a series of jokes, regaling Demeter until she chuckles, then giggles, and finally, gives into deep and throaty belly laughs<\/span><\/p>\n

The laugher revives Demeter. It enables her to continue her search for Persephone, in which she is successful.*<\/span><\/p>\n

Sometimes we find ourselves in situations where we are like Demeter, trapped in depression to the point of inactivity. In these cases,\u00a0a deep belly laugh can go a long way<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Many of these laughs come when we surround ourselves with a group of female friends. The energy of women, especially women together, is different than that of men. Not to say that masculine energy isn\u2019t great; we need it just as much as we need female energy. But sometimes it can be a real treat to spend some time with your fellow \u201cDirty Goddesses.\u201d Necessary, even.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve ever sat around with a bunch of galpals over tea, coffee, or wine, you\u2019ve engaged in a kaffeeklatsch. These informal events came about in the early 20th century, when German women began gathering in small groups at one another\u2019s houses because they weren\u2019t welcome in public coffeehouses. A modern day kaffeeklatsch might be laying in bed with your best friend and sharing\u00a0a bottle of wine or kettle of tea while talking over episodes of Broad City<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The wild nature within us is one that deserves careful attention. Whether it be laughter (or yoga), finding ways to nurture your inner wild woman can dramatically shift your confidence and strength.<\/p>\n

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