THE GUILTY PLEASURE OF YAWNING

I recently discovered that the stronger you try to resist a yawn, the longer you end up yawning.

I've lately been affected by these continuous bouts of yawning. I wake up with a yawn, yawn once i'm outta bath and continue to do so while having breakfast and reading the newspaper. By this time, my comfort level with yawning reaches an amazing level that I keep yawning for the sheer pleasure of it- "stretch-close-stretch-close-stretch....". Its an involuntary muscle movement which I voluntarily, wilfully and joyfully let conquer me.

In the last few days, it has become almost an addiction, so much, that I keep yawning at work. Needless to say, I become an easily kalaachufyable target, providing everyone their quota of daily humor. A kutti sample of my plight at the hands of my colleagues(cg):


Cg1: Pa! Evlo perisa kottavi vidara paaru!

Cg2: Aamam da... Krishna Paramathma madhiri- vaaya thirandha ulagame theriyum.

Cg1: Cha appadi illa da. Konjam utthu paartha Krishna Paramathmave therivaru!

*laughs and claps all around*


Scientific studies tell us that a person yawns because of tiredness, subtly(!) hinting disinterest or the brain's way of telling that it needs some rest or the heart trying to pump oxygen in the blood flowing to the brain. It is fairly obvious that wherever there is a scientific perspective involved, religion and/or superstition closely follow. Yawns aren't free of these either. The Greeks believed in closing their mouth and yawning because otherwise, the soul would escape the body! Truly interesting! But I deeply and passionately feel that the essence of yawning is spoilt once we try to over-analyse the cause/reason for it(Note: A simple analysis is always enjoyable. Its when the over-analysing phase begins, it becomes annoying!). On the other hand, its a devilishly great time-pass to analyse the effects of it.

I feel so content with a wholesome yawn. A wholesome yawn, me thinks, is when we stretch our mouth so widely and yawn for atleast half a minute, that our eyes almost start watering. Ah! The eternal bliss of a yawn!

A yawn is best felt, all the more, when in group. Try noticing how happy you feel when you trigger a chain of yawns among your friends or become the victim, albeit a wilful one, of a contagious yawn.

All humans enjoy a guilty pleasure/s. And, one of mine is yawning :)


P.S: For all those who haven't sat through any boring lectures/ seminars at school/college/with parents, you just had a little preview of it.