Today's meditation is one of my favorites.
It's the smiling meditation or my version of the smiling meditation.
This actually can be done as you're sitting down and relaxing and meditating like we are today or simply when you're walking down the street you can exercise the smiling meditation.
We all know the words smile and the world smiles with you and we know that smiling can be infectious.
I know it might feel a little bit silly as we do this meditation today but bear with me.
Studies actually shows that when we smile we release endorphins and serotonin in the body and those chemicals boost our mood.
So let's get smiling.
Go ahead and close your eyes.
Take a deep breath in.
See if you can follow that breath down through the body really allowing the body to relax with that deep breath and letting go as you exhale.
Just sinking into relaxation centered here and then allowing the breath to flow in and out of the nose.
Closing your lips together noticing which way that frown is right now before you start smiling and I know it can feel a little bit like we're forcing that smile in the beginning especially if we're having a bit of a bad day but that's okay.
Now I'd like you to just start smiling to yourself.
I'm smiling with you and really notice in the body what happens.
There's like a sense of lightness or joy flooding the body as you force that smile to begin with just turning that frown upside down and then relax that smile.
Notice as the body changes again the facial muscles change and then start smiling again.
Breathing in,
Letting go,
Smiling and then relax that smile.
Feeling that peacefulness that happens between each smile.
It can feel a little silly like you almost want to laugh if you feel like releasing some energy through laughing right now that's okay too.
Just go ahead and make this smiling meditation a place where you come to to uplift your mood.
We're smiling with each other,
To each other.
This is such a helpful tool to be able to smile in situations where there's a certain feeling of sadness perhaps or heaviness.
You want to bring some lightness,
Some empathy and love to the situation.
Uplifting yourself and the people around you.
One smile to a stranger can change their day and uplift your mood at the same time.
We are all one.
Just turning that frown up as you smile now.
Feeling the sensations happening in the body just do this a few times on your own just smiling then coming back to neutral.
Smiling and then coming back to neutral.
Just in your own time notice what's happening in the face and in the body and the feelings and thoughts within.
Thank you for smiling with me today.
Just go ahead and take a deep breath in and then opening your eyes.
