From Shampinyada,
I'm Colleen Thomas.
This is Daily Magic for Peace.
Today we will connect with laughter and expression.
Welcome to the circle.
So today all you need is a mask.
Do you have a mask?
I don't even think I have a mask.
So maybe together we can picture a really interesting mask.
Perhaps a mask you might wear on stage.
Perhaps a mask you might wear to a costume party or a mask you might make with some creative friends.
It can be a mask of any kind depicting anything.
So I welcome you here today.
I'm so glad you're with us in circle.
So the activity we're going to do today to get our nervous system calmed down a little bit and get a little more present is something we haven't done for quite a while.
It's laughing because today is all about creative expression and laughter.
So what a better activity to do than laughing.
If you're in a place where you can laugh out loud,
Please do.
If you're in a place where you maybe just need to chuckle,
You can do that.
And if you kind of just want to listen along and see how your body reacts to hearing somebody laugh,
Do that.
Whatever level you want to participate in is the level you should participate in.
So I'm just going to start laughing.
And you know,
Nothing's particularly funny,
But this is just for the sake of it,
Right?
So maybe thinking about something that was funny that was said to you recently or that you saw somewhere.
Okay.
All right,
We're going to begin to bring our laughing to a close.
I invite you to notice if your body feels any different now.
Is there more capacity for air in your lungs?
Do you have any sensations in your throat or your head?
How is your heart feeling?
So going on with this idea of creativity and expression,
Let's drop down from that heart I just mentioned.
Drop down just a little ways until you reach the third chakra,
Which is at the solar plexus.
It's kind of midway between the heart and the belly button.
Maybe taking a breath into this area,
The third chakra.
The third chakra is where we express ourselves,
Where we say what is true for us,
Where we are authentic and we are clear and we are who we authentically are.
So feel into that third chakra so feel into that concept,
Feel into that area in your body,
The third chakra at your solar plexus and maybe consider the color yellow because the third chakra is said to resonate at a yellow.
You might experience yellow while you're dealing with it or not.
So feel into that third chakra and maybe take a couple of breaths into that part of your body.
And what we're going to do today,
Now that we've woken up the voice and the laughter and the heart and also this third chakra bold place,
Is we're going to connect with our laughter and expression.
This was inspired for me by recently being around some theater people and I had forgotten how amazing theater is.
Theater,
Dance,
Acting,
Singing,
Anything in that realm really just invites our whole self,
Our body,
To come into the space and to express.
We might be expressing someone else's music or somebody else's words in a script but our body is the vehicle and our spirit is what conveys the energy of it.
There's also wonderful times in theaters where people get to do improv and really authentic works of art that just come from themselves or their creativity or their experiences and they get to really share truth.
So the invitation is to take your mask and maybe just look at it and hold it and see what kind of character this mask conveys to you.
And since you're probably imagining this mask,
You can have it be anything.
And what you might want to play with is what would this mask look like if this was your authentic self?
Perhaps there are ways in your life,
And now this is just maybe,
Where you feel like you're not able to be fully yourself or you're not able to be truly authentic or maybe you don't feel like you can speak your truth and it's safe to do that.
What if putting on this mask would let you say that truth?
So I invite you to imagine this and play with this idea of putting this mask on in your mind's eye or physically if you have a mask and feeling that authenticity within you,
Feeling that pull,
That push,
That oomph from your third chakra that says this is me and this is my truth and letting that,
How would that express itself through you?
If you're kind of hidden and safe behind that mask,
And you were kind of embodying this character of your truth,
What would it feel like to move around the room you're in?
What would it feel like to reach out and touch someone's arm or their shoulder or interact with another person?
What would it feel like to stand up and state what you believe or to let your body move in a way that conveys a truth?
Just feel into what would it be like to be in your truth,
Your creative expression,
What would that feel like?
Just feeling it and letting it inform you,
Letting it move you,
Letting it move through you,
Moving toward a deeper more authentic sense of you.
This kind of work can only heal us,
Can only help us be more authentic and more present in our lives to show up for the things that we care about with deeper hearts,
More bravery,
More compassion,
And more presence.
So we're going to begin to transition out of this space.
Take a moment to notice how it has felt.
If you touched in with a place in today's meditation that felt interesting or good to you,
Find a way to remind yourself of that.
If you have a physical mask,
You might leave it around so you see it again.
And if you were working with a mask in your mind's eye,
Maybe jot a note down or find some way to remember.
May we all connect with our true inner creativity and expression.
May we have as much laughter and health and vibrancy as possible.
May it be so.
Thank you so much for being with us today.
Your presence,
Your energy,
And your heart make all the difference in healing our world.
Remember to breathe today.
Breathe and exhale.
And I hope you join us again next time.
Please consider inviting a friend.
