Laughter Meditation

“The Art of Hahaha!”
Laughter meditation exercises come from the practice of laughter yoga. This type of meditation can: stimulate oxygen throughout the brain and body; release endorphins, dopamine, and serotonin; reduce cortisol, which helps alleviate stress; lower blood pressure; strengthen the immune system; ease digestion; and/or promote relaxation.

Even if you start with fake laughter, your natural response should take over!

Transcript

Laughter meditation is one of the easiest forms of meditation.

We'll start by stretching our body,

Then practice laughing and end with silence.

I'll invite you to stand,

Placing your feet hip-width apart,

And stretch your arms high above your head.

Reach to the sky,

And once you're there,

Begin to rock your body from side to side,

Continuing to move your torso from side to side,

And then slowly bend over,

Touching your hands to your feet,

Your ankles,

Your shins,

Your knees,

Or your thighs,

Whatever is accessible to you.

As you're bent forward,

You can continue rocking your body from side to side,

Feeling little movement,

Loosening your body.

When you're ready,

You may stand back up straight,

And while you move your torso and your hips back and forth from side to side,

I'll invite you to take your fingertips and start to massage your jaw.

Gently massage the points in your jaw where they connect,

And to start to loosen your mouth and relax those muscles,

I'll invite you to try to yawn here.

Great.

Let's get one more yawn in,

And as you're yawning,

You can continue to massage the muscles in your jaw.

Now that you've loosened your muscles and your body,

I'll ask that you find a comfortable position,

Whether that be standing or seated.

When you're there,

Start by smiling.

Bring a smile to your face.

When we start laughing,

Even if it begins as a forced feeling,

Just remember that most people find that forced laughter catalyzes authentic laughter in no time.

So with a smile on your face,

Let's begin laughing without too much effort.

Continue laughing,

And as you can,

Move into deep belly laughs.

Laughter.

.

.

Laughter.

.

.

Laughter.

.

.

You did great.

Now if you're standing,

I'll invite you to sit or lie on the floor in stillness and in silence.

Once you're there,

Be mindful of what's coming up for you.

This may be how your body feels after the laughter.

It may be emotions that present themselves to you,

Or it could be thoughts that arise.

Whatever it is,

Tune in and become aware of what is coming up for you after this laughter practice.

I'll give you a few silent moments here to check in.

As we wrap up this practice,

I'll invite you to take a few breaths and become mindful of the natural rhythm of your breath.

In and out.

If your eyes were closed,

You can open them now.

As always,

The invitation is present for you to share your experience,

Or even just record it in a journal for yourself.

Thank you for laughing with me,

For meditating with me,

And I hope to see you again soon.