Laughing Meditation?!

That’s me with my twin girls when they were babies.  One of my favorite pictures!

We take things way too seriously most of the time.  When we stop, reflect, and think back on situations and events in our lives, things are always really working out for us, aren’t they?

So why do we waste so much energy and good health on worrying, overthinking, and spending way too much time with the battleground in our heads? 

Because we don’t stop to laugh and just let go throughout the day.  As a certified meditation teacher, I can’t stress enough how important it is to start every meditation practice with just a few minutes of doing what I call a smile meditation.  It can really start your day out right.

Smile Meditation is life-changing!

Set the timer for a couple of minutes, breathe in deeply and slowly, and just sit and smile.  Even if you can’t do a regular meditation practice in the morning because you’re too busy – although if you’re too busy to meditate, you probably need to meditate more (just saying) – take a couple of minutes to smile.  You’ll be amazed at how your day goes!

If you feel that you can’t take time out to sit for a couple of minutes in the morning, then try this instead:   

When you wake up in the morning, make yourself smile while walking to the bathroom, the coffee pot, or whatever your morning routine entails, just smile.

Why?

Betcha Can’t Stay Mad

Did you know that you can’t stay mad while smiling?  Try it.  Next time you get mad over something that isn’t that big of a deal but you’re making it one, stop yourself for a second and just smile and continue to smile.  Try to stay mad and smile at the same time.  It’s almost impossible!

 The Power of Comic Relief in Story

There is an enormous amount of relief that comes with smiling.  Take, for instance, a good book or movie; the scenes are really intense, you’re either worried about the main character or sad, or some powerful emotions are being drawn out of you through good writing and/or acting.  What does the writer then do to help ease your tension?  He/she adds comic relief. 

It’s an important aspect of writing fiction and is often called a beat in the writing world.  Isn’t it great when a book or movie can make you cry one minute and then laugh the next? 

See!  Laughing is great medicine.

Honestly, if we could just take ourselves less seriously as a society and even species as a whole and laugh more, what a sublimely humorous world it could be! 

That’s also the reason why I love to write comedies.  Making people feel better makes me happy.  I mean, isn’t that the goal for all human beings?

For instance, I’m working on the comedy/sci-fi screenplay, Blue Dirt. Why?

There are just too many dystopian sci-fis out there. We seriously need to lighten up on the subject! You gotta laugh to make it!

Another comedy I’ve got in the making is God with a Blog?! You can read the book blurb here…

So today, if you’re stressing out, take a few minutes and just smile no matter what’s happening around you.  And if you’re really feeling down, whether it’s financial, relational, or health issues, doesn’t matter, grab a book that makes you laugh or click on the comedy selection on Netflix and just spend time in the moment laughing. And dont’ forget to start your day with a smile.

Joke of the Day…

So…since I’m a lefty, I love jokes about us, and here’s a great one I heard:

Bobby and his grandmother were looking at vacation pictures.  “It looks just like an artist painted the scenery,” Grandma said.  “Did you know God painted it all for you, Bobby?”

“Yes,” Bobby said.  “God did it with His left hand.”

This confused his grandmother, “What makes you say God did this with his left hand?”

“Well,” said Bobby, “we learned at Sunday school last week that Jesus sits on God’s right hand.”