Today, we're thinking about laughing!😁

In honor of April Fools Day, we're having lots of fun with our meditation practice, by doing a laughing meditation. No, we're not fooling you, laughing meditation is a very real and beneficial mindfulness technique. Laughing meditation is a method in which you begin by forcing yourself to laugh, which may feel awkward at first, but later develops into an authentic mental and physical presence. 💁

Life is filled with so much seriousness and it's important to be able to tap into our inner-child and allow ourselves to let loose, feel genuine joy, and get silly!

The benefits of laughter meditation include but are not limited to:

🧠 Increased creativity

🤗 Decreased anxiety and depression

🌦 Emotional release of built up feelings

📉 Stress reduction and better stress management

🙏 Ability to connect and get along with others

How to practice laughing meditation:

1. Find a comfortable, quiet place to sit with no distractions
2. Closing your eyes, begin relaxing your mouth and jaw by gently massaging or letting out a yawn or two
3. To encourage your true laugh to come out, try smiling and forcing deep, funny sounds ("hahaha", "hehehe" or "hohoho". It may seem uncomfortable at first, but after a few tries, most people can't help but to giggle, and eventually explode into genuine belly laughs.
4. Finish your meditation by coming to a relaxed state, and sitting in silence while you reflect on the emotions you're having. Focus on the physical sensations you might be feeling, noting the positive and negative.