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openeyes · 01-08-2007, 03:28 AM

Near my school a yoga place holds laughing meditation sessions on the last Friday of every month. It’s something I started doing with friends a couple years ago, and now I do a variant of it almost daily on my own. With the version I first learned, we’d lay in a circle on exercise mats, feet facing the center of the circle, and simply laugh for about 15 minutes. There’d be about 20 of us. If someone couldn’t naturally laugh at some point, they’d go through the sounds of Ha Ha Ha, Ho Ho Ho, Hee Hee Hee (these are actually very similar to three of the six healing sounds in Taoism, though this wasn't pointed out to us in the session) until they started really laughing. We fed off each other, with one person’s laughter making others laugh. We’d finish up with a bit of yoga. Now throughout the day when I’m alone I simply make a point of laughing. It’s usually not something I even have to will, I simply laugh at things very easily. Why? It’s very refreshing. Here’s an excerpt to an article that might be useful to some of you:

“Centered Silliness
Laughing Meditation

Many people might be surprised to think of laughter as a form of meditation. Yet not only is laughing meditation one of the simplest forms of meditation, but also it is a very powerful one. The physical act of laughing is one of the few actions involving the body, emotions, and the soul. When we laugh, we give ourselves over to the immediacy of the present moment. We also are able to momentarily transcend minor physical and mental stresses. Practiced in the morning, laughing meditation can lend a joyful quality to the entire day. Practiced in the evening, laughing meditation is a potent relaxant that has been known to inspire pleasant dreams. Laughter also can help open our eyes to previously unnoticed absurdities that can make life seem less serious.”

See the rest here, and enjoy:

DailyOM - Laughing Meditation

01-08-2007, 03:28 AM	#1 (permalink)
openeyes Family Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 1,629	laughing meditation Near my school a yoga place holds laughing meditation sessions on the last Friday of every month. It’s something I started doing with friends a couple years ago, and now I do a variant of it almost daily on my own. With the version I first learned, we’d lay in a circle on exercise mats, feet facing the center of the circle, and simply laugh for about 15 minutes. There’d be about 20 of us. If someone couldn’t naturally laugh at some point, they’d go through the sounds of Ha Ha Ha, Ho Ho Ho, Hee Hee Hee (these are actually very similar to three of the six healing sounds in Taoism, though this wasn't pointed out to us in the session) until they started really laughing. We fed off each other, with one person’s laughter making others laugh. We’d finish up with a bit of yoga. Now throughout the day when I’m alone I simply make a point of laughing. It’s usually not something I even have to will, I simply laugh at things very easily. Why? It’s very refreshing. Here’s an excerpt to an article that might be useful to some of you: “Centered Silliness Laughing Meditation Many people might be surprised to think of laughter as a form of meditation. Yet not only is laughing meditation one of the simplest forms of meditation, but also it is a very powerful one. The physical act of laughing is one of the few actions involving the body, emotions, and the soul. When we laugh, we give ourselves over to the immediacy of the present moment. We also are able to momentarily transcend minor physical and mental stresses. Practiced in the morning, laughing meditation can lend a joyful quality to the entire day. Practiced in the evening, laughing meditation is a potent relaxant that has been known to inspire pleasant dreams. Laughter also can help open our eyes to previously unnoticed absurdities that can make life seem less serious.” See the rest here, and enjoy: DailyOM - Laughing Meditation Last edited by openeyes; 01-08-2007 at 03:34 AM.