laughing meditation

[openeyes]

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

[rossio]

Great post - this is something I really want to practice on a daily basis. I first heard about it from this random youtube clip:

YouTube - laughing yoga

I remember trying it at Unleash the Power Within a couple of years ago and thought it was bizarrely brilliant!

Thanks for the reminder!
Ross

[Andrew Brunelle]

I have something similar to share with you. Sometimes when I do deep breathing mediations, I often burst out laughing from the immense pleasure I derive from it. I'll just start cracking up. It's the feeling of being one with your spirit and one with the universe that exudes this feeling of joy. Also, I laugh quite a bit for no reason at all. Just in general. People ask what am I laughing at. I just say, "I'm laughing in general, just at life itself."

[Joshiepoo3000]

Laughing is the holy spirit in you. It cleanses us. God loves us, so he allows us to experience the holy spirit even if we do not believe in it. If you laugh from causing pain to someone else, or because of someone else' pain, then this is not the holy spirit, but the spirit of antichrist. So if you laugh about joy and not a twisted joy, you can be healed.

[skydust]

ive been wanting to try this for a while, but forgot about it. maybe i need to IM into being.

[Immanuel]

Hi

I laugh regularly in Joburg South Africa. I'm going to be in Sydney from 15 October through to 25 October - can you give me contact details for somewhere I can go to join a laughing meditation session?