Have you tried the Smiling Meditation?

Ever heard of the smiling meditation? if not, you might be wondering what on earth it is, and why you should want to try it. I am a firm believer that happiness is truly meaningful when it is not demanded from anyone or anything— that it is best shared. And you know what, smiling is the best way to share happiness. Later in this article, you will find a short guided meditation script for the smiling meditation.

When was the last time that you smiled? I bet the last time was a moment that you felt really good and had a good reason like a fortunate event, your favorite show coming up on tv, or maybe when you had a great moment with your loved ones. It would be a delight to always have a reason for you to smile right?

This Article Includes:

Smiling Meditation
Smile Researches
How to Start Smiling Meditation

I bet this might be the first time that you heard or read about smiling meditation. But trust me the moment I first knew about it, I wanted to try it instantly! Is there more than just smiling? Am I about to just really smile and tire my facial muscles?

But before you continue you might like to consider our free worksheet on exploring “Finding Joy In Life”. Please download this worksheet here.

Smiling Meditation

I bet you are curious too! But before we go into the specifics of how to do it, we must first understand why smiling meditation is a great choice if you haven’t tried practicing meditation.
In this article, I’ll be sharing some fascinating research that supports the benefits of smiling. But even better, I’ll take you through a powerful smiling mindfulness script that can bring the vitality of your smile to a whole new level. When you’re done, you’ll be glowing with vibrant, life-affirming energy.

Smile Researches

Whatever might be the reason for your smiles, a lot of researches showed that the simple act also gives you a lot of rewards. The physical action of contracting the face muscles is found to decrease stress reactions and improves mood, and do you know what a series of good mood and decreased levels of stress can mean for you? It means you’re on the path to overall good health and well-being!

There is scientific evidence that shows how smiling might be the best and the only thing you would want to infect someone with! It truly is the best tool for you to spread happiness— and the best instrument because it is good for your health.

Smiling is specifically good for your heart and a study by Kraft and Pressman on the kind of smiles and their effect to stress showed that smiles did not particularly need to be genuine for people to benefit. Imagine faking a smile and feeling really good afterward.

Now here’s an interesting one. Now you’ve heard of people having Botox injections, but did you know, having been injected with it will render you unable to frown? There is research that compared women who had Botox injections (non-frowners) and those that did not (frowners).

Surprisingly the non-frowners reported feeling happier and less anxious. What’s more surprising was they reported that it was not because of improved confidence (due to the cosmetic procedure), they even said that they did not feel like they were more attractive than the other women.

The above study was further supported by research that used machines to observe the brains of people who had Botox injections and had their facial expressions limited. Again there were two sets of participants, the frowners and the non-frowners. But this time both groups were asked to mimic emotions as their brain activities are observed.

As the non-frowners mimicked certain emotions, the researchers observed that there is not much activity in the parts of the brain that should have been lit up. The study therefore concluded and found what seems to be a feedback loop between the brain and facial muscles. When you physically express emotions with your face, you create emotions that are also experienced by your brain! This study was further supported by another research but now without Botox injections as a factor.

There have been lots of studies that concluded that you become happier when you smile.

So, it seems clear. Smiling can make you feel happier. It can reduce your stress responses. It’s good for you! But what happens when we take that smiling magic and amp it up with the power of an intentional smiling meditation?

Doing the Smiling Meditation

This meditation, with the help of the mindfulness scripts below, takes about 10-20 minutes, depending on how fast or slow you want to do it. Imagine, you are likely to be multiplying the mentioned benefits of smiling since you have to do it in minutes rather than just a few seconds!

This version is adapted from the Inner Smile Meditation that is used in Tai Chi and Qi Gong practices which are usually focused on balancing life energy (or Chi) through movement, breathing techniques, and meditation.

In smiling meditation, your energy source will be your smile, as something that naturally affirms you and sustains your life. In this meditation, you are to visualize that this specific energy expands through your whole body until all you see is your whole body beaming with smiling energy.

It can leave you feeling lighter, happier, more energized, and positive. Rich with self-love, it can open you up to meeting your day with your whole heart, and living your life with abundant joy.

How to Start the Meditation

You can choose to practice this meditation anywhere you want as long as you can focus inwardly. But here are some tips if you still can’t decide when and where you want to practice it:

You can start it on any of the following:

• When you start your day, set the mood, tone and help you energize yourself for the day.
• As you end your day, especially if it’s was stressful.
• When you are feeling low, or when you have less, or overwhelmed with emotions and stress.
• Just before you take on a creative task.
• Try finding a quiet spot in nature. The natural setting is abundant with life energy and can thus increase your awareness of, and connection to, the life energy flowing within you.

Short Guided Meditation Script for Smiling Meditation

First things first, remember that meditation requires mindfulness. And mindfulness is all about being aware of every sensation and feeling within and being non-judgmental of yourself. So in this meditation, if you have any feelings of pain, instead of denying and avoiding them, take the time to accept it with care and attention.
Remember that this doesn’t mean that you have to sit in pain, doing nothing. You are nowhere to do the simple practice of smiling which can help relieve some of the pain you are in.
When you’ve found a comfortable sitting posture, allow your eyes to close. Recall the feeling of gently putting up a smile on your face and if you can’t summon it up, flex up your facial feature the way you would whenever you smile.
Focus on the energy to make it real. Try to keep the spine straight to invite energy and alertness into the mind and body. Overwhelm your sensations by bringing your attention to the sensations of your body, of your breathing. Feel the energy as it spreads from your smile down to your chest.
Starting with your abdomen, feel as it rises and as it falls. Focus on how your body breathes the energy, but do try to breathe normally. Feel the expansion and contraction of your chest as you continue to breathe. And if you ever notice that the mind has wandered, simply take your awareness back to your breathing, to the energy that rises and falls in your chest.
Allow two more minutes of focusing on your chest and rhythmic breathing. Now slowly feel that energy going up your nostrils. Feel the breath and the energy spreading from the tip of the nose to inside your nostrils. Focus on the sensation that you feel as you inhale, as you hold your breath for a second, and as you exhale.
From feeling the breath let your awareness open up and scan your face. Feel the energy that is in your forehead that goes down to your chin. Simultaneously, try to focus on the physical sensations that you feel, maybe a wisp of air, a distinct smell. Imagine the energy in your eyes going to your mouth, down to your jaw, and spreading to your cheeks.
Allow yourself to relax, feel if there are any tensions in your facial muscles. Breathe in and out slowly, allow yourself to softly smile. And to further help, try to think of something that brings you joy. Encourage the happiness that comes from breathing in and out.
As you smile, notice how the face and the breath feel.
Tune in to any changes in the breath, the muscles in the face, and any feelings that arise. You may try letting the smile go and bringing it back several times, tuning in each time to the experience in the body as you do so.
When you complete the practice and allow the eyes to open, sustain the smile for a moment. Let the smile fade slowly on its own.

If you want to meditate with the help of audio, you can try to listen to the mindfulness script below.

I hope you will try mindfulness scripts like the above for the smiling meditation. Let me know below when you’ve tried it and how you felt after!

 

Ready to rediscover joy from within? Download our ‘Finding Joy in Life Workbook’ and explore daily practices like smiling meditation to invite more lightness, energy, and meaning into your day.