I was leading laughter yoga with three groups of high school students at a competitive local private school last week during their annual health fest. The many presenters who showed up had one goal -- to help them find alternative ways to deal with stress.
My success with "mindfulness meditation" - which feels like thinking my way into another way of thinking - has had very little impact on me other than to make me more frustrated. So my suggestion to them was to get their thinking out of the way altogether. How? Laugh non-stop for 5 minutes before you start a silent, sitting meditation. I called this my meditation "cheat sheet".
Our minds seriously clear on a physiological level when we heartily laugh (for a reason or not) for 5 - 15 minutes (note: the longer the laughter time, the fewer the mind monkeys). Our brains automatically release natural antidepressants, mood stabilizers, endorphins, and melatonin; our bodies level out stress hormones; our organs are replenished with fresh oxygen -- what could be better prep for a quiet sitting meditation?
The different groups were different, so had different results. Some of course found it easier than others. This gets so much easier with practice, I said.
I wonder if I should just start a laughter meditation group on campus or in public without so many exercises -- more of a focus on laughter meditation followed by silence. Thoughts?
Check out the videos on the YogaLaughs site -- there is a clip from a laughter meditation, then another from the following silent meditation. Such a switch! Powerful. http://yogalaughs.com/training/videos.html
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