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Laughing meditation
Laughter is one of the easiest and most pleasurable ways to go into meditation - its impossible to be in a real belly laugh and be caught up in our thoughts or worries at the same time. Laughter is a deep cleansing and a deep unburdening, leaving us lighter and more free to experience the contentment, silence and peace that live at the cores of each one of us. In December's meditation we laugh till we lose ourselves in the laughter, and so open the door to this blissful inner space.
Laughter as a meditation is a very old tradition. There’s a story of a Buddhist monk, Hotei, in ancient Japan. He would move from town to town just laughing, standing in the middle of the town square and laughing his head off, his whole body moving. His laughter was so infectious that people would gather around him and then everyone would start laughing. People would love him to come to their village because he brought so much joy and happiness.
You can do this meditation on your own, or you might want to share it with a few friends. Allow around fifteen minutes. Start off by reading or listening to a few good jokes, share stories, or remember some funny things that have happened in your life. Once the laughter comes, give yourself permission to just keep going. If with others you can start off by gently interacting, but respecting each other’s space. Let yourself be playful. Making eye contact with each other can spark off the laughter.
Just keep going. Eventually we can laugh for no reason at all. The authentic laughter isn’t about anything, has no reason or explanation, but simply arises in us as an expression of our content and blissful inner nature.
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