Laughing Meditation leading into Laugha Nidra®
Laughing Meditation: An Easy at-home Practice by Yourself or with Others Some Guidelines:
1. Sit or lie down on your back. Or group can lie down with everyone's head pointing to the center in a circle, or if a larger group can lie down in a straight line from long end of room.
2. Close your eyes recommended but can leave them open.
3. After group chants 3 OM's we'll begin laughing for 15 minutes.
4. After 15 minutes I'll begin a group to signal a 10 minute silent meditation.
5. Once again OM to end the meditation (Optional: At this point the group may share their experience).
6. Please don't tickle or invade anyone's privacy, or space, during the meditation.
7. Please don't judge your laughter or anyone else's. Just be a "witness". You might want to try a variety of different types of laughter; different “laugh styles.”
8. If any deeply negative emotions or feelings surface, please don't express them in the meditation. Just allow them to surface and watch them, and return to laughter as soon as you can.
9. If you find it hard to laugh, try to say to yourself, "Ha, Ha, Ho, Ho, and He, He." Or something like that to push yourself a little in the direction of laughing; to stimulate the response mechanism in the brain that triggers the release of “feel-good” hormones.
10. If you find it difficult to stop laughing at the end of the appointed time, do some deep breathing and try to connect in with your heart.
11. Once you have stopped laughing then remain lying down and with eyes still closed and experience the peace and tranquility that settles into the body and mind after the laughter.
12. Remain in this state Laugha Nidra® for at least 5 to 10 minutes. Then bring your awareness back into the room, then back to your breath, and wiggle your toes and finger tips. Sit up and return to your normal activities with a relaxed, and renewed with a sense of calm and inner glow.
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