Smile
and the world smiles with you! That’s because when we see someone
smile, a specific kind of neuron, mirror neurons, stimulate our own
smiling. Smiling is an important non-verbal communication for our
species. It is like a social contract we enter into with others –
in communicating that every thing is o.k.a.y.
Kids
smile an average of 400 times a day while an average adult, just 20!
So I noticed the other day, when I was bringing down lunch from the
microwave, I bumped my 11 y/old’s elbow. He said “ow” with a
smile!
Scientists
tell us that a smile has profound effects on the reward part of the
brain. According to a British study, one smile can generate the same
level of stimulation in the brain as 2,000 bars of chocolate! If
that’s not enough, according to a Penn State study, smiling can
make you: look good in the eyes of others, more courteous, likeable
as well as more competent.
Charles Darwin theorized that facial expressions don’t necessarily function as a broadcast service of our mental states but they actually determine our mental states.
So
why not smile? It can also help reduce stress reducing hormones such
as adrenalin and cortisol and increase mood enhancing hormones like
endorphins – even reduce blood pressure.
There
is plenty of news out there to make us concerned and fearful – from
national politics, the impeachment drama, the election to
international events. We really have to go out of our way to find
joy and savour this brief, yet precious life.
A BBC documentary replicated the now famous Greek pencil experiment by going around the city of Edinburgh on a cold and rainy day. Edinburgh is apparently known to be home to the most miserable people in Britain. They gave people a pencil to hold between their teeth and asked about their level of happiness. The subjects, who had reported up to a 5 on a scale of 1-10 before the experiment, reported a 9 afterwards.
When
you hold the pencil between your teeth, you are exercising the same
muscles as when you smile. What’s happening? Our brain has learned
to associate smiling with pleasure. So just by exercising these
facial muscles, you trick your brain into feeling pleasure.
So
whenever you want to look good, feel less stressed, appear competent,
or have the experience of consuming a large amount of high quality
chocolate (without the calories): just smile.
Some
of the obvious qualities you see in spiritual masters is that they
are joyful and compassionate. How do they get there? Apparently by
intentionally training the mind. That can be an alternative to
holding the pencil in the mouth. Recently the Dali Lama was asked why
he was so popular? He has easily drawn 100,000 people to Central
Park before.
He thoughtfully replied. “I don’t think myself have especially good qualities. I have positive mind. Sometimes, of course, I get a little irritated. But in my heart, I never blame, never think bad things against anyone...Maybe people like me for my good heart”.
One
Indian meditation teacher, Om
Swami,
recommends
to have
an ever-so-slight
smile on
your face during meditation, an
expression
as if you are not just
enduring
it,
waiting for the bell to ring, but
joyfully meditating.
A
disciple
asked the guru, Guruji, why do we pray to God even after our
meditation.
The
guru replied, we do so because we are thanking god
that the meditation is over! Isvara-pranidana,
or surrender
to the
higher
power,
is
prescribed in the yogic
philosophy of
the
8-limbed
path.
I
have experimented with this
smile in
my meditation. Once
I had
assumed all the suggested steps for sitting posture, such as straight
back, relaxed shoulders, relaxed
arms
etc, I invited a slight smile around the corners of my mouth - like
you
are happy to sit and happy
with
the process. My
experience was remarkably
better,
I felt the time went by faster
and I struggled
less with
boredom.
Dear you, by Kaveri Patel
You who always have
so many things to do
so many places to be
your mind spinning like
fan blades at high speed
each moment always a blur
because you’re never still.
I know you’re tired.
I also know it’s not your fault.
The constant brain-buzz is like
a swarm of bees threatening
to sting if you close your eyes.
You’ve forgotten something again.
You need to prepare for that or else.
You should have done that differently.
What if you closed your eyes?
Would the world fall
apart without you?
Or would your mind
become the open sky
flock of thoughts
flying across the sunrise
as you watched and smiled.
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