When You Smile :)

Smile though your heart is aching
Smile even though it's breaking
When there are clouds in the sky, you'll get by
If you smile through your fear and sorrow
Smile and maybe tomorrow
You'll see the sun come shining through for you 

Lyrics to "Smile"

When I was a grade school one of the bulletin boards outside in the hallway had some facts that my teacher liked to collect and exhibit. One of the facts struck me and till this day I remember it well. It was about smiling. It basically related that it takes 43 muscles to frown and 13 to smile. Little did I know that this fact was just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to smiling. 

Fast forward a few decades as I read Elizabeth Gilbert's spiritual memoir "Eat, Pray, Love" which was such an inspirational book for me as it helped guide and prepare me for my start on my own spiritual path and remind me how important meditation is for our general well being. In the "Love" section of the book, Elizabeth learns a special meditation from her Balinese spiritual teacher; it is "The Inner Smile Meditation Technique".

I was immediately intrigued as the technique was very simple and I feel is a good introduction to those who are a little intimidated about meditating. I decided to try it out and it is such an effective meditation that I would like to pass it on.

You first start in a relaxed state of mind seated comfortably and take a few breaths to feel calm and centered. Close your eyes. Then start to bring your awareness to the center of your head. Visualize looking out from the center of your head to your "inner face mask" or what you think the inside of your face looks like. Look at your forehead from the inside and notice the blank area of your forehead and how it can be used to display thoughts similar to a movie screen. Right now the movie playing in your forehead is over and your thoughts are blank.

Then continue to go down to the eye sockets and notice how your eyes look when they are closed from the inside. Right now with your closed eyes there is nothing to see out there so "Shop is closed!"  This is your time to yourself. See how your eyes look when they are relaxed, then go down to your nostrils and notice your breath coming in and out, the ebb and flow of life. Such a simple movement is highly taken for granted by us yet we can't live without it.


Next we go down to the mouth, it is in a relaxed state. No gnawing, no gashing, tongue is relaxed, the teeth are slightly separated, lips slightly touching each other in a neutral state. Then we go down to the jaw and chin and we see no pent up tension, as all is calm and relaxed. Now we go back to the center of our head again and view our inner mask and focus on the lips. This time we slightly turn up the corners of our lips in a smile. We start to witness our smile from the inside and eventually we notice a shift in energy and a warm sense of being. Then we go back to the eyes and we see that they too are starting to smile and are in tandem with the lips. This is the Inner Smile. Try to stay in this state for as long as you can and you will notice what the Taoists in ancient China taught, that a constant inner smile, a smile to oneself, insures health, happiness and longevity. Why? Smiling to yourself is like basking in love: you become your own best friend. Living with an inner smile is to live in harmony with yourself.

If you are having a particularly hard day you just have to visualize your neutral inner face and then reset it with an inner smile. 

April, Franz and I love to smile.

Besides the spiritual benefits of smiling there are also many physical reasons to smile, they are:

• Smiling makes us attractive. People are naturally drawn to people who smile. When was the last time you just had to meet the person across the room that was grimacing?
• Smiling helps change our mood. Smiling can actually trick the body into thinking that everything is going to be alright (and it usually is).
• Smiling is contagious. This is true, I like to smile to strangers (not in a stalking way) and I feel joyous when I get a smile back (although I have to admit living in New York City it can go either way as we can be pretty jaded living here).
• Smiling relieves stress. Smiling is my number one solution to not looking tired and stressed out. Whenever I am in a crowded subway car and I see my little, sad reflection in the window I automatically smile and then I no longer look like a subway zombie (aka, pained commuter).
• Smiling lifts the face. It's an instant facelift and make you look years younger. Who needs cheek implants? Just smile. Remember frowning is using 43 muscles so you are aging yourself prematurely when you frown.
• Smiling makes you look successful. Go into a crowded room with a smile and you look like someone that knows what they are doing in their life. You convey confidence.
• Smiling lowers blood pressure; boost your immune systems and releases Endorphins, Natural Pain Killers and Serotonin. Next time you have bad cramps or are in intense pain, try smiling through the pain and the pain is likely to lessen (of course I also advise a smile AND an Advil in these matters).
• Smiling helps you stay positive. Whenever life gives you lemons just smile, it will probably domino into a chuckle or laugh and help you see the bright side of a situation. Smiling through a problem will most likely take the fear away and the illusion of fear and how we react to it is really the problem of our lives.

 Even dogs (like my beloved Q-Ball) love to smile!

Lately I have noticed that there are certain people whose company make me smile permanently by just being around them. I have made a conscious choice to try and have them more in my life. The other flip side of the coin is that I am now more aware of people who never bring a smile to my face. I intend to see less of these acquaintances or hope my smile will rub off on them. I am still a work in progress so hopefully in the future I can inspire myself and others and a smile seems like a good place to start. Who knew such a little muscle action in our face could make such a big difference in the world?


Thank you!