An Inner Smile warms and calms like a relaxing cocktail making us receptive to healthy thoughts. Conversely, a frown can suppress our immune system by increasing stress and stress related hormones.  Research in France indicates that facial muscles used to convey emotion trigger specific brain neurotransmitters. Smiling activates the secretion of healing hormones such as healing endorphins and immune boosting T-cells.

 

Smile therapy has been shown to lower the stress hormones cortisol, adrenalin and noradrenaline. It can produce hormones which stabilize blood pressure, relax muscles, improve respiration, reduce pain, accelerate healing and stabilize the mood. Stress hormones may increase blood pressure, weaken the immune system, increase susceptibility to infections, and exacerbate depression and anxiety.

Though a heart-felt smile has a more profound effect, even a small, gentle smile can trick the brain into releasing healthy hormones.  This is because each time we smile we reinforce happy neural pathways that fire more spontaneously with each use. Smiling circuits then release healing chemicals whereas self-sabotaging messages release poisons that breed disease.

It is suggested to smile as often as possible. It takes 26 muscles to smile and 62 muscles to frown, so why work so hard to wear a frown?

Experiment and try a smile for 60 seconds. As you relax into your subtle smile, feel it spread from your lips to your eyes. A gentle smile can relax the muscles of the face and decrease wrinkles. 

Think of something or someone that always makes you smile. What is the last person, pet or experience that brought you a sense of joy. To contrast, now frown for 45 seconds and feel for the emotional and energetic shift. Can you feel the difference?  

 

Experiment and share a smile with those around you. See how people respond differently to you. Smiling faces tend to grow smiles in others.  If people wear an unhappy expression the same principal applies.  Don’t underestimate the power of a smile.

Mantak Chia, a Taoist Master, has taught the Inner Smile for over 4 decades to all of his students.  He teaches that In ancient China, the Taoists believed that a constant Inner Smile insured health, happiness and longevity.  Learning to focus the healing energy of a smile on specific organs and glands has been a Taoist practice for over 5000 years for a good reason; it works.  This may be why Master Chia has thousands of happy, healthy students.

 

The Inner Smile is considered a complete practice that will benefit everyone, adult and child alike, and has no religious or spiritual connotation thus may be practiced by all cultures. When consistently performed, it can nurture the health that we all seek in a safe simple way.

.