Mindful Smiling

Smile to Life

Breathing In, smile. 

Breathing Out, relax. 

Breathing In, I smile to my body

Breathing Out, I calm my entire body. 

Breathing In, I smile to the feelings within me; 

Breathing Out, I calm my feelings. 

Practicing mindful smiling is very effective. You don’t need to feel joyful to smile, because smiling is yoga—yoga for the mouth. Even when you don’t feel happy, simply smiling relaxes around three hundred facial muscles. When we are angry or afraid, those muscles tighten, and you can see it in the mirror. But if we breathe and smile, those muscles relax quickly, and we begin to feel lighter and more at ease. We can also help others reduce stress by breathing and smiling. "Inhale, I smile. Exhale, I release the tension within me."

When you breathe in, be aware that someone may have said or done something to make you angry. As you breathe out, smile, because you know you can embrace that anger and regain peace. You can write a small note, the size of a credit card, and keep it in your wallet: “I am angry, but I know I can return to peace.” Whenever you feel anger rising and fear you may lose your calm, take that note out, read it, and focus on your breath. Act immediately before your anger causes harm to yourself or others. That note is like a Buddha; keep it in your wallet, and when needed, take it out and return to your practice.

The Dandelion Smiles for Me

When a child or an adult smiles, it is very important. In daily life, if we smile, if we feel peace and happiness, then it is not just us who are happy, but everyone around us also benefits.

Why not begin each day with a smile? Smiling shows that we are mindful, that we are determined to live with peace and happiness. A mindful smile is a true smile—genuine, not forced, not distorted.

How can we remember to smile when we wake up? You can hang a branch, a leaf, or a poem by your bed to remind yourself to smile as soon as you wake. With practice, you will naturally smile when you hear birds singing, when you see the warm sunlight, and you will live a day that is light and full of understanding.

When I see someone smile, I know they are truly awake. Many artists have worked hard to capture a smile on their paintings and statues. I believe these artists were smiling as they worked. It is hard to imagine a painter frowning while creating a smile. For example, the Mona Lisa smile—so light, so subtle. A smile like that can relax the muscles of the face and dissolve tiredness and worry. Such a miraculous smile nurtures mindfulness and serenity, bringing back peace that we may have thought was lost.

When we smile, we bring happiness to ourselves and to everyone around us. We spend so much money buying gifts for our loved ones, but we don’t need to spend a single cent to give a priceless gift—our mindful smile.

At the end of a retreat in California, a practitioner wrote the following poem:

"I lost my smile,
But I am so lucky
The dandelion is smiling for me."

When you can no longer smile but realize that the dandelion is smiling for you, your situation is not so bad. You still have enough mindfulness to see the smile present around you. Just a few mindful breaths and your smile will return to your lips. The dandelion is part of the sangha, a loyal friend who keeps your smile safe.

In fact, if we look closely, we will see that the breath and everything around us are smiling with us. We are never alone. Everything in and around us is supporting us. Just open your heart and you will receive the gentle smile of the dandelion. And why not smile back in return?