<p>Thich Nhat Hahn is the only one I have read who attributes a significance to smiling. It may have to do with the challenging times he has had to endure.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marianne-schnall/beliefs-buddhism-exclusiv_b_577541.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marianne-schnall/beliefs-buddhism-exclusiv_b_577541.html</a></p>

<p>The interview with him contains much of his practice, but here is an excerpt about smiling</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>We humans have lost the wisdom of genuinely resting and relaxing. We
  worry too much. We don't allow our bodies to heal, and we don't allow
  our minds and hearts to heal. Meditation can help us embrace our
  worries, our fear, our anger; and that is very healing. We let our own
  natural capacity of healing do the work.</p>
  
  <p>Total relaxation is the secret to enjoying sitting meditation. I sit
  with my spine upright, but not rigid; and I relax all the muscles in
  my body. Breathing in, I bring my attention to one part of my body;
  breathing out, I smile with gratitude and love to that part of my
  body. For example, I breathe in and I bring my attention to my face.
  On my face there are about 300 muscles, and whenever I get worried,
  angry or sad, these 300 muscles harden, and anyone who looks at me can
  see that I'm tense. But if while breathing in I can be aware of my
  face, and breathing out I can smile to my face, then that tension
  immediately dissipates. It's almost like a miracle. In just a few
  breaths we can feel peace, happiness, and relaxation on our face. Our
  face becomes light, fresh, like the kind of flower it was before.
  Every face is a flower.</p>
  
  <p>After breathing three or four times with "breathing in I am aware of
  my face; breathing out I smile to my face," then I can breathe in and
  bring my awareness to the muscles in my shoulders, because our
  shoulder muscles are often tense. As I breathe out, I relax and smile
  with my shoulders. Gradually we can move through the whole body, so
  after just a few minutes we can already normalize our body so it feels
  light and relaxed.</p>
  
  <p>This is something everyone can do in the first minutes of sitting, and
  not only when we are in the meditation hall. Wherever we sit, we can
  sit beautifully, just like we are doing sitting meditation, and we
  will feel stability and freedom. Sitting down to eat or do paperwork,
  we sit upright and relaxed. Let us sit like the Buddha.</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-10T22:09:52.980Z
2014-10-10T22:09:52.980Z
soulsings
<p>A person who is advanced towards realization of emptiness will typically display a calm, peaceful, and blissful demeanor, even during trying circumstances. I would say that smiling is a natural part of such a demeanor.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-11T03:25:45.920Z
2014-10-11T03:25:45.920Z
Joe McDonagh
<p>Body language (smiling) seems to be linked to meditation success as per Bhante Vimalaramsi:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>smiling is an important aspect for the meditation. Learning to smile with mind and raising slightly the corners of the mouth helps mind to be observant, alert and agile.</p>
<p><a href="http://library.dhammasukha.org/simple-easy-to-understand-mindfulness.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Source</a></p>
</blockquote>
<p>What are the mechanics behind this or how it works?</p>
<hr />
<p>In addition these talks through not related to make suggestion that there is a link between body language, smiling and our well being:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_shapes_who_you_are" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Your body language shapes who you are</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/ron_gutman_the_hidden_power_of_smiling" rel="nofollow noreferrer">The hidden power of smiling</a></li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-02T01:02:41.187Z
It does not need to be any body who study under Bhante Vimalaramsi. If you can successfully formulate a explanation to a more neutral psychology view on the matter we can get to how it works according to Buddhism (http://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_shapes_who_you_are).
Suminda Sirinath S. Dharmasena
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-02T04:30:26.893Z
interesting. i hear this sort of thing from a lot of secular meditation teachers. not just with smiling, but also with straight back, open chest, etc.
Anthony
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-02T04:32:16.180Z
in my observation these techniques seem to counter frustration, negative states of mind, etc.
Anthony
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-02T04:36:02.290Z
Do you have any material I can go through?
Suminda Sirinath S. Dharmasena
<meditation-body>
How is body language linked with meditation success?
# How is body language linked with meditation success?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2014-10-01)

Body language (smiling) seems to be linked to meditation success as per Bhante Vimalaramsi:

> smiling is an important aspect for the meditation. Learning to smile with mind and raising slightly the corners of the mouth helps mind to be observant, alert and agile.
>
> [Source](http://library.dhammasukha.org/simple-easy-to-understand-mindfulness.html)

What are the mechanics behind this or how it works?

---

In addition these talks through not related to make suggestion that there is a link between body language, smiling and our well being:

* [Your body language shapes who you are](http://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_shapes_who_you_are)
* [The hidden power of smiling](http://www.ted.com/talks/ron_gutman_the_hidden_power_of_smiling)

**Tags:** meditation-body

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: It does not need to be any body who study under Bhante Vimalaramsi. If you can successfully formulate a explanation to a more neutral psychology view on the matter we can get to how it works according to Buddhism (http://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_shapes_who_you_are).  
> **username_1**: interesting. i hear this sort of thing from a lot of secular meditation teachers. not just with smiling, but also with straight back, open chest, etc.  
> **username_1**: in my observation these techniques seem to counter frustration, negative states of mind, etc.  
> **username_0**: Do you have any material I can go through?  

---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2014-10-10. Score: 4

Thich Nhat Hahn is the only one I have read who attributes a significance to smiling. It may have to do with the challenging times he has had to endure.

<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marianne-schnall/beliefs-buddhism-exclusiv_b_577541.html>

The interview with him contains much of his practice, but here is an excerpt about smiling

> We humans have lost the wisdom of genuinely resting and relaxing. We
> worry too much. We don't allow our bodies to heal, and we don't allow
> our minds and hearts to heal. Meditation can help us embrace our
> worries, our fear, our anger; and that is very healing. We let our own
> natural capacity of healing do the work.
>
> Total relaxation is the secret to enjoying sitting meditation. I sit
> with my spine upright, but not rigid; and I relax all the muscles in
> my body. Breathing in, I bring my attention to one part of my body;
> breathing out, I smile with gratitude and love to that part of my
> body. For example, I breathe in and I bring my attention to my face.
> On my face there are about 300 muscles, and whenever I get worried,
> angry or sad, these 300 muscles harden, and anyone who looks at me can
> see that I'm tense. But if while breathing in I can be aware of my
> face, and breathing out I can smile to my face, then that tension
> immediately dissipates. It's almost like a miracle. In just a few
> breaths we can feel peace, happiness, and relaxation on our face. Our
> face becomes light, fresh, like the kind of flower it was before.
> Every face is a flower.
>
> After breathing three or four times with "breathing in I am aware of
> my face; breathing out I smile to my face," then I can breathe in and
> bring my awareness to the muscles in my shoulders, because our
> shoulder muscles are often tense. As I breathe out, I relax and smile
> with my shoulders. Gradually we can move through the whole body, so
> after just a few minutes we can already normalize our body so it feels
> light and relaxed.
>
> This is something everyone can do in the first minutes of sitting, and
> not only when we are in the meditation hall. Wherever we sit, we can
> sit beautifully, just like we are doing sitting meditation, and we
> will feel stability and freedom. Sitting down to eat or do paperwork,
> we sit upright and relaxed. Let us sit like the Buddha.


---

### Answer by username_3 on 2014-10-11. Score: 3

A person who is advanced towards realization of emptiness will typically display a calm, peaceful, and blissful demeanor, even during trying circumstances. I would say that smiling is a natural part of such a demeanor.


---

