By Vanamala Mayr-Reisch
Research has shown that smiling can elevate your mood, reduce stress, enhance your immune system, and potentially even extend your lifespan, and it lifts your face.
What better place than Asia to experience the real power of a smile? If you have ever been in Asia, you are familiar with the friendly smiling faces welcoming you to the Garden of Eden. A smile is … a simple tool to cross language barriers. It signals a warm and kind attitude in a situation, which potentially could be awkward.
Smile to communicate
I have traveled through China at a time when hardly anyone spoke English or any other foreign language in this vast country. I had no choice but to communicate with a mix of funny hand gestures, some pantomime and a big smile. These humble tools opened the doors to the hearts of the people around me. We laughed and cried, we looked at each other in wonderment and surprise and we explored each other’s world. No intellectual barrier, no expectations, no fear to misbehave stood in the way to share the precious moment of meeting someone from an entirely different culture. It is one of my journeys, which I hold in fond memories because of the incredible closeness I experienced to the people of this foreign country.
The Importance of our facial expressions
What we do with our faces is important. Pro-smiling cultures tend to see smiling as a mark of respect for another person. Smiling is a diplomatic tool to ease relationships, so it’s considered important to greet people with a smile even if they are unfamiliar to you.
The experiment
Now, let us go even a level deeper into what a smile can do.
A few weeks ago, I conducted an experiment and walked through a huge shopping mall with a smile on my face. Within minutes, I noticed that every single person who walked towards me looked at me with kind eyes. They not only acknowledge my presence but also responded with a boost of pleasant energy. As longer I strolled through the mall as more my self-confidence rose. It felt as though I’d slipped on a pair of pink glasses. It turned out that when I smiled, the world smiled back. This energy exchange made my heart hum, and instead of feeling drained from the shopping experience I felt like a million dollar baby.
It was the best Pick-Me-Up elixir, and it was for free
Scientists and spiritual teachers
Scientists and spiritual teachers alike agree that the simple act of smiling can transform you and the world around you. Current research shows us that a smile is contagious. It lifts our mood, as well as the moods of those around us.
These are the affects smiling has on your body
o You look better
o You exude an aura of reliability, sincerity and relaxation
o People treat you differently
o It stimulates your frontal cortex
o People around you will feel rewarded
o A smile across your face triggers a feel-good party in your brain
o It releases neuropeptides that work toward fighting off stress.
o It can lower your heart rate
o It can lower your blood pressure
o It’s a great painkiller
o It’s 100-percent organic
o It’s free
o It can even lengthen your life
o And it wins the hearts of others
And there is more
The Yummy Smile is one of the most important poses in Face Yoga.
It smooth the fine vertical lines above your lips. It trains your cheek muscles and lifts your saggy cheeks. It tones and fills your cheeks. It trains the muscles around your mouth. It makes you look younger.
Let it become one of your daily rituals. Smile while you sit at your desk or in front of your computer. Smile while you watch TV or read. Smile while you drive a car, go shopping or do some other shores. Remember to smile and if you need a little help use a tool between your lips to remind you to smile.
Come to one of my classes to learn how to smile without creating wrinkles. Learn to isolate your muscles and to relax the rest of your face. It’s like a magic wand. Your face will start to open up and look more radiant. Follow the link to Book a Class
It’s amazing how a simple smile can change your life.
If you don’t believe me, see how many looks you get when you walk outside with that smile you’re wearing right now.
Take the challenge
Do the smile experiment and tell me how it went.