problem - smile
More words of wisdom of Thich Nhat Hahn (TNH). He writes…
“A while ago I invited a guest to smile… and not to fight with a problem. Your smile improves it. It proves that you are being gentle with yourself, that the sun of awareness is shining in you, that you have control of your situation. You are yourself and you have acquired some peace.”
Your smile can change how you’re feeling and your energy. This physiological change in your facial expression, with the conscious awareness of deliberately bringing a genuine smile to your face shifts your perspective.
TNH shares a gentle reminder of the opportunity we have to use our smile at times when there’s a problem and we may tend to get frustrated, annoyed, impatient or angry…. Remember his words; that bringing your gentle smile to your face (you may even venture to a subtle giggle to yourself 😆), as you consider that your smile can improve the situation….. It can act like a ‘circuit breaker’, allowing you space to step back from its default ‘problem solving’ stance. In deliberately smiling you’ve brought awareness to yourself. You’ve recognised ‘yes there is a problem’, however I don’t need to fight with it. I can be calm, and I have control over the situation; ‘I can choose how I respond’. And in doing this, you have created a space; a space to pause, and to smile 🙂…. an opportunity to shift your perspective, and change your attitude.
Give it a try! Think of a problem in your life, and invite yourself to smile….to not fight it… and as you do, remembering you have control of YOUR situation (how you choose to respond), you are you, not your problem… and invite in some peace.
TNHs words remind me that ‘your smile’ can be used as a prompt or trigger to break the stress cycle in many many ways, not just with a problem. In the meditation course I run participants experience the difference between the thinking/normal mind and the meditative mind and notice the nature of the thinking mind to be analytical and wanting to solve problems while the meditative mind has a nature of clarity and calm, and tunes in to the sensory experience (eg the breath, senses, another object of focus, or observing the thoughts without being caught up in them). Our smile is a sensory experience, and so bringing your attention to it is a simple way to ‘get you out of your head’ and the thinking mind for a moment. Once you’ve broken the circuit with your smile you could add a few mindful breaths, or take time to tune in to your senses - noticing 5 things you can see, hear, touch, smell or taste…
You carry your smile with you wherever you go. You may like to use it as a reminder that ‘you are in control of your situation’, with a little upturn of the lips, and the knowing that comes from this.
Smile when there is a problem, and see what happens 😉
Nicky’s yoga classes are a gentle, hatha style, suitable for beginners.
Along with teaching weekly yoga classes in Beaumaris, Bayside Melbourne, Nicky is a Registered Clinical Counsellor (PACFA), coach and mindfulness meditation teacher.
Get in touch with Nicky to find out more.