Why Do You Laugh During Meditation?

Meditation can evoke a wide range of different emotions, some of which you feel intensely whereas others you may just feel slightly. 

It’s normal and part of the journey, and while some emotions are preferable to others to make the meditation more doable, most, if not all emotions should be treated the same. 

At times, we can bring out deep memories within, as we allow them to express themselves freely, within the safe space that meditation is. It’s not uncommon for us to hold back emotions we’ve been judged on in the past. 

But among all the emotions you may experience during meditation, is laughter one of them? 

_{Photo by Svyatoslav Romanov on Unsplash}

It would seem incompatible at first glance, I mean, meditation is a practice to take seriously if one wants to change their life. But not even during meditation do we stop being our truest selves. 

You can have an image of who you are, that ends up getting shattered during meditation to show you who you truly are. You can then use that information to be who you want to be, as opposed to just faking it. 

On the opposite side of the spectrum, there are those that cry during meditation, not because meditation is inherently a sad practice, but just like with laughter, they let out emotions they had stored within. 

For this occasion, we’ll explore why some people laugh during meditation, why it’s often a harmless thing to do, and why it can even put you closer to your meditation goal. After all, laughter is a derivative of joy.

Quieting Yourself

In order to silence the mind, you have to travel to that destination at times. The stepping stone to silencing the mind can be laughter, crying, sweating, yawning, and so on. 

There are those that experience extreme emotions during meditation and those that expand their scope of emotion, which makes them less reactive as a whole and less emotional, since, on a subconscious level, you start to understand that not every emotion is worthy of a reaction. 

After all, what you focus on is what grows bigger, and with meditation, you master the skill of taking a step back rather than living mindlessly day by day. 

Silencing the mind is hard, and when it comes to laughter, the mind can often try one of its many tricks under its sleeves to try to stop you from meditating. 

All the mind wants to do is experience pleasure, even if that pleasure is short-term and doesn’t make any positive contribution to our lives. 

The mind just wants to feel good but it doesn’t care if it’s at our expense, it’s so good at convincing us that we at times, end up falling prey to the tricks of the mind and giving in. 

This is something you let go of after meditating for quite a while, and even if the effects of meditation can last for years, if not a lifetime, there’s always the risk of relapse because we aren’t perfect. 

From this perspective, this kind of laughter is something to let coexist with the meditation as a way to get to the destination of deep meditation, it will fade on its own. 

After all, it’s better to feel positive emotions rather than negative emotions, this can be an indication that the meditation won’t be as challenging. 

Laughter Can De-stress You

It’s no secret that laughter can make you less stressed, which helps the purpose of meditation. It’s almost as if half the battle is done, because meditation can be relaxing and allow you to take the break you deserve, by letting go of thought. 

Laughter can be an intense emotion that makes you feel like everything is fine, and you forget about all the problems you were otherwise worrying about that stemmed from the past or the future, even if the laughter in itself stems from the past or future because of what’s popping up in your mind. 

But sometimes, the laughter comes from the present moment, which is even better, because at times, when we chant a mantra, some may think it sounds funny and feel like they can’t take the meditation seriously. Allow yourself to feel the laughter, it de-stresses you. 

Even if you think it affects your meditation at the start, we all have different reactions to meditation. 

You break out of the pattern of thinking and allow yourself to feel joy, even if it doesn’t manifest the way you necessarily intend. 

Although we all can agree, we could all do with more laughter. We all go through different stages of relaxation, and the path for some will be different than for others. 

Otherwise, meditation would be pretty boring without the countless testimonies and variety of experiences. You simply are on your own path. 

Laughter Can Heal You

Some individuals use laughing as a coping mechanism, but they may have this repressed outside the meditation. 

They become more expressive internally during the meditation because when we meditate if done correctly, we apply the principle of letting go of judgment and allowing ourselves to be. 

Outside the meditation, once we’ve done enough of the practice, this can manifest in talking to yourself more favorably and becoming your best friend, which is the ideal outcome.

However, so strong is the force of laughter that it’s sometimes recommended to deliberately engage in laughter. 

In fact, it can be a way to allow yourself to feel the emotions that would help you be at peace for the meditation, allowing yourself to feel what you need to have an undisturbed experience. 

Now, laughter can be unpredictable, much like any emotion we experience during meditation. It can even come after meditation and be an indication of when we should stop, depending on what we’re feeling. Something we will often know intuitively. 

Laughter can serve as one means to mitigate a certain pain we may be feeling internally, which just further aids the purpose of meditation. 

Meditation will many times bring you what you need the most, depending on where you are on your journey. If it’s laughter, it’s laughter, and if it’s crying, crying it is. 

You are generally in a good place while laughing, so enjoy the experience as it’s happening and just treat it as part of the meditation, you don’t have to worry, it’s not stagnating your progress. 

If you find yourself laughing during meditation, feel it and don’t resist it, then resume the meditation practice as you go. 

Final Thoughts

Not everyone is fortunate to experience laughter during meditation, but it’s a great way to enter a profound experience and allow yourself to experience anything that you might’ve suppressed up until this point. 

Much like you might’ve been more present in your childhood, you might’ve also laughed more as a kid. 

You might’ve been shamed for laughing and now, you may subconsciously repress it without realizing it. Meditation allows you to break free from the chains and from an internal perspective, live your day by day on your own terms, spiritually and emotionally. 

If you experience laughter during meditation, you likely will have less trouble adapting the practice in your daily life, as the more you associate meditation with something good, pleasant, fun, or joyful, the easier it will be to integrate the practice into your daily routine. 

If, on the contrary, you experience crying during meditation, allow yourself to experience it, it’s also a stepping stone. 

Sometimes, laughter as much as crying doesn’t have a concrete reason to manifest, but just is there as part of our rawest form. This can mean we should work on ourselves or continue down a path that leads to greater joy.