Today on the blog, we are excited to feature Yogi Cameron, one of the most celebrated Ayurvedic and Yogic practitioners in the world. Please enjoy his video above or read the transcription below :)

Is there a difference between laughing from the heart and laughing from the mind?

I think laughing from the heart is different than laughing from the mind. Laughing from the mind is more intellectual. 

It’s more because you heard a joke. It makes you laugh. There’s a reason for it. But I think laughing from the heart has no reason at all. It is more derived from joy. So I distinguish the two because a lot of people say to me, “I laugh a lot. I feel great. It’s amazing.” 

But I’ve seen people laugh a lot and then get exhausted. Or sometimes, they’re even exhausting me…

I’m sure you’ve been in that situation. Somebody is continuously laughing and laughing and laughing. It’s a little bit exhausting to watch them - and I’m sure they’re getting exhausted too. 

So laughter is great, but it depends where it’s coming from if it’s really making you happier. If it’s coming from the mind, it’s a little bit more intellectual. It’s a little bit more cerebral. You are consciously determining what and when to laugh. Laughing from the mind can lead to fatigue because the mind can only handle some of that. So imagine when you watch something very funny. You laugh so hard that you almost lose energy. You’re, once again, exhausted. So laughing didn’t give you energy. It didn’t make you happier. 

It actually made you more tired in that moment. 

Mind laughter doesn’t give us any energy nor does it make us happy… but it’s that heart laughter we should be after. Heart laughter isn’t for any particular reason. Heart laughter cures a lot of things because it’s coming from a joyous place. It’s coming from compassion. It’s coming from love and gratitude, and all those great words and great feelings. 

I think if you’re laughing from that point of view, that’s amazing. It has healing power within it. And it’s not overly excessive in how you show the world you’re laughing. Those kind of laugh-out-loud and excessive laughs - they’re pretty exhausting and they’re coming from the mind. But the ones coming from the heart really are something we can share with other people because behind them, they have all these great things like joy and compassion. So think about that in your own life. Are you laughing from the heart, or are you laughing from the mind? 

These are very two different things. Where do you stand?