Pose of the Month: Hugs
By Jonathan Wood
“Bring your knees into your chest and give yourself a nice squeeze.”
How many times have you heard that in a yoga class? In the class I attended today it was three. As we prepared for savasna, that invitation to hug our own body was followed with a reminder to “be kind to yourselves.”
There it is. A simple, easy pose we find embedded in our yoga practice. Sometimes we gloss over the hug. But here’s the thing, it turns out hugging ourselves and others is an action with tremendous impact. Research indicates that hugs are a powerful combatant against stress and anxiety, disease, depression, loneliness, and disease in general. This makes hugs an amazing thing to share with the people we care about, which is why I’m sharing it as my pose of the month.
A good, deep hug happens when two hearts are pressed against each other. This invites the flow of energy. Here are a few steps to giving a proper hug.
- Open your arms. (Ideally, this invites the other person to do the same.)
- Lean into the embrace.
- Give a squeeze...not too much and not too little.
- Just be with the person you’re hugging and breathe.
- Let go and smile!
Remember, the Me-Hug is always there for you. Simply wrap your arms around your torso, squeeze tightly, and smile. What a beautiful way to show yourself how much you care!