Not long ago,
I went to a healer who explained to me that the energy centre,
The solar plexus,
Situated between the ribcage and the navel,
Was blocked.
I was lying down at the time with my eyes closed and my body relaxed,
And the word loss kept coming up over and over again.
Loss.
Loss.
Loss.
I saw the word appear before me,
And I knew,
Deep down,
That was the sadness that befalls me on occasion,
And that arises from deep,
Deep within my psyche.
The healer suggested that whenever this sadness appears,
Wrap my arms around myself and give myself a gentle hug,
And to breathe deeply into the solar plexus,
As I did so.
Long,
Gentle breaths,
He said,
For release and mending.
I smiled at him,
As at the time,
As I explained to him,
I was actually teaching the hugging breath in my yoga classes,
And I was currently writing a recording for my students.
Hugging is,
Indeed,
A lovely act of self-compassion,
And so I thought,
Let us do it here,
So that you are able to call upon it whenever needed.
So gently wrap your arms around yourself and drop your chin just a fraction,
Being aware of the breath riding from shoulder to shoulder across your back,
And sensing it crossing the thoracic spine,
The back expanding and contracting,
Expanding and contracting.
That point in your body where you get that gut feeling,
That point where you sense compassion and kindness for others and for yourself.
Inhale for the count of five.
Exhale for the count of five.
Gently and sweetly.
Keep doing this for a little while,
And at times you'll hear my voice,
To keep you mindfully present.
Keep breathing in and out slowly and peacefully.
What can the hugging breath do for you?
Observations have been made that hugging yourself can reduce stress.
Well,
It makes sense,
Really,
As it is a similar feeling to when you are hugged by someone else who loves you.
Often the stress just melts away.
You are sending signals to your brain that you are safe,
Comfortable and loved,
Which in turn calms the nervous system and may reduce your levels of anxiety.
Continue on,
Just inhaling and exhaling.
Inhaling for the count of five.
Exhaling for the count of five.
Self-compassion and self-love are gifts we can give ourselves,
Letting go of the sadness,
Tensions and worries that burden us,
Increasing resilience and optimism and our connection with humanity.
Just simply inhaling for the count of five.
Exhaling for the count of five.
Gently and patiently.
Sometimes when one is quiet and still and just hugging oneself,
Clarity appears,
Grounding is established,
Things are put into perspective,
A new path comes to light,
A new path is forged.
Just continue on,
Breathing in for the count of five and out for the count of five at your own pace.
Sometimes as tension releases,
Fears subside and emotions are more fully understood.
Gently does it now,
Gently does it,
Breathing in and out.
It is worth giving it a go when you need to distance yourself from moodiness and distress.
It is simply a method of self-care,
Reducing cortisol levels,
Elevating serotonin and endorphins and perhaps strengthening the immune system.
Let us do this for another few minutes,
Just peacefully and gently breathing in and out,
Keeping the mind focused on the beauty of the hug.
Let go now and notice how you are feeling.
I believe that a hug can dislodge the splinters.
I hope this is the case for you.
With love,
From Anne-Marie.
