The Hug:An Exercise in Discovery of Self-Love

Not sure what self-love feels like? That’s okay!

I think a great way to explain this is to get you to give yourself a hug. Start off by wrapping your arms around yourself and just see what that feels like.

Pause here for a moment and feel this… Okay, now stop.

Now, bring your awareness to your breath. As you inhale, bring your attention to the feeling of the breath flowing in. The cool air flowing in your nose or mouth, down into your chest. Keep your awareness in your chest, and then exhale, relaxing down into your Heart Center.

Continue to breath into this space. Inhaling and exhaling. And now, begin to smile. Imagine that all of your insides are smiling too. Breath into that.

Now, pause here and hug yourself again.

Do you feel the difference?

The first hug could be described as similar to a to-do list, right? The second, bares a resemblance to creating an inner glow and space of acceptance. A space of enjoyment.

While this is a good way to really start to understand what self-love feels like, I also think it’s a great technique to use if you need to ground yourself, start your morning off right, or wind down after a stressful event. So feel free to use it whenever you feel you need an extra boost of self-love.