Hugging is a way of connecting with others, of showing your genuine affection and appreciation, of valuting others, and of giving. All of these are positive, healthy, life enhancing purposes. While hugging is natural and we all know how to do it, I have put together some guidelines to help make you a better hugger.
1. Begin the hug with great eye contact. This communicates to the receiver the spirit in which the hug is being given.
2. Be present during the hug. Even if the hug is only for three seconds, devote your total energy and focus on the person you are hugging. Feel how good it feels to both give and receive.
3. When you finish the hug and are pulling away, make great eyey contact again. This further blesses the receiver, and communicates a positive feeling to them.
4. A hug is not an opportunity to burp the other person! Be gentle. This goes especially for the guys----a hug isn't the start of a wrestling match either.
5. If you are much taller than the other person, bend your knees. Make the hug comfortable and a blessing.
6. If you are hugging children, get on your knees and be at their eye level. If they are small enough, pick them up to hug them.
All of these guidelines are about making the hug a completely positive, giving experience. As in many other things in our lives, when we think about others, we can make better decisions. The same is true for hugs----hug with the huggee in mind!
Take a few minutes today to think about how often you give and receive hugs. Remind yourself how it feels to be the receiver of a really good hug----how it can improve your outlook and general emotional state. Ask yourself whose day you could improve by giving them one or more hugs today.
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