Hugging Meditation

The excerpt below is from Thich Nhat Hanh's book, Peace is Every Step. In light of the day September 11th, I thought this would be a very good way to spend part of they day.

Hugging is a beautiful Western culture, and we from the East would like to contribute the practice of conscious breathing to it.  When you hold a child in your arms, or hug your mother, or your husband, or your friend, if you breathe in and out three times, your happiness will be multiplied at least tenfold.

If you are distracted, thinking about other things, your hug will be distracted also, not very deep, and you may not enjoy hugging very much.  So when you hug your child, your friend, your spouse, I recommend that you first breathe in and out consciously and return to the present moment.  Then, while you hold him or her in your arms, breathe three times consciously, and you will enjoy your hugging more then before.


I also have to add, for those of you with kids who grew up with songs from Charlotte Diamond - "Three hugs a day, that's the minimum, three hugs a day, not the maximum."

Namaste.
Pamela Nelson
www.plnyoga.vpweb.com