Self Hug: A Short Meditation For Calming The Nervous System

As mammals, we literally need touch for our health and sanity. Sadly, many of us in modern society feel touch-deprived. Luckily, we can give ourselves some of the touch that our nervous systems are thirsty for. Take three minutes, hug yourself, and see how you feel!

How was this practice for you? Let me know!

P.S. In this meditation, Emma says, “There aren’t too many people we’re allowed to hug,” because she recorded it at the height of the pandemic quarantine.

Transcript

Hi,

This is Emma Sartwell and today we're going to do a brief exercise to connect with our bodies and calm our nervous system.

So take a moment to get comfortable,

Find a seat,

And just check in with yourself.

How are you doing in this moment?

How are your thoughts,

Your body,

And your emotions?

And then we're going to do what Peter Levine sometimes calls the self-hug.

So we could all use a hug right now and there aren't too many people that we're allowed to hug,

So we're going to hug ourselves.

So take your right hand and put it on your rib cage near your heart.

And take your left hand and put it on the outside of your right arm.

And let your body flex inwards a little bit.

And if it feels good,

Close your eyes.

And just allow your system to receive this containment and this touch.

And notice if it has any effect on your breathing,

On the tension in your body.

And we'll just allow ourselves to absorb this for a few moments.

And when you feel ready,

Letting go and checking in with yourself again.

Has anything shifted mentally,

Physically,

Or emotionally?

And knowing that you can give yourself a hug anytime you need one.

So if you have any questions about this or you want to go deeper,

Feel free to email me.

Thank you.

Reviews

Thank you for offering this clear explanation. Definitely helpful for anxiety and can be done anywhere without drawing attention to oneself. P.S. Just revisited this in Sept 2024 lots of people live on their own so this is still really relevant. Thank you again.