Hug as mini acupressure treatment
The healing space between us
I want to point out the value of hugs. Qigong Master Effie Chow, who died in 2022, urged her students and clients and just about everyone she met to get a minimum of eight hugs a day. Hugs are amazing things that you can use to create health and wellbeing. Hugs are basically healing acupressure treatments, and this article brings awareness to the acupressure points involved in hugs.
I remember years ago, one Sunday morning I woke up and felt I was coming down with a cold. My throat was sore, and my body hurt. Oh, no. I thought. As the day went by I cuddled with my then boyfriend, Michael (who years later became my spouse). It was just a few minutes of holding one another and experiencing pure goodness that felt timeless. A few minutes of hugging seemed to put me in an altered state where energy flowed more easily. In the hours that followed, I noticed that the developing symptoms of the sore throat, fatigue, headache, and congestion that I’d had earlier in the day “miraculously” cleared up that evening. I was “bright-eyed and bushy-tailed” the next day and ready for the Monday rush to work.
What is happening when we hug? It is a kind of miracle—the miracle of oxytocin, the “cuddle hormone” moving through the system which happens when we bond socially with others—plus the stressed out body being restored to non-stressed states when the stress hormones shift and metabolize. Oxytocin has been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties that boost the immune system, and at one point during the pandemic administering oxytocin intravenously was proposed as an adjunct treatment for Covid-19, which you can read about here.
This is the power of a hug. I like to think of the hug as a way of sensing and making contact with the healing space within us, between us and all around us.
Giving and receiving of a hug is also good for the mind. The humble hug can make you feel like you are not alone, and so it soothes your heart and calms your mind. In this way, hugging is a mindbody practice—good for the body and the mind.
In case you are wondering: yes, you can hug yourself and experience benefits and state shifts that come when the act of hugging lowers cortisol (the stress hormone) and the feelings of safety trigger a release of oxytocin. The relationship with the self, after all, is also a social relationship, and so hugging yourself is a healing practice that can make you feel “at home” and safe in your body.
Give yourself an acupressure hug
Self-hugging may sound weird, but it is real in that you bring your whole self to it in order to create a feeling of contact and connection with yourself. A momentary hug you give yourself can be nourishing and stabilizing for your nervous system. This little recipe below brings attention to a few of the acupressure points involved in a hug, so that you can think of a self-hug (and all hugs basically) as a mini acupressure treatment that shifts your energy and changes your state.
Here are the steps to give yourself a mini acupressure treatment as you hug yourself.
Hold an intention to experience your goodness as you let your breath out slowly to begin.
Put one hand across your chest so that your fingers touch the opposite collarbone. This gesture puts your fingers on or very near acupoint Kidney 27 while the inside of your wrist and forearm touch the center of your chest (acupoint Central Vessel 12), right over the heart as if to protect the heart. Both points, Kidney point 27 and Central Vessel point 12 are often used in acupressure routines to shift the body into parasympathetic states where you feel safe.
Holding all the acupressure points at once results in a self-hug.
The fingers of your other hand touch the top of the opposite shoulder, and your two arms end up crossed in front of your heart. The point at the shoulder is acupoint Gallbladder 21 (Heavenly Rejuvenation Point), located at the top of the trapezius muscle about half way between the midpoint and the end of the shoulder. This spot on your shoulder is also where, in a hug with another person, their chin might press on your shoulder during the hug. Gallbladder 21 is often that sore point on the shoulder for most people, and if you feel soreness or tightness, it is normal. The Gallbladder meridian is associated with mental activity and thoughts about the future that can sometimes turn into worry or anxiety. Pressing on Gallbladder points with awareness and healing intentions can soothe the worry and anxiety. The acupoint on the inside of each wrist is Pericardium 6: this point gets pressed into your chest with one arm and the inside of the other wrist is also pressed when that arm ends up on top. Pericardium 6, also called The Inner Gate, is used for easing nausea and calming anxiety in acupressure treatments.
Adjust your hands so that your touch is firm yet light and comfortable enough so that you can stay like this for a few moments. Twenty to thirty seconds is good as you basically press all the acupressure points simultaneously.
Take a few breaths as you hold this gesture and wish yourself well. You may notice a shift. Simultaneously giving a hug and receiving a hug, you may feel your body start to feel safe and cozy.
When you feel complete, uncross your arms and shake them out a little. Enjoy this moment of returning, and then bring a little of this cozy goodness into the next thing you do.
A hug you give yourself is a moment to experience your own goodness and feel your body as your home.
Tip: If you have time, follow the above exercise with another hug but this time switching the arms.