Hugging Heart to Heart

Life tip: Hug heart to heart. ❤

Aren’t all hugs are heart to heart?

No. In fact, most hugs are not. So sharing a heart to heart hug is an intentional act of placing your hearts into alignment with one another and allowing them to connect. To achieve this, instead of leaning towards your left and placing your head over the other person’s right shoulder, do the opposite.

When you go in for the hug, lean towards your right, placing your head over the other person’s left shoulder.

Which places your hearts over one another. And as they "touch" and beat together, this can synchronize your frequencies and harmonize your nervous systems, facilitating deeper connectedness, empathy and a shared positive feeling that promotes trust, security, harmony and compassion with one another.

Again, heart to heart hugs are not usually the default, especially for adults.

So attempting a heart to heart hug may be confusing to others, appearing more like an awkward dance at first where both partners are figuring out who does what. You may even share a good laugh if you bonk heads or faces during the first few tries.

But over time and with practice and intentionality, it becomes smoother and more natural. And soon, a heart to heart hug can become a new normal in your life - no matter your relationship with the other person - building stronger, more positive and more authentic bonds with the people in your life.

Want to take it to the next level? Try remaining in a heart to heart hug for at least 20 seconds.

This may not be for everyone in your life, and don't be surprised if giggles and nervous laughter happen in an attempt to diffuse feelings of discomfort and vulnerability. So 20 seconds may be a goal that you move towards over time. But in remaining in a heart to heart position for at least 20 seconds, you can maximize the positive health and wellbeing benefits of hugging in this way.

I remember doing this when I was in the cast of Rent in 2010. And not only did these prolonged hugs bring us together offstage, but onstage it translated to a deep sense of trust and feeling safe with one another as fellow artists and human beings, which conveyed a real sense of family and togetherness to the audience. And to this day, 14 years later, we all still reminisce not just about the highlights of the show itself, but about the hugs and how meaningful and healing they were to us.

Because those heart to heart hugs allowed us to share real love with one another. A love that illuminates unity, peace and expansion.

So do heart to heart hugs work? Are they any different from any other hug?

I know that they are. But don't take my word for it.

Give it a try and see for yourself.