What is special about an embrace, the contact between one trunk touching the other trunk, staying there and having the arm caressing, perhaps squeezing the back of the other person?
When we’re happy, we embrace that happiness. When we accomplish something together, we embrace. When we are sad, when one of us needs comfort, when we feel erotic with someone, we embrace. But what’s happening and why are we doing this?
Why are we embracing like this with our arms and not touching our feet together or scratching each other’s heads? We are going to explore the art of a hug in this article.
What Happens When We Embrace
In the last few decades, science began asking these same questions. Researchers such as Dr. Paul Zak, also sweetly called “Dr. Hug”, dedicated years to studying the biological and emotional effects of embracing.
His and many others’ findings confirm what animals and ancient societies already knew: touch is essential to our life and wellbeing. Scientists find a lot of very wonderful, measurable, scientifically proven, statistically significant effects that occur in our being as we embrace.
When we embrace, something extraordinary happens in our bodies. Levels of oxytocin, often called the “love hormone,” increase. Cortisol, the stress hormone, drops. Our sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems come into balance. The nerve communication improves. Our mood lifts, our anxiety softens. We feel safer, warmer, and more connected to each other.
And this isn’t exclusive to humans. Mammals cuddle. Lions don’t hunt 9 to 5, but rather for 20 minutes, and spend much of the rest of their time in contact. Monkeys cuddle. Wolves too. Touch maintains harmony in their groups, creates trust, and affirms bonds.
Strength is in Connection, Not Aggression
In opposition to popular belief, alpha males in animal groups are not the most aggressive or dominant. The research of Dr. Lini Kredi notes that in nature, those who rise to the top in hierarchy are not the ones with the highest testosterone, but those with a combination of strength and low cortisol.
They are calm, connected, and sociable. They lead not by force, but by forming bonds. Also in our lives, the connection that is made heart to heart through embraces is of great importance.
In the retreats and workshops at Mahasiddha Yoga, something beautiful always happens. After just two to three days of a retreat, people begin to embrace. And we definitely encourage that. Again and again, people reach out for one another, and slowly, the artificial walls disappear. Faces soften and brighten, and joy becomes visible. Humour flows more easily. Communication deepens.
The Hunger to Touch and Be Touched
In rural India and many traditional cultures, you still see the importance of physical touch. People eat together, feed each other, sit closely, lean into one another. They touch freely. And it is our natural hunger and our natural wish to touch and to be touched.
And yet, in many modern societies, the opposite is true. Touch is reduced. Often, even among friends or family, people hesitate to embrace because social norms dictate distance. Physical contact becomes rare, reserved, or even taboo. The absence of the sense of connection and touch leads to an increase in anxiety and depression, creating a distance between people.
We are meant to touch and be touched. It balances us physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
The Spiritual Power of Embracing
Beyond the measurable effects of hormones and neurotransmitters, there is another aspect. In spirituality, embraces and conscious touch were explored, and they give very profound spiritual effects that are also transformative.
In our workshops, we take this simple gesture of embrace, open it and discover all the miraculous things that it can offer.
This article was transcribed and edited by Tony from the following video:
