Yoga hugs

Yoga hugs

“A hug promotes relaxation by lowering cortisol, relieves tension, and boosts feelings of self-compassion” - Give yourself a big hug: that’s what we all need right now, writes Victoria Jackson

Give yourself a big hug — I find myself saying frequently in class these days. It used to be an expression that was limited in scope, most often just a tip to help students loosen the upper back ready for eagle-arms.

Nowadays the idea of hugging peppers my language throughout the class, from warm-ups to mobilise the shoulder blades, through cuing teepee twist, and finally as a gentle exit from Savasana, tucking knees up to the chest.

Maybe I should rebrand my classes as ‘hug yoga’! But I’m not doing it as a cutesy gimmick, of course. The experiences of lockdown underline how genuinely important touch is to our wellbeing. If we can’t get a hug from anyone else, sometimes we need to give one to ourselves. It might feel a bit silly at first, but it does actually self-soothe — and there’s science to prove it.

Even when you’re just giving it to yourself, a hug promotes relaxation by lowering cortisol, relieves tension, and boosts feelings of self-compassion. It turns out a simple hug packs quite a punch when it comes to increasing feelings of wellbeing!

I consider myself fortunate that I don’t live alone and so I can still get hugs pretty much on demand, but even so I find I’ve been missing other forms of physical contact.

And not just hugs from family and friends, I also miss the less intimate, everyday moments — the hairdresser helping me into my coat, shaking hands with a new colleague at work, maybe even being squished against strangers on a crowded bus. Not to mention those skilful assists from my teacher in yoga class.

Meanwhile, I’ve been limited to ‘clinical’ settings only for close physical contact.

Recently, I had a really painful trapped nerve for which I needed help from my physio. As he turned my neck this way and that and poked into the muscles in my upper back, I realised that this was the first proper touch from non-family that I’ve felt in nearly a year.

While treatment from my physio in full PPE was certainly not in the same category as a hug from my mum, it was kind of nice... in its own way! It got rid of the pain at least. I was so grateful for that I would have given my physio a hug in return if I’d been able to!

Victoria Jackson lives and teaches in Oxford. She is registered with Yoga Alliance Professionals as a Vinyasa yoga teacher.

Visit: victoriajacksonyoga.com

Instagram: @victoriajacksonyoga

Om Magazine

First published in November 2009, OM Yoga magazine has become the most popular yoga title in the UK. Available from all major supermarkets, independents and newsstands across the UK. Also available on all digital platforms.