Brian RumaoFebruary 7, 2026
Visualize yourself and your loved one three hundred years from now. Where will you be? In that moment, you know the only meaningful thing to do is to open your arms and hug the other person.
Thich Nhat Hanh
While I don’t judge people, I do find myself having an immediate noticing when receiving a hug. I can feel in that moment the level of intimacy — the presence, the care, the affection. I can tell if it’s from the heart or from the head, whether it’s rushed or whether it’s savored. Maybe it’s because physical touch is a love language, but I file that note away.
Hugging meditation is next level. It gives us the opportunity to indulge in each other, if only for a few moments. But that’s all you need when you have intentionality. As Thich Nhat Hanh describes it:
Hugging in public is a Western practice. Meditation, conscious breathing, is an Eastern practice. The two come together in hugging meditation…When we hug, our hearts connect and we know that we are not separate beings.
Breathing in, I am happy to be here. Breathing in, I am happy you are here. Breathing in, I am happy we are here. It may never happen again, so why not take this opportunity to be fully present in the miracle that is togetherness?