Sacred Hug Meditation

Version: 2.4 – March 2020

Author: Ishi & Manda

Audience: SK Facilitators

Last modifed: 10th October 2022

Abstract: The following KB webinar is created to support the training of facilitator on Sammma Karuna Sacred Hug Meditation

About this meditation

Ishi brings together Tantric techniques, Bio Development  plus his life experience to create this social meditation that points to the students to identify ‘the I who thinks and the I who feels.’ In order to harmonize this two aspects of ourselves and later on extending this technique to others. This meditation aims to honor energy, heart, and presence on myself and in the other as something divine and sacred.

This meditation also explores boundaries asking the question to ourselves ‘What feels right for me in this moment ?  In this structure one is encouraged to continually return to the body.

Before the class

You will need at least one partner with a good body awareness to demo the different stages of it.

Music can be download from here: <download music>

Class introduction

• Sitting in a close circle ‘Namaste’ everyone as a form of greeting.
  
• Introduce yourself as facilitator
  
• Introduce a short music meditation
  • Song “Chinese Twilight”  
  • Keywords: Nothing to do, nowhere where to go, nothing to achieve today, nothing to change.

• Share names and e.g 2 words which describe what you are working on this week e.g  forgiveness and friendship
  • After each participant has shared everyone appreciates them with the ‘shower of love’ hand movements.

• Introduce the meditation:
  
  • Samma Karuna Tantric meditation designed by Ishi to honor the divine essence on myself and others.
  •  Meditation based on 2 techniques
    • Technique to harmonize the “I thank thinks with the I thank feels”
    • Technique to honor the energy, presence and heart on the other and in myself
      
  • Why? (describe the issue on your own words)
    • Often we think something and feel something different creating a dissociation in ourselves (“I know by doing this will make me happy buy Im afraid”).
    • Often when we want to get to know someone we end up on endless superficial talks not able to connect in a deeper and we hug in a mechanical way.
    • Demo ways how we often hug:
      • British hug: Standing apart and aloof
      • Truck Drivers hug: Slapping each other on the back
      • Sexual hug: Hugging too close,too quickly and moving in a sexual manner
      • Jellyfish hug: Falling onto the other person in a collapsing manner
      • Uninterested hug: Whilst hugging look over partners shoulder on ‘lookout’ for somebody else.
  • What? (describe the meditation in your own words)
    • This meditation points at a sacred, magical space that is created when we are able to listen to ourselves and our own boundaries whilst honoring the energy, presence and heart in the other.
    • It’s a beautiful technique that you can used as well outside the meditation halls when you want to connect with someone in a deeper, more meaningful level.
  • How? (describe the techniques and demo them with your partner or 2 assistants)
    • The main technique is based on sacred hug and its done in pairs
    • Demo an unmindful hug, afraid of intimacy (snake hug)
    • Demo sacred hug: (pay special care to demo this right)
      • Stage 1 – Energy hug (inside comfort zone, Very close, feeling body heat but not touching, looking at each other eyes)
      • Stage 2 – Touching chests but not holding with arms (still looking at each other eyes).
      • Stage 3 – Holding with arms very softly
      • Stage 4 – Holding with arms on different intensities, starting from very very soft and going progressively more intense (avoiding shock, it’s a flower)
        
        
  • Explain/demo variation of hug for people with different very different heights.
    
    
  • Consagration (in your own words)
    • Short meditation to connect with an intention, a benefit that I would like to come to my life through this meditation and how I can share this benefit that may come to me with at least one more person. So, your intention is as well a noble intension, for you own good and the good of others.

Experiential

Stage 1)

Warm up (at least 10 minutes)

• Dance to the sound of good dancing music.
• Start off dancing alone then invite a partner to dance and change groups every couple of minutes for people to get to know each other and feel comfortable.
   

Stage 2)

Shaking (at least 10 minutes)

• Legs and shoulders about shoulders apart, soft’ knees, closed eyes
• Using the music to allow the body to shake by itself, letting go control.
• Demo how to shake and how not to shake.
• When the music stops keep eyes closed and slowly allow the movement to start shifting into stillness, keeping the body still and relaxed.
• Play: Kundalini shaking music
  
  

Stage 3)

Fun Hugging (about 3 minutes long)

• Playing the games in partners ‘How Not to Hug’ , where each partnership chooses one of the way “how not to hug” explained earlier and then moves onto another partner.
• Play: Sublimation Musik

Stage 4)

Connect with your Heart (about 20 minutes including part 1 and 2)

Part 1) Standing by yourself  with eyes closed , put your hands on your heart. Send an Inner Smile into your heart centre and silently dialogue with your heart ‘I’m here to listen to you …I respect you.. I honor you heart.
Visualize a white blue thread of light flowing from the top of your hear to the base of your spine. Visualize where this thread meets your heart. There is a tiny light there. Always shining. You may have to go deep, deep inside your heart to find it. Visualize how some of this light actually flows to your eyes, giving your eyes the quality to see through the shapes, the quality to see with the wisdom of your heart.

Part 2) Softly opening your eyes. Keeping your left hand on heart and extend your right hand out to meet another person …Tenderly gaze into that persons eyes for a few minutes …softly move on to another partner. Demo. Play music: FIRST TIME (G.Michel) for at least 5 minutes.

Stage 5)

Boundaries with another (about 6 minutes each way)

• Demonstrate 3 hand movements to your group
  • Beckoning hands   where you encourage your partner to walk towards you
  • Stop hands where you put up your hands as if to say ‘no closer ‘
  • Go Back hands where you are indicating you want your partner to step back  [‘shoo them back]
• Group divides into 2 lines facing each other [the whole width of room apart ]…One side is instructed to give out instructions to facing partner ..using all 3 hand movements
• When the partners have eventually come face to face they just stay in presence and heart until the music is finished and then Namaste.
• Then the other line gives out the instructions where again they finish the exercise in Namaste. Its important you make your students clear that there is no hugging involved up to this stage.
• Play: Tears of Love, twice.

Stage 6)

Sacred hug (at least 5 minutes)

• As music is finished mindfully and very slowly guide the group along the 4 stages of the sacred hug.
  Just mention the stage number one by one and very briefly describe them as you go along (no music necessary)

• Stage 1 – Energy hug (inside comfort zone, Very close, feeling body heat but not touching, looking at each other eyes)
  
• Stage 2 – Touching chests but not holding with arms (still looking at each other eyes).
  
• Stage 3 – Holding with arms very softly
  
• Stage 4 – Holding with arms on different intensities, starting from very very soft and going progressively more intense (avoiding shock, it’s a flower)
  
  PS: There is new viarian used by Ishi since January 2022 where he facilitates the different stages changing partners.
  Such as:
  • Stage 1 (long), change
  • Stage 1 (short) , Stage 2 (long), change
  • Stage 1 (short), Stage 2 (short), Stage 3 (long), change
  • Stage 1 (short), Stage 2 (short), Stage 3 (short), Stage 4 (long), change
    
    

Stage 7)

Healing Circle (4 to 7 minutes)

• Holding hands in a circle, no talking, eyes close, listening to the music
• Play: Hallelujah

Stage 8)

Final Embrace (about 5 minutes)

• Thank your partner for sharing, placing hands in namaste posture and saying “I see the divine essence in you”.
  Give a hug, stay in the hug and when you finish find another partner).
• Play: Dying DYING YOUNG
  
  

Additional information

• History of the meditation: Coming from Tantra TTC trainings at Samma Karuna run by Ishi and his team.