Communicating with Touch

"We're all born with a great need for touch. To thrive, newborns must be fed touch as much as food. Studies in orphanages and hospitals repeatedly tell us that infants deprived of skin contact lose weight, become ill and even die. We know that premature babies given periods of touch therapy gain weight faster, cry less, and show more signs of relaxed pulse, respiration rate and muscle tension." (from article The Importance of Touch by Debra Moore, PhD.) So what is happening to us as adolescents and adults when deprived of the communication of loving, honest touch?

Touch is in integral part of being. It is easy to forgot that touch is a most basic form of communication and connection. Animals of all kinds use touch as a primary source of communication. Yet as humans, we tend to shy away from touch as we age, sometimes due to unpleasant past experiences, but mostly we tend to mold ourselves to social etiquette and practices. We end up hugging less, holding hands less, touching less in general for fear of crossing a social boundary or having the intention of our touch misinterpreted. As a society, we have put touch into a category of sexual intimacy, forgetting that intimacy has many forms. We have made touch taboo, and in essence put our selves out of touch with this powerful healing tool. Consider the ways in which you come in contact with others every day; what touch to you experience, and how does the contact or lack thereof effect you?

At YogAsylum, we are offering many ways to rediscover communication through loving, honest touch. We offer Partner Yoga workshops(open to all types of partnerships, couples, friends, parent/child, etc.) the second Friday of each month; in these classes we learn how to connect with our partner through listening through touch. June 5-6, 2010 we will be offering a special weekend workshop, Introduction to Thai Massage with Chicago School of Thai Massage teachers Paul Weitz and Paul Fowler, learning to apply gentle pressure and stretching to the body to alleviate stress and bring balance. In October, join us for the Reiki I training, learning to use touch as a medium to heal body/mind/spirit. Visit our in-house Chiropractor, Dr. Don Hundt, and discover a new level of wellness through his gentle approach to spinal alignment (your first visit with Dr. Hundt is complimentary).

On a personal level, explore ways to bring the communication of touch back into your everyday life. Notice what ways you find connection with others. Skip the text message and instead offer a hug to family members and close friends; a hug is a heart-to-heart connection--what a beautiful form of communication. Offer your partner a foot or back/shoulder massage. Hold your child's hand while walking. If you are approaching touch from a place of honest, loving communication, both you and the recipient will reap the benefits of a more positive experience of the day.

Bottom line? Let's all hug more!

Please share your stories of discovering communication through touch, and join us as we explore healing touch here at YogAsylum. Oh, and come in for your free hug today.

Namaste,

Pamela Bliss & the YogAsylum Staff