What is Your Superpower
"One might say there is a form of radar in the hands. Hands are not only receivers but transmitters...hands laid upon a person can soothe, comfort, remove pain, and heal." -Clarissa Pinkola Estes
When my husband and I were first dating, we loved to ask each other hypothetical questions. We asked each other these questions, first, because they were fun, and second, because they could be very telling of our personalities. Early on, he asked, "If you had a superpower, what would it be?" I replied that I wanted to be a fly on the wall and have the powers of invisibility. This is a great look into my unhealthy frame of mind at that moment in time. As cool as it would be to walk through walls and as much as my introverted and highly sensitive self wanted to be part of the wallpaper, I realized this was a reflection of my limited thinking patterns. I wanted to fantasize about overhearing people talking bad about me, or catching someone in the act of being human as they drop their perfection suit, or even seeing others make unhealthy and negative choices. I was so caught up in blame, shame, and drama. I had clearly been hurt and was guarding myself, my gifts, and my heart very much.
If my husband were to ask me that question today I would have to choose a superpower that seems normal, to the untrained eye, but is essential to our living. I would choose to be a super hugger. My hugs would automatically show the other person how to immediately love themselves and feel infinite love in the universe. Surprisingly, this isn't a superpower. This is what actually takes place when hugs are given and we touch one another! If you are cringing at the idea of this simple act, try to have an open mind as I describe my reasons for choosing this power. Our society has put up so many boundaries around touch because it has been misused, but it doesn't mean we need to create so many rules and boundaries. Now, I know that seems extremely cheesy and a bit juvenile of a superpower, but let me explain why I would choose this. I believe in the healing powers of touch. The heart chakra lives in the chest cavity and is the fourth chakra in our bodies. This chakra is the healing center of our being. It is where the wounded child lives and thrives. It is where forgiveness, love, healing, compassion, letting go, and trust can exist. These are all actions that are the hardest and scariest to implement in our lives, because the wounded child has experienced the opposite of these and we want to protect once we have been hurt. When the heart chakra is injured, it can feel jealousy, anger, despair, hate, envy, and fear. These are provoked by our limited thinking patterns. When the heart chakra is cared for and stimulated in a good way, it can issue love, compassion, confidence, inspiration, and hope. It governs the heart, circulatory system, blood pressure, lung health, breath, esophagus health, and shoulder/arm/hand mobility. This is where hugs come in. When you touch someone with your hands, the heart chakra is stimulated through the hands, arms, shoulders, and chest and radiates the good-love, generosity, compassion, confidence, inspiration, and a feeling of health. When you hug someone, it not only provokes those things in you, but can be somewhat of a superpower to encourage and support those feelings in someone else. This chakra can also be stimulated through heart opening postures in your asana practice. It is also important to remember the intention of your touch and what it signals. As a society, we have experienced a lot of grief. As individuals, we internalize the singular experiences in our own hearts, imagining we are the only ones hurting and that our hurt is unimaginable to others. The reality is, everyone has been trained to be skeptical and fearful in their own ways through their own experiences, which causes us to guard and protect our hearts instead of opening them. It is no fault of your own, sweet human. Don't blame yourself- survival of the fittest! What would it look like if in giving and opening, we would become more successful in our journeys? What if we let our emotions become our teachers and we listen to the anger, hurt, and pain, and allow those emotions to tell us that something isn't right and we need to make a different choice? What if we were able to let go of those emotions instead of holding on and stifling ourselves? Closing and guarding is like putting up a gate in the middle of the road. How can you proceed if the path is closed off. The grass will grow over the road and weeds will cover the clear route. Instead, open the gate and let your intentions be known! This is what I try to teach my students. I hug whenever needed, whenever wanted, and whenever I can. Hug before class, after class, and in between. Allow your heart to supercharge someone else's heart and encourage us on our path of enlightenment and love. What is your favorite way to open your heart to radiate love, compassion, and trust? What postures or practices do you implement? Just for fun...what superpower would you want to have?