The practice of Eye Hugging

Dear Friends,

I hope you are enjoying life wherever you are today.

I wanted to share about a practice I am working with these days. It’s something I have heard Sister Peace talk about in the past, and again in a recent talk given at the BIPOC retreat at Deer Park Monastery.

This practice she calls Eye Hugging.

I think you can imagine what this means, but here is how Sister Peace describes it:

I call it the practice of Eye Hugging. And I look in your eye and I smile and you smile and you look in the eye of maybe someone next to you and you smile and you embrace. And this is a beautiful practice for me personally, and I share it with you and I hope it would be a worthy practice for you too. Something you can do any time and people don’t even have to know it. It’s “Hey, I see you. And I feel comfortable and I’m grateful to be here with you.”  It has a wonderful effect of also calming.

I remember one of the first times I was asked to speak to my fellow retreatants at Plum Village. I was nervous (very). As I shared from my heart, there was one woman in the audience, someone I didn’t know at all, who I believe was doing the practice of Eye Hugging with me. Every time I looked her way, she was offering me her calm, her peace, and her love. It helped me relax and feel more confident. With her support, I was able to enjoy the moment more fully. 

Have you ever noticed people giving you eye hugs? What would it be like to offer eye hugs to everyone you meet today? Is it possible to eye hug those we are having a conflict with? These are some questions I am exploring in my own practice.

I invite you to try this out yourself by Eye Hugging a loved one, a co-worker, or your grocery cashier. As always, I look forward to hearing how it goes. You can reach out by replying to this email or by scheduling a time to talk.

with love,

annie