Source of Happiness

hug freeHave you heard of the “Hugging Saint”?  She is for real and she travels the world simply taking time to hug everyone she meets. Her name is Mata Amritanandamayi, she goes by Amma, which in her native language means “mother”.  When she travels the world auditoriums, and banquet halls fill with the expectation of a hug. So far she has hugged over 33 million people, many who say their livers are forever changed by just one rose scented embrace.  Amma says “I don’t see if it is a man or a woman. I don’t see anyone different from my own self. A continuous stream of love flows from me to all of creation. This is my inborn nature. The duty of a doctor is to treat patients. In the same way, my duty is to console those who are suffering.”

As I write this and imagine being hugged by this woman A glowy warm feeling builds from the inside out…I kind of want to hug and be hugged. Paul Zak, also known as “Dr. Love” would say it’s an increase of oxytocin circulating in my system that is making me feel all warm and fuzzy. Oxytocin is a molecule released throughout our system whenever we feel connection and begin to empathize with others. As a massage therapists we must get surges of oxytocin all day long…Fun! In order  for our endocrine system to keep releasing the hormone that makes us feel good, happy, and connected Dr. Love perscribes at least 8 hugs a day. A simple, natural remedy to be happier and to help make the world a better place. I am in!

When one person looks at a flower, he will think about the joyous moments he spent with his beloved. But when another person looks at that same flower, he remembers how his lover jilted him. But the flower remains the flower. “Both of these emotions are created by the mind,”  “Just like any other decision, happiness is also a decision.”

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