fright or freeze – Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc

Fire – Hug heart to heart

Dr. Sarita Cox — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 16:15:50 +0000

Fire – Hug heart to heart

The hug

Next time you go in for or are receiving a hug, take note. Do you lean in left shoulder to left shoulder, right shoulder to right shoulder or reach for the waist with a side hug? Are you comfortable with a hug? Were you raised with hugs? How long is your natural hug? Do you want to practice hugging?

Word Origin

Etymologically, “hug” is thought to come from the Old Norse word hugga, which translates to “to comfort or console”.

A lesson from one of my clinical mentors in my Chinese Medicine program has never been forgotten and still settles in my mind and body upon each greeting or departing with the gesture of affenction more than 20 years later. Hugging heart to heart is an everyday Qi Gong practice.

How to Give a Heart-to-Heart Hug

A true heart-to-heart hug requires conscious physical alignment to connect your energetic centers.

Follow these steps:

Approach Left-to-Left: Step forward and slightly shift your body to the right so your left shoulder aligns with the other person’s left shoulder.
Heart Contact: Wrap your arms around them, allowing the left side of your chest (where your heart resides) to press directly against theirs.
Breathe and Hold: Hold the embrace for at least 20 seconds. Take 2–3 full relaxing breaths.

The Scientific Why?

Releases Oxytocin: Holding the hug for 20 seconds triggers the release of oxytocin (the “bonding hormone”), which lowering heart rates and reducing cortisol stress levels.
Calms the Nervous System: The deep pressure stimulation co-regulates your nervous systems, shifting both bodies from “fight-or-flight” into a restorative “rest-and-heal” parasympathetic state.
Enhances Emotional Security: Direct chest contact stimulates the vagus nerve, instantly lowering blood pressure and increasing feelings of safety and social trust.

Igniting the Inner Smile: Qi Gong & the Fire Element

True connection begins with an open heart. Summer is governed by the Fire element, a powerful force that directly rules the heart, small intestine, and our emotional capacity for joy. When our Fire element is balanced, we naturally radiate warmth, enthusiasm, and compassion—the exact ingredients needed for a deep, meaningful embrace.

However, when life gets overwhelming, the Fire element can burn too hot, leading to anxiety, insomnia, or emotional burnout. Conversely, if the fire dims, we might feel isolated or disconnected. Qi Gong offers a gentle, moving meditation to clear this excess heat and rekindle our inner warmth.

Stoking the Warmth of Connection

In Qi Gong practice, the heart is considered the home of our spirit, or Shen. To harmonize the Fire element, we use fluid movements paired with the “Heart Sound” (Haw). This specific healing sound acts like a cooling breeze, releasing pent-up pressure from the chest.

Qi Gong Practices for kindred fire

Step-by-Step Instructions:

Clearing the Heart (Disperse stagnation, process grief, reduce blame & hatred)

The Setup: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees soft, palms together in a prayer position at the center of your chest.

The Inhale: Breathe in deeply through your nose, feeling your chest expand.
The Exhale: Push your hands straight forward away from your body, palms facing out. Simultaneously, exhale through your mouth while whispering the healing sound “Hawww” to release tension.
Repetitions: Repeat for 6 to 9 breaths.

By pushing your hands forward on the exhale and drawing them back to your chest on the inhale, you regulate the heart’s rhythm. You are actively clearing away old hurts and pulling in pure, unconditional love. This practice shifts your internal state from stress to safety, making your physical hugs an authentic extension of your inner peace.

Opening the Heart (Invite positive energy and possibility)

The Setup: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees soft, and arms relaxed at your sides.

The Inhale: Bring your hands up to chest height, palms facing each other, then extend your arms straight out in front of you. Gently expand your arms out wide to the sides, opening your chest completely.
The Exhale: Softly bring your hands back toward the centerline of your chest, palms facing your body, crossing your arms, wrapping yourself in an embrace.
Repetitions: Repeat for 6 to 9 breaths.

Balancing your Fire element allows you to show up fully for yourself and those you care about. By cultivating a peaceful heart, your presence becomes a safe harbor for yourself and for others.

Earth: explore the arising & passing of sensations

Dr. Sarita Cox — Tue, 23 Sep 2025 20:50:18 +0000

Sensations arise and sensations pass.

Paying close attention to the coming and going of feelings within the body leads us to a deeper understanding of impermanence. This mind-body understanding of impermanence guides us deeper into allowing.

Have you tried body scanning?

Enjoy a free body scan script here

or choose from a free guided 20, 30 or 45 minute audio here

Body scanning is a widely used technique for stress reduction. As we practice this mindfulness act again and again, we may start to notice the sensation arise prior to an emotion or feeling. The question then becomes, are we reacting to the external situation or an internal stimulation?

Sensations arise and sensation pass.

Situations arise and situations pass.

Body scan meditations help reduce stress & anxiety, improve concentration, begat clarity and helps us live in the present moment. This study shows that body scanning can even reduce the severity & perception of chronic pain immediately.

Practices that focus the mind and explore sensation help us discover that, generally, we are reacting to internal, pre-programmed stimulus. To break our reactive patterns and form new habit patterns: be still, notice the sensation, be still some more, notice again.

Water ~ Tone your vagal nerve

Dr. Sarita Cox — Fri, 03 Feb 2023 12:50:53 +0000

Stimulation of the vagus nerve plays an important role in the management of anxiety and mental health issues. The vagus nerve is the longest running cranial nerve in your body. It is one of ten paired cranial nerves and runs from the stem of your brain all the way down to your gut. The word “vagus” translates to “wandering” in Latin, and the vagus nerve certainly does that.

As the longest and most complex of all the cranial nerves, it starts at the stem of the brain, behind the ears before it meanders down the sides of the neck, through the chest, and eventually ends in the abdomen linking the brain to the heart, lungs, throat, and gut. It helps to regulate our heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, sweating, and speech.

When we are in parasympathetic dominance we are able to rest and heal.

Vagus Nerve Connects the Brain and Gut

The vagus nerve and it’s feedback are the sensory network that informs the brain of what’s going on in our organs, most specially the digestive tract (stomach and intestines), lungs and heart, spleen, liver, and kidneys.

People with good vagal tone can relax faster after a stress and are more capable of regulating blood glucose levels, reducing chances of diabetes, stroke and cardiovascular disease. Recent research presented by the European League Against Rheumatism indicate that vagus nerve stimulation significantly reduces symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.

Symptoms are messages from our body that something is wrong. Poor vagal tone can express as ongoing high levels of stress, anxiety, depression, overwhelm, an inability to focus or regulate emotions and inflammation. The nerve can become damaged express deeper dysfunction such as abnormal heart rate, blood pressure or glucose. Digestion or speech may be become compromised.

It is essential to listen to our bodies. Winter is the perfect season to slow down and take notice of our capacity to reset, restore and recharge.

This study on loving kindness meditation improved healthy vagal tone in participants. Being present and acknowledging that everything in the moment is okay reduces anxiety.

Significant and important research has been making the news about a microbiota-gut-brain axis. Read up on this fascinating subject here . Also this article discusses the science behind gut microbiota, brain function and stress related disorders.