“Self-Hugging: A How-To”

April 4, 2020

I’ve known Izzy for a number of years. Initially we were peers in the fitness industry but since then have become great friends. Though we live in different cities we get to see each other quite frequently, mostly over Zoom (even before social distancing) but also in person several times a year at peer group meetings, fitness business conferences and when she is visiting the east coast. About two years ago Izzy turned me on to Original Strength and like her I really fell in love with the principles. She sent her blog post to me on self-hugging last week and I immediately asked her if I could share it with all of you. Take a read and let me know what you think. Izzy is the owner of IzzyFit Personal Training and TruFit in Evanston, IL as well as a really rad person who always makes me smile!

A friend of mine let me know she hadn’t had any human contact with anyone in 5 days. Not a single high five or hug… And this friend loves hugs. Needless to say she’s — WE’VE — been going through lots of emotions lately and the thought of limiting our human interaction for who knows how long can feel… Well, I don’t have to tell you.

We need a hug. And mental clarity. And, from what I’ve heard from at least three people today, we need to get the kinks out of our necks that have settled in from less-than-ideal posture.

Enter the Egg Roll, one of my favorite Original Strength moves!

I’ll tell you why I love it below but if you’re in a hurry to feel better, here’s how you do it:

Find some space on the floor where you can move to the left and right, preferably carpeted or where you have a yoga mat
Curl your body into a ball while you place your tongue on the roof of your mouth, breathing in and out through your nose (if you’re stuffy, just work on breathing any way you can)
STARTING WITH YOUR EYES, look to one side then let your head follow until the rest of your body needs to follow.
If you have the mobility, keep on looking to see what’s behind you as I demonstrate in the video
When you’ve gone as far as you can go, LOOK WITH YOUR EYES to the opposite direction, letting your head follow, followed by your body
You should look like an egg rolling on a counter! Get it?

You can find the how-to video here: https://youtu.be/GyoFvrP40O4

Here are a few reasons I LOVE this movement:

If feels good. It just does.
You get to light up a lot of nerve endings as your roll your body on the floor, similar to what you get out of a hug!
It’s fun! Babies roll on the floor because it’s their job but adults are expected to just sit in front of a computer all day? No thanks.
By practicing leading your movements with your eyes FIRST, you get to give your neck a break. Quality head control (and posture) starts with the eyes! Master this and your neck discomfort will be a thing of the past.
Your spine gets super gentle rotation which it needs to stay healthy.

We hope you took comfort, not only in Izzy’s blog post, but also in a movement (self-hugging) that has the ability to ease both your body and your mind!

~Pamela