$touchneed: false
$energyflow: false
$healingbenefits: false
$firstquestions: 0
--
{embed image: 'https://www.sanuela.org/journey3-images/handholdingcouple.webp', alt: 'Man and woman facing each other, holding hands'}
Holding hands, conscious touch and [[hugging meditations->HuggingMeditations]] are healthy ways to nurture us. These practices are not about sex or romance, but rather about two souls balancing each other's energies in a safe setting, forming a circuit of care.
> [[Why do we need touch?->TouchNeed]]
> [[Why do we feel drawn to specific souls?->EnergyFlow]]
> [[The healing benefits of conscious touch->HealingBenefits]]{embed image: 'https://www.sanuela.org/journey3-images/handholdingaura.webp', alt: 'Abstract visual of two auras blending while holding hands, creating a magnetic pull'}
## "It Feels Good to Be in Your Presence."
Sometimes, when we meet someone and feel their aura next to us, it just feels 'right'. Perhaps it feels comfortable and soothing, or the other soul's energy makes us feel more alive.
This is not random and does not necessarily mean that we should start a romantic relationship. It is simply bio-energetic resonance.
When your energy field (aura) encounters a soul carrying frequencies that you currently lack or need, a magnetic pull arises. Nature is telling you: _Here is medicine for your energetic balance!_
> [[What are we balancing?->EnergyFlow2]]{embed image: 'https://www.sanuela.org/journey3-images/openingheartdoors.webp', alt: 'A woman opens her heart door with trust'}
## The First Step is Trust.
To experience deep healing, we must first lower our shields and open our inner doors.
This can feel scary. We have learned to protect our hearts to avoid pain. But when we find a safe setting with a trusted friend or healing partner, with clear allowances and boundaries, we can gradually open up.
Allowing someone into our personal space by holding hands or sharing a longer hug unlocks a treasure chest of natural medicine.
> [[Continue to the physical benefits.->HealingBenefits2]]
config.footer.left: "[[sanuela.org->https://www.sanuela.org]]"
config.footer.center: "[[Support this work->https://www.sanuela.org/donating/]]"
--
{embed image: 'https://www.sanuela.org/journey3-images/4holdinghands.webp', alt: 'Four hands holding each other in a safe, caring embrace'}
## A New Consciousness of Touch
We often limit deep, healing touch to our romantic partners. In doing so, we quietly isolate ourselves. Yet our bodies and souls long to exchange energies with others we trust, regardless of our relationship status.
> [[Let's explore this powerful human medicine!->Start2]]{embed image: 'https://www.sanuela.org/journey3-images/holdingbaby.webp', alt: 'Two caring hands are holding a newborn baby'}
## A Matter of Life and Death
We often treat touch as a luxury, but for a newborn baby, it is as essential as milk and air.
Without loving physical contact, an infant can wither, unable to survive even if they are fed. Their nervous system needs the reassurance of being held in order to register that it is safe to live on this planet.
> [[Continue ...->TouchNeed2]]{embed image: 'https://www.sanuela.org/journey3-images/supermarketdrugs.webp', alt: 'Man pushes trolley overloaded with cakes, cookies, pizza, alcohol,...'}
We do not outgrow this need for touch. As adults, we simply learn to suppress the hunger, often using highly addictive supermarket products containing sugar, wheat or alcohol to cope with our feelings and stabilise our nervous systems.
We adapt to social customs, often acting more like bio-robots than humans – merely functioning. However, without touch, our aura shrinks. In isolation, our body and mind can suffer, becoming anxious or depressed as they crave the grounding signal of another human heart and a caring presence.
> [[Why did we stop touching?->TouchNeed3]]{embed image: 'https://www.sanuela.org/journey3-images/marymagdalene.webp', alt: 'Monks praying in an old monastery in front of a statue of Maria Magdalena'}
## The Myth of Sinful Touch
For centuries, the church imprinted the belief of the body as a source of sin, and abstinence from touch will lead us to holiness. We were taught to detach ourselves from the 'impure' flesh.
To be 'holy' is to be 'whole'. When we connect with conscious reverence, we are healing the fragmentation within ourselves. We can become whole again by balancing our energies with another's. Conscious physical contact is a prayer of connection, restoring the unity we can experience as humans.
> [[So why are we afraid of caring touch?->TouchNeed4]]{embed image: 'https://www.sanuela.org/journey3-images/pottedplants.webp', alt: 'Potted plants with glowing hearts locked inside transparent but small glass domes'}
We might avoid touch for the possibility of getting hurt. We carry with us our own stories, those of our ancestors, and the unspoken rules of society. For many, touch can feel like a violation rather than a way of connecting.
In order to protect ourselves, we created the rule that caring touch could only be safe within a closed relationship. We locked our need for closeness into a small box. We protected and hid our auras behind high walls.
> [[Why this doesn't work anymore->TouchNeed5]]{embed image: 'https://www.sanuela.org/journey1-images/networkoflove.webp', alt: 'How a Network of LOVE can look like'}
More people are single than ever before, often missing the touch of a caring hand or a long hug and the balancing energies of someone who truly cares. Even in relationships, one soul cannot always meet all our emotional and energetic needs.
It is time to liberate healing touch from the shackles of ownership and romantic expectations. When we view closeness as essential nourishment for our nervous systems, and as a safe energetic exchange rather than a sexual contract, we open ourselves up to an abundance of care and LOVE.
> [[Continue ...->TouchNeed6]]$touchneed: true
$firstquestions: $firstquestions + 1
--
{embed image: 'https://www.sanuela.org/journey3-images/justfriends.webp', alt: 'A line of friends, holding hands'}
This shift enables us to hold and be held by friends or healing partners, restoring our natural balance through a network of safe, caring connections.
[if $energyflow === false]
> [[Why do we feel drawn to specific souls?->EnergyFlow]]
[continue]
[if $healingbenefits === false]
> [[The healing benefits of conscious touch->HealingBenefits]]
[continue]
[if $firstquestions >= 2]
***
> [[The essential tool for safe connection->HeartBreath]]{embed image: 'https://www.sanuela.org/journey3-images/fireandwater.webp', alt: 'Two silhouettes, the woman embodying flowing water energies, the man embodying fire energies, reaching for each other'}
## The Eternal Dance of Yin & Yang
We all carry both feminine (yin) and masculine (yang) energies within us, as well as the energies of the four elements and many other frequencies. If we always stay within our own energies, we can become unbalanced. Perhaps we are then too rigid and mental, or too fluid and ungrounded.
This is why we are drawn to opposites. We feel an urge to connect with souls who embody the energies we lack, so that we can heal and return to our wholeness when we connect with them.
> [[What energies do we feel?->EnergyFlow3]]{embed image: 'https://www.sanuela.org/journey3-images/elysluma.webp', alt: 'A man and a woman glowing with a warm golden light in their chests (Luma) and sparkling tingles in their spines (Elys)'}
## Luma and Elys
In the world of Sanuela, we have names for two distinct currents of energy: Luma is the steady, warm glow of the heart. It feels like safety, deep acceptance, and unconditional LOVE. It says: "I hold you."
Elys is the sparkling tingle of aliveness. It feels like excitement, champagne in the veins, or a rush of heat. It says: "I awaken you."
Both are sacred. Both are natural. Yet, we often suppress them because we have been taught to fear them.
> [[Welcoming our aliveness->EnergyFlow4]]{embed image: 'https://www.sanuela.org/journey3-images/elysluma2.webp', alt: 'A person standing in a stream of light, looking energised and revitalised, without shame'}
## Aliveness Without Shame
When we feel the tingle of Elys with someone other than our partner, we might feel guilty or ashamed, or assume a desire for sex is involved. Let's reframe this. This energy is simply pure life force.
Just as you can enjoy the warmth of a fire without setting the house in flames, you can embrace the warmth of Luma and the tingling of Elys without acting on it sexually. Simply enjoy the 'battery charge' with someone to revitalise you. When we remove the shame, we can simply breathe, enjoy the tingle and allow it to heal and balance us.
> [[How the exchange works->EnergyFlow5]]$energyflow: true
$firstquestions: $firstquestions + 1
--
{embed image: 'https://www.sanuela.org/journey3-images/energybubble.webp', alt: 'Two souls holding hands, forming an energetic bubble around them'}
When we hold hands or hug with this new consciousness, our astral bodies merge. We form an energetic bubble.
There is nothing we need to do. We simply breathe through our heart centres and allow it to happen. The calm Luma flows to where there is fear, while the sparkling Elys flows to where there is stagnation.
It is a silent communication between our bodies. We receive exactly what we need, and we give exactly what we have in abundance, leaving both souls fuller, brighter, and more balanced than before.
[if $touchneed === false]
> [[Why do we need touch?->TouchNeed]]
[continue]
[if $healingbenefits === false]
> [[The healing benefits of conscious touch->HealingBenefits]]
[continue]
[if $firstquestions >= 2]
***
> [[The essential tool for safe connection->HeartBreath]]{embed image: 'https://www.sanuela.org/journey3-images/healingtouch.webp', alt: 'A man holds hands on heart chakra and belly of a woman, boosting her energies'}
## Physical Benefits
Our bodies are hardwired to respond positively to safe touch. It is the quickest way to relax our chronic 'fight or flight' mode.
When we feel held and safe, our cortisol levels drop, anxiety fades, and we naturally become deeply relaxed. This sense of safety acts as a powerful reset for our nervous system, strengthening our body's natural resilience and greatly boosting our immune system.
> [[Continue to the emotional benefits.->HealingBenefits3]]{embed image: 'https://www.sanuela.org/journey3-images/emotionalrelease.webp', alt: 'A woman is holding a man who is releasing emotional tensions'}
## Emotional Benefits
A conscious embrace creates a healing current that is strong enough to release old emotional knots from our tissues. Without words, we can safely let go of past hurts. The body realises: "I am held. I don't have to carry this alone right now."
It also opens a path to deep forgiveness. A holding meditation can heal our 'astral inflammations', which are the residues of old resentment. We can even use the safety of the embrace to silently forgive others by using our partner as a proxy, or to finally forgive ourselves, restoring our inner emotional balance.
> [[Continue to the energetic benefits.->HealingBenefits4]]{embed image: 'https://www.sanuela.org/journey3-images/yabyum.webp', alt: 'Man and woman sitting in yab yum position'}
## Energetic Benefits
When we feel safe enough to stay close for longer, such as during a hugging meditation, our astral bodies begin to communicate and balance each other.
We literally retune each other's energies, naturally absorbing what we lack from the other and finding inner harmony, thus becoming more whole.
We open our hearts and activate the warm glow of unconditional LOVE (Luma), flooding our bodies with deep peace. We may feel the aliveness of Elys or a gentle Kundalini awakening, leaving us revitalised and sparkling with joy.
> [[Continue ...->HealingSummary]]$healingbenefits: true
$firstquestions: $firstquestions + 1
--
{embed image: 'https://www.sanuela.org/journey3-images/glowingauras.webp', alt: 'The woman waves good-bye to the man, both have a strongly glowing aura'}
## We Touch to Refill Our Inner Cup.
Whether it is for calming our nerves, releasing old hurts, or balancing our chakras and energies: Conscious, caring touch leaves us fuller than when we arrived.
We walk away recharged, radiating that vital warmth to everyone we meet.
[if $touchneed === false]
> [[Why do we need touch?->TouchNeed]]
[continue]
[if $energyflow === false]
> [[Why do we feel drawn to specific souls?->EnergyFlow]]
[continue]
[if $firstquestions >= 2]
***
> [[The essential tool for safe connection->HeartBreath]]{embed image: 'https://www.sanuela.org/journey3-images/heartcentred.webp', alt: 'A man walks through a busy town, centred in his heart.'}
The safe foundation of all conscious touch, from holding hands to a deep hug, is Heart Chakra Breathing.
When we focus our attention on breathing through the centre of our chest, we shift our internal state and our awareness away from racing thoughts in the head and egocentric impulses from the gut to the calm, safe centre of the heart.
> [[How to do it->HeartBreathHow]]{embed image: 'https://www.sanuela.org/journey3-images/heartchakrabreathing.webp', alt: 'A woman sits in nature while breathing through her heart chakra. Swirling aura around her.'}
## How to Breathe LOVE
You can try it right now: Place your attention (and perhaps a hand) on the centre of your chest. Imagine you are breathing in LOVE directly through your chest. Feel it filling your lungs and your aura. Imagine breathing out LOVE through your chest, radiating that warmth towards yourself and your surrounding. Keep your natural breathing rhythm. Inhale LOVE, Exhale LOVE. That's all.
> [[Why this creates safety->HeartBreathSafety]]{embed image: 'https://www.sanuela.org/journey3-images/sharedheartbubble.webp', alt: 'Two people talking, surrounded by a soft, protective bubble of light generated from their hearts'}
When we breathe from the heart, we instantly create a safe harbour.
It becomes almost impossible to hurt someone or act selfishly when our consciousness is anchored in the heart. The defensive ego quietly steps back. We enter a space of trust and confidence: Shared vulnerability without fear.
We can feel strong enough to lower our shields because we generate our own safety from within. There is no need to defend; we simply breathe LOVE.
> [[Transforming energies from the heart->HeartBreathAlchemy]]{embed image: 'https://www.sanuela.org/journey3-images/inneralchemy.webp', alt: 'Red/orange energy rising from below, turning into golden/green light in the heart center'}
## The Inner Alchemist
Heart Chakra Breathing is also a master transformer. Sometimes, closeness can stir up intense feelings: nervousness, jealousy, or perhaps arousal. Rather than suppressing these energies or acting on them impulsively, we draw them up into the heart. There, the 'Heart Washing Machine' spins them around and transforms the energies into warm tenderness and wholeness.
> [[Communication from the heart->HeartBreathTalk]]{embed image: 'https://www.sanuela.org/journey3-images/honesttalk.webp', alt: 'Two people looking into each others eyes, a bridge of light connecting their hearts as they speak'}
## Speaking Your Truth
Finally, this breath is the key to honest communication. Before asking for a hug, expressing a wish or setting a boundary, breathe LOVE through your heart centre. If you are asking, you will ask without demanding. If you are answering, you can say "no" with LOVE, or "yes" with clarity.
When both souls are breathing this way, allowances and boundaries become agreements of care. We understand that saying "no" to a specific touch is a way of saying "yes" to safety and honesty.
> [[Ready for the hugging meditation?->HuggingIntro]]{embed image: 'https://www.sanuela.org/journey3-images/hugging.webp', alt: 'Two friends in a hug'}
If you feel safe and comforted by holding hands and being close to the other soul, and if you find this either balancing or vitalising, you can try a hugging meditation.
This is a conscious decision to pause the outside world and enter a shared healing space for five, ten or 20 minutes. You agree to use your bodies as anchors for a deeper connection, allowing energies to flow and balance naturally.
> [[Continue ...->Hugging2]]{embed image: 'https://www.sanuela.org/journey3-images/huggingmeditationyabyum.webp', alt: 'Two friends in a hug'}
You can do the hugging meditation either standing or sitting (in the yab-yum position, where in most cases the woman sits on the man's lap and wraps her legs around his waist).
There is no goal. There is no need to perform or entertain. Caressing would be a distraction, so we become still. Feel free to change the position of your hands if you feel like it. Adjust your posture slightly if it hurts anywhere. Silence is welcome, but feel free to speak if you wish.
> [[Watch a hugging video with a personal testimonial->HuggingVideo]]
> [[Continue ...->Hugging3]]{embed image: 'https://www.sanuela.org/journey3-images/huggingmeditationstanding.webp', alt: 'Two friends in a standing hugging meditation'}
As the two of you breathe LOVE in and out of your heart centres, you enter a bubble of astral oneness where you freely share your energies. Stay here.
If you feel bored or awkward, simply breathe through it. Beyond that, you can find deep peace, sparkling joy and overflowing LOVE.
> [[Does this mean romance?->NoRomance]]{embed image: 'https://www.sanuela.org/journey3-images/friendscuddle.webp', alt: 'Four friends in a group hug'}
Hugging meditation is a healing practice. You can share this with:
* a trusted friend (no romantic feelings needed),
* an "energetic healing partner" (someone whose energy complements yours),
* your romantic partner, as a way to deepen your bond.
This practice exists in its own sacred space, separate from any relationship box. Feel free to set your own allowances and boundaries.
> [[How do I bring this into my life?->HowToStart]]{embed image: 'https://www.sanuela.org/journey3-images/openpaths.webp', alt: 'Small paths are opening into different nature areas, inviting the first step'}
## Taking the Next Step
What you have seen here is only a first glimpse into a much wider field of conscious human touch. There is a lot more depth to explore. If you feel a resonance with this, you can either read more about it, experience it in person, or learn how to embody it as a conscious offering for others.
> [[Read some books about this->Books]]
> [[Experience it at Finca Sanuela->RetreatInvite]]
> [[Learn how to offer this healing presence to others->CompanionIntro]]
> [[Show me other interactive journeys from sanuela.org->OtherJourneys]]{embed image: 'https://www.sanuela.org/journey3-images/handholdingwithnils.webp', alt: 'Holding hands with Nils at Finca Sanuela'}
## Experiencing Human Medicine
At Finca Sanuela in Tenerife, you can explore these and other practices in a safe and supportive setting. Think of it as a personal retreat for transformation, growth and opening up your heart energetically.
> [[Get in contact with Nils->Contact]]
> [[Learn how to offer this healing presence to others->CompanionIntro]]
> [[Show me other interactive journeys from sanuela.org->OtherJourneys]]{embed image: 'https://www.sanuela.org/journey3-images/handholdingwithnils.webp', alt: 'Holding hands with Nils at Finca Sanuela'}
Some souls feel called not only to receive the medicine of touch, but also to embody and share it with others. The guided training to become an Energetic Heart and Soul Companion walks you through the process step by step:
- deepening your own heart connection, vulnerability and confidence;
- communicating allowances and boundaries with clarity and LOVE;
- holding safe spaces for hand-holding, hugging meditations and presence touch.
You will learn how to support others without needing to fix them, simply by being a clear, loving and balanced presence. If you would like to explore this path in more detail, please contact Nils.
> [[Learn more about this->https://sanuela.org/Heart-Soul-Companion.html]]
> [[Or first feel it directly at a retreat->RetreatInvite]]
> [[Get in contact with Nils->Contact]]
> [[Show me other interactive journeys from sanuela.org->OtherJourneys]]{embed image: 'https://www.sanuela.org/journey1-images/nilsphone2.webp', alt: 'Nils with speech bubble and phone number'}
> [[Guidelines for sharing human medicine->https://sanuela.org/Guidelines.html]]
> [[Other interactive journeys from sanuela.org->OtherJourneys]]
{embed image: 'https://www.sanuela.org/journey3-images/seh1-cover-en333.jpg', alt: 'Hooray, I am Human! (free ebook)'}
This book explores the basic concepts of deep, conscious hugging meditations, focusing on the energetic and emotional healing effects. Readers will find insights into how hugging can balance the body’s astral and emotional energies, and promote spiritual awakening, connection and harmonious relationships.
> [[Continue ...->Books2]]{embed image: 'https://www.sanuela.org/journey3-images/sanuela-book-333.jpg', alt: 'High Priestess of Sanuela (free ebook)'}
Through an intuitive and spiritual narrative, this book follows Ayana’s initiatory journey of inner growth, showing how she cultivates the radiance and loving presence needed to offer sacred healing hugs. Through her experiences, readers will gain insight into the deep emotional and energetic transformation required to allow LOVE to flow as a healing power.
> [[Continue ...->Books3]]
{embed image: 'https://www.sanuela.org/journey3-images/ayana2-cover-en333.jpg', alt: 'Ayana, My Light and My Love (free ebook)'}
This book combines personal experience and insights on hugging meditations, showing their role in balancing yin-yang energies, releasing emotional blockages and opening the heart chakra. Through Ayana’s experiences, readers discover how hugging meditations can be used for personal energetic healing, relationship harmony and spiritual growth.
> [[Continue ...->Books4]]
## Love Is Our Medicine
(not yet published)
As the most structured summary, this book serves as a step by step guide to cultivating the purity, depth of LOVE, and high frequency states that Ayana embodies in the stories. It outlines the inner work needed to prepare for the sacred hugging meditations, including emotional healing, energetic alignment, and the conscious expansion of LOVE.
> [[Experience this at Finca Sanuela->RetreatInvite]]
> [[Learn how to offer this healing presence to others->CompanionIntro]]
> [[Show me other interactive journeys from sanuela.org->OtherJourneys]]{embed YouTube video: 'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRVFC1M_CaQ'}
Holding hands with someone can feel like a mini hug. Energies are exchanged and naturally harmonised. A hugging meditation can feel even more balancing and healing.
Find someone you trust and try it out while breathing through your heart centres together.
> [[Why do we need touch?->TouchNeed]]
> [[Why do we feel drawn to specific souls?->EnergyFlow]]
> [[The healing benefits of conscious touch->HealingBenefits]]
{embed YouTube video: 'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRVFC1M_CaQ'}
Find someone you trust and try it out while breathing through your heart centres together.
> [[Continue ...->Hugging3]]{embed image: 'https://www.sanuela.org/journey5-images/fastingrecap.webp', alt: 'Scenes from the interactive Fasting journey'}
What are we really hungry for? This interactive journey explores the deep connection between food addictions and unmet emotional needs like loneliness, lack of physical contact and disconnection from our hearts.
It reveals how substances such as caffeine trigger anxiety in our nervous systems to create alertness, while sugar and wheat numb the deeper longings that only LOVE and authentic presence can truly satisfy.
Fasting is presented as an invitation to stop avoiding our feelings and finally acknowledge what lies underneath. The journey shows how cleansing the body enables you to receive deeper nourishment from nature, others and the astral realms. You will learn to work with waves of cravings and emotions through heart-centred practices, gradually experiencing more intuitive clarity and a heightened energetic perception.
> [[Start the Fasting Journey->https://sanuela.org/Fasting.html]]
> [[More interactive journeys->OtherJourneys2]]{embed image: 'https://www.sanuela.org/journey5-images/lovenetworkrecap.webp', alt: 'Scenes from the interactive Network of LOVE journey'}
What if your heart didn't have to fit into a box? This interactive journey invites you to discover the vision of a stable Network of LOVE, where deeply nourishing affection is shared among trusted souls with full awareness and consent.
Explore the loving space between 'just friends' and 'romantic relationship'. Take a look at essential skills like honest communication, emotional self-regulation, setting allowances and boundaries, or how to work with jealousy as a shared responsibility.
Examine your own comfort levels with holding hands or having cuddle friends, and start building an abundant, resilient ecosystem of LOVE and care.
> [[Start the Network of LOVE Journey->https://sanuela.org/Network-of-LOVE.html]]
> [[More interactive journeys->OtherJourneys3]]{embed image: 'https://www.sanuela.org/journey5-images/soulfamilyrecap.webp', alt: 'Scenes from the interactive Soulfamily Community journey'}
Take this interactive journey and imagine life beyond the traditional family model. Discover the concept of a Soulfamily Community, where three to six trusted souls live together as a chosen family with shared values. This offers daily togetherness, emotional safety, and mutual support beyond the limitations of a single partnership.
Explore how such a community thrives, from heart-centred trust practices and shared living spaces to value-based agreements and consent-based decision-making. Whether you feel called to raise children with multiple adults or simply long for deeper belonging and care, this journey shows a path towards a more connected and abundant way of living.
> [[Start the Soulfamily Community Journey->https://sanuela.org/Soulfamily-Community.html]]
> [[More interactive journeys->OtherJourneys4]]{embed image: 'https://www.sanuela.org/journey5-images/companionrecap.webp', alt: 'Scenes from the interactive Energetic Heart & Soul Companion journey'}
In this interactive journey, we explore what it means to become an Energetic Heart and Soul Companion and provide a safe space for emotional healing and balance. It is an invitation to those who feel called to offer their presence, heart and hands as human medicine.
This path goes beyond techniques, emphasising the personal, intuitive transformation needed to hold a high-frequency space without fixing, to remain heart-centred in vulnerability, and to offer touch as a sacred, still presence rather than a performance. Explore how this extends into everyday life as well, deepening friendships, partnerships, and your own sense of connection and trust.
> [[Start the Heart & Soul Companion Journey->https://sanuela.org/Heart-Soul-Companion.html]]
> [[Start the Fasting Journey->https://sanuela.org/Fasting.html]]
> [[Start the Network of LOVE Journey->https://sanuela.org/Network-of-LOVE.html]]
> [[Start the Soulfamily Community Journey->https://sanuela.org/Soulfamily-Community.html]]