DID YOU TOUCH SOMEONE TODAY?

A touch goes beyond physical and forges a connect that is more on an emotional and spiritual level. And yet, have you ever thought though something as remote as a rainbow can touch you, sometimes even the most intimate physical experiences can leave you untouched!

Vinita Dawra Nangia

Close your eyes and think of your most peaceful, healing moments. No matter what comes to mind, there’s bound to be a “touch” somewhere – your mother’s hand on your head; the arms of a loved one around you; the first time you held your baby; beauty that touched your heart; music that touched your soul; someone who came into your life and touched a chord…
Is a touch physical? Yes and no. A touch goes beyond physical and forges a connect that is more on an emotional and spiritual level. A life that touched you; a voice that touches you, or memories that will touch you forever… how can any of these be merely physical?
Consider, what would you rather lose – sight or feeling of touch? Think about it, and you realize the sensation of touch connects you far better to rest of the world than your other senses. Children instinctively seek physical contact whenever disturbed or happy. It’s only as we grow older that touching embarrasses us, because by then we start associating it with sexuality.
Animals touch each other all the time. That’s why pets who invite touch give us a feeling of well-being and are precious, especially to singles. Touch is as vital to animals as to every human being.
Remember what an instant hit Munnabhai’s jaadu ki jhappi became! If you dismiss that as fictive reality, what about the Free Hugs movement that’s creating waves across the world? Indeed, research has proved that a good hug rates second only to a good talk when it comes to blowing away the blues. If that’s not enough, hugging releases the hormone oxytocin, which is proven to arouse a caring response in men and women.

In olden times, medicine men healed with a touch; today men in love swear their woman can do the same for them! Jokes apart, therapeutic touch healing is today a successful form of alternate medicine that tries to gently manipulate the body’s energy flow towards a healthy and balanced one.
Ever stood next to an inconsolable friend or relative and not known what to say? You don’t need to; just a touch or hug conveys all. How many times has a hug suddenly made you feel better about yourself and the world?
In all this, touch helps form an instant bond and opens communication between two people. It can happen with those you know very well or sometimes, even with virtual strangers. But the deepest connect that touch helps us build, is with ourselves. Even touch therapy actually aids your own body to heal itself. The right touch helps you feel better about yourself instantly! A rainbow, snowy clouds, green meadows and soulful music that touch us, help us connect with our souls.
And yet, have you ever thought though something as remote as a rainbow can touch you, sometimes even the most intimate physical experiences can leave you untouched! The connection just doesn’t work.
And if there are touches that inspire, there are also those that don’t -- touches that leave you not just “untouched”, but defiled. These unwanted touches invade your personal space and could range from a deliberate brushing past on a crowded street to a colleague who insists on making his point by touching your arm or shoulder, to even just leery eyes that touch you intimately.
Strangely, in India, we are far more wary of touching and being touched than in the West. A rigid morality makes us question even the most innocent of gestures. So we are poor givers and getters of touch. Most of us have never even seen our parents hold hands or sit with their arms around each other, let alone hugging or kissing!
Think, how many times in the day are you touched or reach out to touch others? In what ways are you comfortable being touched? When was the last time you touched your grandparents or your parents? Think. For, if you have a questioning heart, you are bound to have an untouched one too…