proprioception and kinesthetic awareness
For bodies to be attuned to each other, two things must be involved:
- a. You know how to control your body’s movements (proprioception) ... proprioception gives you the sense of how to move your arms to hug someone
- b. You sense how your body relates to its environment—which includes another body (kinesthetic awareness)
Kinesthetic awareness lets you know how far you need to reach, and what the strength of your hug needs to be so that the recipient gets the hug you intend. Then of course there’s the social skill of judging whether or not this person wants a hug from you—yet a third part of the situation.