Hugging Meditation

We heard a teaching by Thich Nhat Hanh at our center today, and he described three practical meditations: telephone meditation, driving meditation, and hugging meditation. I'd like to concentrate on the third one, which I'd never heard of before.
The idea is, before hugging a loved one, to breathe in and out deeply three times. This puts you in the present moment and prepares you to experience the hug deeply. While hugging your loved one, breathe in and out three times. Breathe in: my loved one is alive in my arms. Breathe out: I am so happy. Do this three times. He said that there's no need to pat the other person when doing this, that this can be a sign of not being truly present. If you appreciate the other person's presence, she will feel it.
If you wish for a hug, breathe in and out three times, and go to your partner and bow.

There is a second, more difficult, level of practice. Instead of breathing in and out three times, you breathe in and out four times in the middle of the hug. On the first pair, you breathe in and out that you and your loved one are both alive. On the second pair, you breathe in and out that your loved one has died and that you are still alive. On the third one, you breathe in and out that your loved one is still alive and you have died. On the fourth one, you again berathe that you are both alive. By the time you reach the fourth pair of breaths, you have become more grateful and happy at the other person's presence.