You may like to begin your meditation with a quick heart-opening yoga pose. Locust pose or Shark pose provides an opportunity for you to feel secure and supported by the Earth as you find the courage to open your heart to the possibility of forgiveness. Lay your body down, with your thighs, belly, chest, and cheek resting on the ground. Take a deep breath in through your nose and notice the points where your body makes contact with the ground. Exhale with a gentle sigh. On your next inhale, begin to lift your head, shoulders, and legs into the air. As you exhale, hold your body, suspended in the air. Inhale and interlace your fingers behind your back, gently pulling your shoulders back, while lifting and opening your heart region. Exhale and release your body back to the Earth. This is a challenging pose. You may notice your heart beating against the ground, and your breath quicken. You decide if you’d like to practice the pose again before beginning a brief guided meditation.
Once you’ve had a chance to explore Locust pose, find your way to a comfortable meditation position. You may like to roll over onto your back with arms and legs flopping to the sides in Corpse pose, or sit with your legs crossed and spine straight in Easy pose. Maybe you’d rather sit in a chair. You decide what works best. Gently close your eyes or bring your gaze softly to the floor. Begin by bringing your attention to your breath. You may like to begin by taking a magic calming breath, inhaling deeply through your nose, and releasing the breath with a long exhale through your mouth. Notice the feeling of air flowing in and out of your body. Arrive in this moment, and remind yourself that there is nowhere else to be, and nothing else to do. Grant yourself permission to simply be here now.
Has there ever been a time when you felt angry, disappointed, or frustrated? Have you ever been unhappy with yourself or someone else? Maybe you made a mistake, or maybe someone else’s actions hurt your feelings. Sometimes, when we experience strong, uncomfortable feelings, like anger, shame, resentment, and sadness, they can linger and sit heavily on our hearts. The thoughts that feed these powerful feelings can become entangled in our minds. These feelings and thoughts can weigh us down, making it difficult to move forward and enjoy life’s little wonders. Today we will engage in the practice forgiveness, as we choose to let go of this weight that drags us down and hold us back.
Bring your attention to your heart center. For just a moment, allow yourself to experience any hurt, and honor the presence of uncomfortable feelings. Maybe you can help those feelings find a name. Is it sadness, anger, disappointment, shame, guilt, or something else? Sometimes when we name our feelings they become less powerful. Now, see if you can imagine that a great and powerful wave of pure, crystal clear water is approaching. Maybe you’ve been to the beach or seen a video of a large, gently rolling ocean wave. You are not afraid, because you feel certain that this wave will bring nothing but health, healing, and positive energy. This refreshing wave of water offers you the gift of forgiveness, with the ability to wash away the burden of your pain. Imagine the strength of the wave as it crashes upon your heart. Your heart opens itself to love as you find the strength and grace to forgive yourself or forgive someone else. You let go of painful feelings and critical thoughts as you embrace understanding. You let go of wishing that things were different. You accept things as they are and acknowledge that we are all imperfect beings, growing and learning together. Breathe in love, and exhale forgiveness. Try it again. Breathe in love, exhale forgiveness. Continue for a few breaths, and feel the spaciousness in your mind and the openness of your heart. Feel the freedom of forgiveness. You are no longer stuck. You are free to move forward, guided by the inner light within your heart. Namaste!
Comments