Welcome to Returning to Forgiveness.
I'm so glad you're here.
So,
Find your comfy space,
Warm and cozy.
Gently close your eyes and just feel your body begin to soften,
Letting go.
Take a slow gentle breath in and a soft breath out.
Breathing in and releasing.
Just feel your body settling.
You don't need to change anything.
Just let your breath be natural now.
Easy,
Unforced.
And just for this time,
You could set everything down.
Nothing to revisit,
Nothing to carry.
Just being here right now.
Forgiveness is often misunderstood.
It isn't about pretending that something didn't matter.
It isn't about saying something was okay when it wasn't.
And it isn't about forcing yourself to feel something that you don't.
But forgiveness is a softening,
A loosening of the hold that something has on your energy,
On your body,
On your heart.
And it's not about the past,
But it's about what you carry now.
And sometimes,
The weight we carry isn't even loud.
It's quiet,
A small tightness,
A subtle heaviness,
A story that keeps repeating just beneath the surface.
So,
Today,
You're not here to force that away.
You're simply here to be.
Begin loosening your grip on it.
Gently,
Kindly,
And in your own time.
Often,
The place forgiveness begins is within.
It's not because you've done anything wrong,
But because you've been human.
So,
There may be moments where you wish you'd chosen differently,
Spoken differently,
Seen things more clearly.
But you are living with the understanding you had at the time.
You are learning even then.
So,
Just for a moment,
See if you can meet yourself with a quiet understanding.
And with a quiet honesty.
Gently,
Inwardly,
You might say,
I didn't always know.
I was doing my best in that moment.
I am still learning.
Just allow yourself to soften.
And as you begin to explore this space of forgiveness,
You might notice that some of what you've been carrying is connected to others.
Someone who said something or didn't.
Someone who acted in a way that has stayed with you.
And just gently,
Let's acknowledge that.
Without going into the story.
Without needing to revisit it.
And just as a quiet reminder,
Forgiveness.
It doesn't mean what happened was okay.
It doesn't mean forgetting.
Forgiveness is something you choose to free yourself from holding it in the same way.
And right now,
There's nothing you need to do here.
Nothing you need to force.
It's just a small softening.
A little space.
And perhaps just a willingness to carry a little less.
So,
Now you rest in this growing sense of space.
You might gently bring to mind someone connected to what you've been holding.
Not the whole story.
Just a light awareness of them.
And as you notice this,
Just remember forgiveness.
It doesn't mean what happened was okay.
Forgiveness is something you do for yourself.
It's to release the weight of carrying it in your own beautiful heart.
So,
Just for this moment,
See if you can soften even slightly.
Not forcing anything.
Just allowing a little space between you and what has been.
Just gently say inwardly,
I release the hold this has had on me.
Not because they deserve it,
But because you deserve peace.
And if all forgiveness feels too far away,
That's okay.
You can just begin here with willingness.
Willingness to soften.
Willingness to carry a little less.
And that is enough.
Now,
You see yourself standing beside a wide,
Gently flowing river.
Not rushing.
Not still.
It's just moving steadily and peacefully.
This river,
It feels ancient,
As though it has carried many things before you,
And will continue long after.
Beside you in a small,
Simple boat.
When you're ready,
You step in.
And the boat,
It doesn't need steering.
The river carries you naturally.
And as you begin to drift,
You notice something beside you in the boat.
It's a small collection of objects.
Not heavy,
But meaningful.
Now,
Each one represents something that you've been holding onto.
A moment.
A thought.
A feeling.
Or something connected to another person.
You don't need to examine them closely.
You just know they have been with you for a while.
And as the boat moves gently forward,
You realize something important.
You don't have to throw anything away.
You don't have to force forgiveness.
Instead,
You're simply allowed to release your hold.
Now,
When you're ready,
You pick up one of these objects.
You feel it in your hands.
And rather than pushing it away,
You just gently place it into the river.
And the river receives it effortlessly.
No resistance.
No judgment.
Just movement.
So,
Just watch as it drifts further and further.
And it's becoming lighter as it goes.
And you notice that you're not losing anything important.
You are just no longer carrying it.
So,
Just take your time here.
There is no rush.
One by one,
You can choose.
And just place more into the river.
Maybe it's something connected to yourself.
I forgive myself for not knowing then what I know now.
Maybe it's something connected to another.
I release the hold that this has had on me.
No need to force any words.
Just let them arise.
And with each release,
Your hands are growing lighter.
Your body softens.
Your breath deepens.
And this river,
It keeps flowing.
Always moving.
Always carrying.
Always making space.
At some point,
You may notice there is nothing left in your hands.
Or maybe there is just a little less.
And that is enough.
So,
As you continue drifting,
You begin to feel something else.
It's not emptiness,
But it's space.
And in that space,
Something quiet begins to return.
It's a beautiful sense of ease.
A sense of lightness.
It's a sense of yourself.
It's the version of you that is not weighed down.
Not holding tightly,
But just being.
And just let yourself rest here for a moment.
Breathe into the feeling of forgiveness.
Of letting go.
Now,
Gently,
These words can meet you here.
Forgiveness does not change the past,
But it does enlarge the future.
It's a quote by Paul Boas.
So,
You are not changing what was,
But you are changing how you carry it into this moment now.
And now,
Gently,
Softly,
Within yourself,
Just repeat,
I am allowed to release what I've been carrying.
I forgive myself,
Gently,
In my own time.
I choose peace over holding on.
I allow space for something new to grow.
I am not defined by what has been.
I am free to begin again.
Just breathe those words deep into your being.
Wonderful.
And now,
Slowly,
Return to your breath.
Return to your body.
Return to this moment.
Not everything needs to be forgiven today.
Not everything needs to be resolved.
But something has shifted,
Even slightly.
A loosening,
A softening,
A little more space.
And that is how forgiveness begins.
So,
Forgiveness isn't a single moment.
It's a gentle practice.
A returning,
A releasing,
Again and again,
Until one day you realize you're no longer carrying what once felt so heavy.
Just as the river carried what you released,
This too can be carried without you holding it.
And forgiveness isn't about letting go all at once.
It's loosening your hold to let life carry you forward again.
And now,
Just allow yourself to rest here.
Just noticing how you feel.
Perhaps there's a little more space within you,
A little more ease in your breath.
And even if the shift feels small,
That's okay.
It really unfolds gently in its own time.
It's like the river still moving,
Even when you're not watching.
Take a slow breath in,
And a gentle,
Soft breath out.
And just notice what does it feel like not to hold on quite as tightly?
And what does it feel like to allow a little more softness within yourself?
You don't have to resolve the whole story.
You've simply begun to loosen your grip on what you no longer need to carry.
And that matters more than you might realize.
There is such a quiet strength in choosing softness.
There is such a quiet courage in choosing to release even a little.
And as you sit here,
Just gently remind yourself you are allowed to grow beyond your past.
You are allowed to change,
To evolve,
To see things differently now.
You are not the same person you were then.
And that means you are not bound to carry things in the same way.
Take another slow,
Easy breath in.
And as you breathe out,
Feel how your body is supported.
That you are held,
Grounded,
Right here.
Just let your awareness return to the surface beneath you,
The room around you,
The gentle rhythm of your breath.
And as you come back,
Don't leave this behind.
This softening,
This lightness,
This space.
Let it come with you so that you can return to it again and again whenever you need.
In the quiet moments,
In the gentle breaths,
In the small choices to let go,
To forgive just a little more.
Take a slightly deeper breath now and slowly begin to bring movement back.
Maybe rolling your shoulders,
Giving yourself a gentle stretch.
And when you're ready,
Just gently open your eyes.
And remember that forgiveness doesn't ask you to forget or to force.
It's only to soften just enough to let a little more peace find its way back to you.
And thank yourself deeply for giving you this time to let go,
To release.
Namaste,
My friend.
Namaste.
