Welcome to this forgiveness meditation.
Be kind and compassionate to one another,
Forgiving each other,
Just as in Christ God forgave you,
Ephesians 4.
32.
As we begin this practice,
Settle yourself into a comfortable yet upright seated position,
Keeping your back,
Neck,
And head straight.
Make sure to avoid any straining or pushing.
Bend your spine upward,
Slightly tucking the chin.
Roll back your shoulders,
And when you are ready,
Close your eyes.
Now let's take a couple of deep breaths.
Breathing in deeply through the nose,
Hold,
And breathing out slowly through the mouth.
Taking a deep breath in through the nose,
Expanding the belly and the chest,
And releasing the breath out slowly and gently.
And one last time,
Breathing in deeply,
And breathing out slowly,
With steady control,
Allowing all tension and discomfort to melt away.
You are here,
And you are present.
So just tune into the feeling of acknowledging your breath,
Acknowledging your presence here,
And just noticing how that feels.
And now,
Bring to mind something you'd like to be forgiven for.
Recall what you could see and hear at the time,
What may have been communicated or what action was taken,
And notice how you feel.
Take a few moments to consider whether any action is required on your behalf to correct any wrongdoings.
It may be that you need to apologize or to put things right in some way,
Trusting yourself for forgiveness in a way that feels right for you,
Without getting lost in the content of the story or whatever may have happened.
Also take your time,
Repeating the following phrases in your mind while holding love and compassion in your heart.
I easily forgive myself,
I lovingly forgive myself,
I am forgiven,
All is well,
I allow myself to give and receive love freely.
For if you forgive other people when they sin against you,
Your Heavenly Father will also forgive you.
Now bring to mind a person that you wish to let go of or forgive.
They might be near to you or far away,
Or it might be someone from your past.
For someone who has wronged you,
Forgiveness does not excuse their behaviors.
And just as the body needs time to heal from an illness,
The heart and spirit also need time to heal from hurt,
Pain and anger.
But it can happen,
God can bring healing.
For now in this moment of time,
Let go of any hurt in your heart and make room to invite the light,
Peace and healing.
Offer this person forgiveness,
Simply sit in compassion and let go.
Now notice how you are feeling,
Bringing awareness back to the breath,
Back to the body,
Taking a few easy deep breaths,
Offering yourself some gratitude for making this time for yourself,
For taking care of your heart,
For lightening the burdens,
Breathing in stillness for as long as you wish.
And now gently bring your awareness back to the flow of your breath,
Become aware of your body resting,
Bring your attention to your toes and give them a little wiggle,
Then to your fingers and give them a little wiggle,
Give your shoulders a gentle shrug,
And when you are ready,
Open your eyes.
Be blessed.
