Welcome,
Before we begin take a moment to settle into wherever you are.
Let your body find a position that feels supported whether that's sitting,
Lying down or leaning gently back.
And as you arrive here perhaps set an intention for what forgiveness means for you today.
Not a demand,
Not a goal but a gentle curiosity.
Maybe your intention is simply to soften,
To see what forgiveness might feel like in your body,
To explore what letting go could mean when it happens naturally in its own time.
Let your breath deepen slowly in and gently out.
And as you breathe begin to sense that with each exhale you're releasing a little more of the day,
A little more of what you've been carrying,
Giving yourself full permission to be here.
Bring your attention now to your body,
To the points of contact between you and the ground beneath you.
Feel the weight of your hips,
Your shoulders,
Your legs,
The steady presence of gravity holding you here.
As you breathe in imagine your breath gathering warmth in the heart space and as you breathe out allow that warmth to spread down your arms,
Your hands,
Your fingers,
Down your body.
Each breath a message to the body it's okay to soften,
You don't have to fix anything,
You don't have to force forgiveness.
You're simply allowing space for it to unfold.
And as your breath settles into a rhythm you might notice sensations,
A subtle ache,
A flutter,
An emotion beginning to stir.
Just notice it,
No story needed,
No analysis,
Just awareness.
Forgiveness often begins here in the noticing,
The quiet recognition that something inside has been waiting for your attention and it doesn't need to be resolved right now,
It just needs your presence.
So if something arises,
A memory,
A face,
A word,
Just breathe with it.
Let it move through you like a wave that comes,
Crests and fades.
Nothing to hold,
Nothing to chase.
You might begin to imagine now that you're sitting beside a river.
The water glides past,
Clear,
Constant,
Alive.
It's been flowing long before you arrived and it will continue long after.
As you sit there notice how the river carries things,
Twigs,
Leaves,
Fragments of the world and yet it never holds on.
It allows,
It receives,
It releases and it keeps moving.
And perhaps forgiveness is like this river,
A natural current inside you that only knows how to flow once you stop standing in its way.
You don't have to make the river move,
You only need to sit beside it and watch what happens when you allow life to carry itself.
Now bring your attention gently back to your heart.
Imagine the breath flowing in and out of this space as if your heart itself is breathing.
You might whisper silently to yourself,
I am open to forgiving myself for the moments I didn't know better,
For the times I held on too tightly,
For being human.
You don't have to feel the truth of it right away.
Sometimes the body understands before the mind does so just breathe those words in and let them land wherever they need to.
Each breath is an act of kindness towards yourself,
Each exhale a small letting go.
And when you're ready you might imagine someone or something you've held in your heart,
A person,
A situation,
Even an old version of yourself.
See them standing across the river from you,
You don't need to go to them,
You don't need to speak,
Just let the sound of the flowing water hold the space between you.
If it feels right you might say quietly in your mind,
I release you from my grip,
I choose peace for myself.
Notice how your body responds,
Perhaps a softening in the chest,
A loosening in the breath or maybe just a quiet stillness,
That's enough.
Forgiveness doesn't mean forgetting,
It means freeing yourself from the weight of the story and that freedom begins within.
Now imagine looking up at the sky above the river,
Wide,
Open,
Endless.
Clouds drift slowly,
Changing shape as they pass.
Some are heavy and grey,
Some light and soft but all are temporary.
The sky doesn't cling to any of them and you too are the sky.
Your thoughts,
Your emotions,
Your memories,
They're just clouds,
They come and go.
Forgiveness is remembering that you are not the cloud,
You are the sky that holds it all,
Spacious and free.
Now if you like you can imagine the days ahead,
A future version of you who moves through the world a little lighter,
A little softer.
Notice how they speak,
How they walk,
How they breathe.
There's an ease in their presence,
A quiet strength that comes from no longer carrying what once felt too heavy and as you see them you might sense them smiling back at you,
As if to say you're already becoming me.
Let that vision rest gently in your heart,
A reminder that forgiveness isn't something to reach for,
It's something you grow into breath by breath.
Take a deep breath in and slowly release it out.
Let your awareness begin to return to your body,
The weight of your hands,
The rhythm of your breath,
The steady ground beneath you.
And before we close take a moment to silently thank yourself for showing up,
For listening,
For allowing something new to begin today.
When you're ready begin to deepen the breath,
Your awareness,
Feeling refreshed,
Peaceful,
Whole and gently,
When it feels right,
Open your eyes.
Thank you for joining me,
I'll see you soon.
