Hoóponopono Self-forgiveness Meditation

This nourishing meditation follows a standard format of breath, sensory grounding, and body awareness before moving on to the Hawaiian-inspired Hoóponopono practice: I am sorry / Please forgive me / Thank you / I love you. This practice is focused on self-compassion.

Transcript

And welcome to this meditation inspired by an ancient Hawaiian healing practice This meditation is called the Ho'oponopono. It was introduced to me by a beautiful art therapist we use in our family and is particularly effective with teenagers. And today we're going to use the Ho'oponopono just on ourselves but this practice can be used between people and it's deeply, Deeply beautiful and deeply healing. Starting by taking a comfortable seated position on a chair or a cushion. Checking that your body is even, That your posture is relaxed but dignified, Not slumped over, Nice and upright but no straining. And keep your head unsupported so that you don't doze off. And your hands can be in your lap or on your legs, Whatever works. Palms up, Palms down, Doesn't matter. And if you'd like to gently close your eyes now. If you'd rather you can keep them gently open with a low soft gaze. And start to tune into your breathing, Just observing it curiously without judgment. And seeing if you can deepen your breaths now, Breathing, Using all of your lung capacity, Using your diaphragm and breathing down into the belly. There's no need to over breathe though, No head spins, No over exertion, Nice and gentle. And the last couple of deep breaths now. And you can let go of your deep breathing and returning to your normal breath. And knowing you can use your breath as an anchor anytime you get distracted or lost in your meditation, Just come back and focus on the breath for a little while. Some days you'll do it a couple of times, Some days you'll do it seemingly endlessly. And in meditation we just accept what is. And using your senses to bring you even deeper into the present moment and starting with sound, What can you hear? What can you taste? And what can you smell? And then turning your attention to what you can see either in the room with that soft gentle gaze or what you can see when you focus on the space behind your closed eyes. You might see moving lights, Shapes, Maybe nothing. And then moving on to touch. Noticing the feeling of your feet on the floor, Press them into the floor to deepen that connection if you'd like to. Notice how effortlessly your body's held by the chair or the cushion. And see if you can deepen into your sit bones, Let go, Sink down. Noticing the sensation of clothes on your shoulders. Noticing the bend in your arm, The placement of your hands. Noticing your fingertips. Noticing your neck and your head. Imagine your head is as light as a balloon floating up in the air. Noticing the temperature of the air around your face and head. Noticing the space between your eyebrows. Noticing how you're holding your jaw, Your teeth, Your tongue, Your mouth. See if you can relax it a little. And it's time to shift gears now. And start the ho'oponopono, It's hard to say, Ho'oponopono practice. Hard to say, Beautiful to do though. So this practice cuts through our layers of BS and gets to the heart, Gets to love. And I'll teach you today to apply it to yourself. Many are stuck in a cycle of self doubt, Self criticism, Even self hatred. And this practice is really about showing love and forgiveness. And start by bringing to mind your vision of yourself as a child, Maybe at four or five years old. And imagine looking this child in the eyes, Deep into the eyes and saying to this child, I am sorry, Please forgive me, Thank you, I love you. And again, Looking into your own eyes as a child, I am sorry, Please forgive me, Thank you, I love you. And again, The last one for your child. I am sorry, Please forgive me, Thank you, I love you. And now take yourself to a time in your life that was difficult, Really challenging. And visualise yourself as you were in that period, Might even be now, That's okay. And look into your eyes, I am sorry, Please forgive me, Thank you, I love you. I am sorry, Please forgive me, Thank you, And I love you. And again, I am sorry, Please forgive me, Thank you, I love you. And then bring yourself into today, To you as you are sitting here today. You might even like to put your hand on your heart. I am sorry, Please forgive me, Thank you, I love you. Again, Imagine looking yourself in the eyes, Right now. I am sorry, Please forgive me, Thank you, I love you. And last time, I am sorry, Please forgive me, Thank you, And I love you. And letting go of the practice now, Just sitting for a minute or two, Letting the effects, Letting the words sink in. And gently start to bring yourself back to your day or your evening, Taking a couple of deep belly breaths. Noticing the sounds you can hear. And the taste in your mouth. And the feeling of your feet on the floor. And then bringing some gentle movement back to the body, Stretching and twisting and yawning. To bring yourself back. Congratulations for dedicating another day to your practice. Congratulations for trying something probably new. Music will go on for a little longer. Very, Very well done. Thank you.

Reviews

This was everything I needed and then some. Thank you.

A beautiful practice. Self-forgiveness and self-love intertwined.