Welcome.
The following is a recorded mindfulness meditation with an emphasis on self-forgiveness.
And so take a moment to find your comfortable seat.
Then once you're there,
Allow there to be some softness in your body,
Imagining the edges of your body getting a little bit fuzzy.
You can feel your shoulders soften,
The muscles of your face soften.
You can choose to close your eyes or just gaze softly down at the floor.
And then start to notice your breath,
This natural rising and falling of the breath.
It has a soothing,
Cooling quality to it.
Like you're floating on top of an easeful lake.
The inhale slightly moves up,
And the exhale slightly moves back down.
You can feel it all the way through your body.
That easeful,
Calm lake extends all the way through your body.
Noticing that breath.
Now call to mind something that you've done recently that doesn't sit right.
A mistake can also be a pattern of behavior that you engage in.
Something that you would prefer to have done differently.
Something that gives you a resisting feeling inside based on your own action.
And then right away notice how your body has reacted to calling in this uncomfortable truth,
This uncomfortable pattern.
We'll start by just re-soothing the body.
Imagining that lake is cradling your body in this very compassionate way.
The lake doesn't know about this mistake,
Doesn't care about the mistake.
But it's right there with you.
Your breath is right there with you.
Noticing your breath.
And as you're soothing with breath,
Just take notice of the spaciousness around you.
And imagine spaciousness around that mistake.
Room around that mistake.
It's not collapsing in on itself.
There's room to breathe around that mistake.
So notice that breath,
Notice that there's room to breathe.
And then see if you can imagine room and space inside that mistake.
It might feel like a knot or a dense ball.
And then as you breathe,
See if you can imagine room and space inside that mistake.
It might feel like a knot or a dense ball.
Allow there to be room inside of that mistake,
Inside of this painful memory.
It's shifting.
It's not static.
And just acknowledging that shiftiness by feeling into the space.
Like a sponge in the crevices of space in the sponge.
And noticing your breath.
Noticing your breath.
And you might find it helpful to breathe into that rigid place,
Into that collapsed space of this mistake or this guilt or this shame.
Allow there to be breath there.
Just a gentle wave of breath.
Just moving through that mistake.
Next I'll ask you to call to mind a figure that you perceive as wise and kind.
This could be someone in your life.
It could be a spiritual figure.
It could be a fictional character that embodies these qualities of wisdom and warmth.
Imagine them seeing you right alongside this mistake.
They can see the hurt of it.
They can see your shoulders slumping.
Your eyes downcast.
And they can see the space around you.
They can see all the connecting reasons that you might have made this mistake or acted in this way.
They can see the past,
The cause and effect,
That chain of events that has led you here.
And they have ultimate compassion for you.
You might imagine them coming to sit next to you.
Being with you.
They bring in a sense of uprightness,
Of straightening up your spine.
Right alongside all the discomfort.
They don't miss you.
They don't make the discomfort go away.
But they are right there with you.
Breathing.
And sitting upright.
And you are sitting upright.
Right alongside the discomfort.
You are seeing yourself in that web of cause and effect that has led you here.
And in the spaciousness around you,
You know that there is time and places to act differently,
To do differently.
You are not stuck to this mistake or bound to it.
You don't have to eliminate it or forget about it.
You just know that there is a lot more space for you to take up besides this mistake.
And with this upright,
Spacious body,
Begin to notice the breath again.
Begin to notice the breath again.
This rising and falling of the breath.
A patient rhythm.
You are infusing your body with this patient rhythm.
Knowing that there is no rush to fix and change.
And then for these final few moments,
Bring your attention to your chest,
Your heart space.
And feel or imagine a warmth there.
A simple goodness.
This very basic quality of goodness.
It's right there.
And it's not going anywhere.
Feeling into your own basic goodness.
Final few moments.
And then begin to draw your attention back onto your body.
Maybe sitting on a seat on the ground or whichever other position you're in,
Just notice that contact between your body and the ground.
Take notice of the room around you.
The sounds.
And then gently bring your attention back to the room by opening your eyes.
Taking in the colors and the shapes.
The textures that you see.
Maybe seeing if you can draw a gentle smile onto your mouth.
This willingness to see good.
And now thank yourself for doing this practice.
It can be uncomfortable and hard.
So recognize that you took the time to do it.
And I appreciate you taking time to do it,
And I will see you back here soon.
