Hello and welcome to this practice for letting go of guilt.
My name is Laura and I'll be guiding us today.
Guilt comes with this belief that we did something wrong,
And this can be a difficult emotion to sit with,
So I invite you to be as gentle as you need,
And show yourself compassion in whatever way is best for you throughout this practice.
Go ahead and find a comfortable position for you.
Either sitting upright with a straight spine.
Or lying down on your back.
You can rest your hands wherever feels good.
But maybe with the palms face down somewhere on the body.
As this helps you to feel more grounded and supported.
And then allow your eyes to gently close or gaze softly down in front of you.
Let's take three deep inhales and slow exhales together.
So empty any air out.
And big slow breath in,
Really filling the belly with air.
And then through the mouth,
Slowly exhale.
Again,
Long,
Deep inhale.
Imagining oxygen moving into every inch and cell of the body.
And then let it out maybe with a sigh.
Last one,
Deep breath in.
And let it go.
Beautiful.
You can let your breath fall back into its natural rhythm.
Now go ahead and take your awareness to the top of the head.
And we're going to start slowly moving our awareness down the body.
Releasing anywhere we may be gripping or holding tension.
And you can just hold the intention that wherever your attention is,
That part of the body relaxes.
Nothing you need to do except move your awareness down the body.
So starting at the top of the head and moving down.
Softening the forehead.
Quieting the mind behind it.
Feeling the eyes rest.
The cheeks soften.
The mouth and jaw relaxes.
Maybe even unclenching the jaw or yawning here to release tension.
Down the neck and throat.
To the shoulders.
Maybe the shoulders drop down and back as they release something they've been carrying And then just continue on your own time making your way down the body.
Maybe breathing into any area that could use it.
All the way down to the fingertips and toes.
Good.
Now just feel your mind and body relaxed.
Allowing every breath to soften you even more.
Beautiful.
From this calm,
Relaxed place.
We're going to explore and release the feeling of guilt and offer forgiveness to ourselves.
Emotions like guilt can get stuck in the body.
And in order for them to be released,
It's simply looking for presence and allowance.
And really love.
So knowing you are in a safe place to feel guilt right now.
The actual feeling cannot hurt you.
I invite you to think of something you've been holding guilt around.
It can be big or small.
It can be from last week or years ago.
Whatever comes to mind just allow that guilt to come to the surface.
Knowing it's been there,
We're just bringing a light to it.
Now can you notice how guilt feels in the body?
Where does it live in your body right now?
Maybe it's in the chest or stomach.
Maybe it's all over.
Wherever it is,
Bring all of your attention to it and the sensation of it.
And instead of trying to change the feeling or push it away,
Just allow it to be there.
You can imagine it's like a long match that is slowly burning out.
You are safe and able to feel this emotion.
And you've set aside this time to do just that.
All you need to do is allow that match to burn away on its own until it's done.
You can send loving,
Calming breaths into the feelings.
Not to make it go away.
But to let it know that you're here.
And it's loved.
It will pass.
But this is the feeling of guilt leaving the body for good.
If the feeling ever becomes too much.
Gently pull back and just focus on the breath.
Breathing in peace and love.
Keep breathing and allowing whatever sensations or emotions are present in the body to be there.
Beautiful.
Let's take a few deeper,
Slower breaths now.
Breathing in love and compassion.
Than releasing anything that doesn't serve you.
You can even sigh on the exhale for an extra release.
Good.
Now I invite you to bring a hand to your heart.
And repeat after me either out loud or in your head.
I acknowledge these feelings of guilt.
I am willing to let go of these feelings of guilt.
I am able to let go of these feelings of guilt.
I release all guilt.
It's okay for me to make a mistake.
I give myself permission to make mistakes.
Mistakes are an important part of life.
I am worthy of forgiveness.
Self-forgiveness is a choice and a gift that I give myself.
I forgive myself for anything I've been holding onto.
I am forgiven.
I forgive anyone who may have contributed to my feelings of guilt.
I am worthy of love.
I am worthy of happiness.
I am worthy of peace.
I am worthy.
Take a couple minutes to just sit in this love and compassion and self-forgiveness.
Letting it reach every inch and cell of your body.
Beautiful.
I invite you to take a moment to thank yourself.
For taking the time to do this practice and show yourself love and compassion in this way.
And maybe with a smile,
Telling yourself I love you.
Or anything else you may want to hear.
And then start to gently come back to the present moment.
Maybe wiggling the fingers and toes.
Inviting movement slowly back into the body.
And then taking as much time as you'd like.
Whenever you feel ready.
You can slowly and gently open your eyes.
