Hello and welcome.
I'm Leslie.
Today we're exploring forgiveness.
We'll talk about freeing yourself from the emotional attachments that often block the path to forgiveness.
You'll use your breath as a tool for settling yourself and continuously returning your awareness to the present moment.
At the end of the session,
I'll share some thoughts on forgiveness before guiding you out of the meditative state.
Start by getting into a comfortable seated position.
Rest your arms and hands at your sides in a way that is comfortable for you.
Your palms may be facing up or may be down and resting on your lap.
And when you're ready,
Slowly and gently close your eyes.
Allow the muscles around your jawline and throughout your face to relax.
Relax your tongue in your mouth and allow a soft,
Slight smile to emerge from the corners of your lips.
Take in a deep breath that fills your lungs.
Pause and then release your breath and allow your whole body to settle with the exhale.
Again,
Take a deep breath in,
Filling all the way up.
Pause,
Then exhale and allow the body to settle.
And one more deep breath in,
Filling all the way up,
Holding and then exhale and settle.
And now breathe in and focus your attention on the gentle rise and fall of your chest with each breath.
And if your mind wanders away,
Gently call it back to the rise and fall of your chest.
Allow yourself grace for the times that your mind wanders away.
This is a natural part of the meditation process.
We all experience it every time we choose to sit in stillness.
It's the moments of mindfulness that emerge when we see that our mind has drifted off the surface.
We all experience it every time we choose to bring our focus back to whatever the focus point might be.
And now relax your attention for the next few moments,
Allowing the mind to do what it is,
Noticing thoughts as they come and go,
Allowing them in and then allowing them to keep walking.
You you Now relax your attention And let's talk about forgiveness Painful events may have happened long ago But your emotional attachment to that pain can cause the hurt to linger within People may have caused you pain,
But your emotional attachment to that pain is what causes the hurt to remain Forgiveness is a means by which you can take charge of your own peace in spite of the hurt you've experienced Forgiveness doesn't mean forgetting what happened The relationship doesn't have to continue as it was before And you don't have to accept unwanted behavior Rather,
Forgiveness is how you stop the pain from consuming you It's how you heal and let yourself move on As film and media mogul Tyler Perry stated,
When you're struggling to forgive others,
Remember times when you hoped someone would forgive you Times when you were sincere in your regret for your actions Because ultimately,
The person you're releasing is you And you're not alone in the world Now with your eyes still closed,
Gently allow your attention to return to your surroundings Notice the sounds and the smells around you Notice the feel of your emotions and the sounds of your emotions And when you're ready,
Open your eyes.
I hope you've enjoyed our time together.
I hope you've been able to return to your surroundings.
Notice the sounds and the smells around you.
And I look forward to meditating with you again very soon.
