So let's start by bringing the body to the earth,
Feeling all the points of contact with the surface beneath you.
And next,
Bring your mind to the body,
Aware of the outer perimeter of the body,
The touch of the air or clothing,
As well as the movement of breath as it expands you from the inside and then allows a sense of softening and deepening through the out-breath.
When we first experiment with a forgiveness practice,
It's important to take it very slowly and to keep returning your awareness to the present moment,
Sensing into the earth that holds you and bringing the mind to the body as well.
And now recalling someone who has recently hurt you,
Where you feel there's been a sense of betrayal,
Aware that difficult emotions will arise as you recollect what happened,
What was said and what you experienced.
So without trying to rush the process,
Commit to the very first step of opening up a little with the longer term wish of forgiving the other.
Remember that this process is not for their benefit and it does not mean that justice is forgotten,
But rather it is to free ourselves from holding on to resentment or anger,
Both of which restrict our heart's ability to open anew.
So as you sense into your next in-breath,
Invite that feeling of opening around the other breath,
The breath opening you,
And as you sense your next out-breath,
Inviting a feeling of releasing or being willing to release when the time is right,
Letting each in-breath open you little by little and let each out-breath soften you.
When we invite a sense of opening around a difficult experience,
Sometimes insights arise or a glimmer of understanding.
Perhaps you can feel into the idea that they probably only caused you harm because they were also suffering,
And this does not excuse their behavior,
But it allows you to understand our common human difficulties.
We have all caused harm to others when we were feeling threatened or cornered or out of alignment with our true selves.
So if you find it helpful,
You may like to wish for this person to discover their own purpose in life,
Their own capacity for goodness and joy,
And this helps us to connect with our own capacity for compassion,
That willingness to look at difficulty without turning away and understanding its root cause,
And remember that there's no need within this practice to feel a complete sense of forgiveness,
But rather to take that first step of opening up with the longer-term intention that we may find that capacity for forgiveness.
Once again,
Sensing your body as it rests upon the earth and bringing your awareness to the body,
Noticing if there's any slight sense of deepening ease that has returned to your mind.
