Finding a comfortable position and taking a few moments to adjust,
Straightening your back so it's upright,
Dignified,
But not rigid.
Allowing your shoulders to drop down a little in a relaxed position,
Your hands falling on your lap or resting on the chair beside you,
Bringing your attention to the physical sensation of your breath,
Observing the gentle rising and falling of the abdomen with every in-breath and every out-breath,
Tracing your breath as it enters through the nostrils,
Down into the lungs,
Noticing the pause between the in-breath and the out-breath,
And then gradually exhaling,
The rising and falling of your abdomen,
Your chest,
With every inhalation and every exhalation,
Using your breath as a tool to ground yourself back,
To redirect your attention anytime the mind may wander away or become too consumed in the past,
The future.
With your next out-breath,
Releasing your attention from observing these physical sensations and as you breathe in,
Bringing to mind a time when you felt some regret or some irritation,
Sadness,
Noticing how it feels in your body and the thoughts in your mind as they enter,
Creating space,
Acknowledging and trying to give yourself some distance for whatever the situation is,
Focusing on these phrases,
Not forcing anything but setting the attention of forgiveness.
I forgive myself for not understanding,
I forgive myself for making mistakes and I forgive myself for causing pain and suffering to myself and to others.
As you repeat these phrases to yourself,
Trying as best as you can just to cultivate the sense of forgiving and understanding as your attention may drift away,
Redirecting it back,
Using these phrases to ground yourself.
It's my intention to forgive myself for not understanding,
Forgive myself for making mistakes and I intend to forgive myself for causing pain and suffering to myself and others.
If at any time you find that this practice might become a little too painful,
You're always able to return back to the breath,
Using your breath to ground yourself,
Settling in and when you're ready,
Either now or in the future,
Returning back to your intention to forgive yourself.
We may also be holding on to times when others have mistreated us or wronged us in some way and now we'll turn our attention to the intention of forgiving them,
Bringing to mind a time when you felt hurt or misunderstood by someone,
Picturing them before you and saying,
It's my intention to forgive you for not understanding,
It's my intention to forgive you for making mistakes and my intention to forgive you for causing pain and suffering to myself and others.
Continuing to try to repeat these phrases to yourself,
Cultivating the sense of forgiveness,
It's my intention to forgive you for not understanding me,
I forgive you for making mistakes and I forgive you for causing pain and suffering to me and to others.
As you work through these phrases,
Setting that intention,
Planting the seed for forgiveness,
You'll also begin to let go of this resentment and practice not adding further resentments and judgments.
Again,
If at any time it becomes too painful or too much to hold in mind,
You're always able to return to your breath and the gentle inhalation and exhalation as your breath moves through your body.
Saying to yourself,
If you can,
It's my intention to forgive you for misunderstanding me,
For causing me pain and suffering,
I forgive you for making mistakes.
Feeling that intention to forgive and breathing out,
Softening and releasing some of this resentment holding within you.
And as you breathe in,
Redirecting your attention now to your body,
Noticing whatever you may feel right now,
Holding those sensations,
Those thoughts,
Those emotions in your attention.
And as you breathe in,
Accepting this is where I am right now.
And as you breathe out,
Offering yourself the intention of relief,
Of strength,
Of freedom from moving on from these resentments.
Breathing in,
Accepting where you're at and breathing out,
Offering yourself some relief and freedom.
Continuing to practice self-forgiveness and forgiveness for others over and over,
Reminding yourself that this is a practice.
Each time that your mind becomes consumed with guilt or resentment,
Trying as best as you can to repeat these phrases and cultivate this compassion,
This understanding for yourself and others.
When you're ready,
Opening your eyes and returning your attention back to your day.
