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Finding a comfortable position,
Either sitting or lying down.
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And bringing the attention to the points of contact,
Between your body and the surfaces supporting you.
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Receiving the sensations of contact.
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Having a sense of the weight of the body settling down.
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Allowing yourself to be supported.
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Now moving the awareness to the breath.
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Following the sensations of the inhalation.
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And the exhalation.
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As the air enters and leaves your body.
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Inviting a soothing rhythm to emerge.
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So in this practice,
You're invited to connect with a situation,
Where somebody else has hurt you.
Just as you have hurt others in your life.
There are probably others who have hurt you.
And if your heart has hardened towards them.
This may be an area to explore.
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Can you contemplate forgiveness,
Towards somebody who has caused you pain and suffering?
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Approach this place only when you have enough clarity of mind,
And space in your heart to do so.
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Do not begin with the most difficult person.
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Choose somebody who you feel the space to work with right now.
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Remember that forgiving others is not about condoning their behaviour.
It is about stopping unnecessary suffering.
You have suffered already from the deed itself.
And will continue to suffer,
If you poison yourself with destructive emotions,
Like hate,
Resentment and grudge.
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You may feel the other person does not deserve forgiveness.
But what about you?
Do you deserve peace?
So,
Would you give peace a chance?
Forgiving others begins with self-compassion,
By mindfully acknowledging your pain and reactive emotions,
And all the judgments and stories your mind builds around it.
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If you can hold your suffering and reactivity with compassion,
Then you may feel ready to open your heart,
To the person who hurt you,
And see behind their behaviour.
Remember that forgiving others is not about condoning their behaviour.
It is about stopping unnecessary suffering.
Can you see in this person a vulnerable human being,
Like yourself,
Who longs for happiness and freedom from suffering?
They may not have had much choice in the conditions that led up to the behaviour that hurt you,
And may not have seen the consequences of what they did.
Even if there was the intention to harm you,
This person has probably been treated badly by others.
Imagine this person at a safe distance,
And see if you can make a step towards forgiveness.
You may look into the other person's eyes,
Say their name,
And reflect as follows.
I feel the pain and my reactions to what you did.
I do not find this easy,
But I wish to do what I can to relieve the suffering that resulted from what you did,
Both in me and in you.
We cannot change the past,
But we can hope for a better future.
We all have our imperfections,
And the many conditions that shaped our lives were not our choice.
What you did was not right,
But I forgive you as a human being.
You can then repeat a kind wish that softens your heart towards this person,
In the you or in the we phrase.
May wisdom grow out of our past mistakes.
May we be free from suffering.
May we live in peace.
Mindfully explore the effects of this practice.
Be true to yourself,
And adjust the words if you find forgiving is too difficult right now.
Return to self-compassion as much as you need.
Wishes like,
May I be open to the intention to forgive.
Or,
May I be open for reconciliation.
Might be more feasible.
Remembering that a hand on the heart area may support this comfort,
This self-compassion,
As much as you need.
If you find compassionate breathing supportive,
May you use this as an alternative.
Exploring compassionately breathing in your own pain,
The pain of the other person and breathing out the healing energy.
Breathing in your own pain,
For the pain of the other person,
Breathing out healing energy.
Breathing in healing energy.
And when you feel ready,
Letting go of this person,
And moving the attention back to your body right now.
Back to the sensations of contact,
Between your body and the surfaces supporting you.
Coming back to the breath,
To its soothing rhythm.
Opening your awareness to the sounds around you,
Inside and outside the room.
Breathing in and out.
