20 Minute Forgiveness Meditation

20-minute meditation on forgiveness of self and others. Letting go of past pain, acceptance that this did happen, and allowing yourself to heal from past suffering in order to move forward feeling lighter.

Transcript

Welcome to this forgiveness meditation practice.

Remember this is a meditation practice and there's no need here to force yourself to forgive.

Perhaps right here,

Right now,

You do not feel ready or safe to forgive at this time.

But also know that by listening to this meditation that you have a willingness to drop into your heart center and perhaps move towards acceptance.

As you proceed with this meditation,

Simply acknowledge whatever emotions or images that come up for you with non-judgment.

Just acknowledge whatever comes up,

Allow it and let it go.

Let the emotions arise and come and go.

Coming back to the breath or the feel of your body sitting in the chair as an anchor or even coming back to the sound of my voice.

We will begin this meditation with those we have caused harm to,

Either intentionally or unintentionally.

We will then move towards self-forgiveness and forgiveness of others.

Begin by settling yourself into a comfortable seated position in a chair or on a cushion.

Becoming aware of the fact that you are breathing and noticing the natural flow of the inhalation and the exhalation.

No need to change the flow of the breath,

Consider being aware of how it feels.

Now when you are ready,

Expanding your awareness beyond the breath to include the entire body.

Noticing any thoughts and if a thought does come,

Just acknowledge that thought and let it go.

Noticing the thought,

Bringing your focus back to the breath and letting the thought go.

Because right here,

Right now,

There is nothing that you need to and just being present in this moment.

Nowhere to be,

Nothing to do.

So quietening the mind and dropping into the senses of the body.

Perhaps noticing the contact points with your body with the surface beneath you.

Noticing the way the chair supports the shape and the weight of your body or the cushion.

Noticing any contact points where the clothing connects with your skin.

Perhaps noticing any cool air on bare skin.

Just dropping down into the body and connecting with your sense of touch.

Extending now to the sense of hearing and just tracking any sounds in the environment and even sounds within the room or within your own body.

The heartbeat,

The breath.

And taking your focus now to the eyes and the sense of sight.

If your eyes are open,

Just noticing what you can see.

Or perhaps at this moment you might like to gently close your eyes.

And as you do,

Taking away that visual distraction,

Just noticing what you notice in your inner world as you connect with your inner stillness and your inner silence.

And tracking down now to the sense of smell and tracking any sense or aromas in the air.

Just nicely going down to the mouth and the sense of taste.

As you quieten your mind and allow yourself to connect with all of the senses of your body.

And right here,

Right now,

Simply noticing how your body,

Your mind and your heart centre are feeling right now.

Returning to the body,

Breathing and allowing a few deeper,

Longer,

Slower breaths.

And as you breathe out,

You can feel your body relaxing and letting go just that little bit more.

Allowing yourself to put aside everything that's happened before now as you bring your focus,

Your awareness and your attention to this very moment.

Now allow yourself to breathe gently into the area of your heart and let yourself feel all of the barriers that you may have erected and the emotions that you have carried because you have not forgiven.

Not forgiven yourself,

Not forgiven others.

Let yourself feel the pain of keeping your heart closed.

Then breathing softly begin asking and extending forgiveness,

Reciting the following words and letting images and feelings that come up grow deeper as you repeat them.

We'll begin by asking forgiveness from others.

Now bring to mind someone you may have harmed either intentionally or unintentionally.

As you allow yourself to bring to mind someone or some situation where it feels unresolved or burdensome to you,

Seeing who comes to mind and take a few moments to visualise or imagine this person just getting a clear picture of this person or the situation.

And right here right now it's important to remember that we all make decisions at certain times in our life and there has been times when we may have harmed others unintentionally.

When you're ready,

Gently saying this person's name to yourself and ask for forgiveness for how you may have harmed this person either intentionally or unintentionally.

Say to yourself I ask for your forgiveness.

I ask for your forgiveness.

Take your time,

Repeat a few times at your own pace.

May I be forgiven.

What's most important here are not the words but the felt sense as much as you can of letting it come from your heart with the intention for healing,

Asking for an opening to receiving forgiveness.

And now taking your awareness to forgiveness for yourself.

There are many ways that I may have hurt or harmed myself.

I have betrayed or abandoned myself many times through thought,

Word or deed,

Knowingly or unknowingly.

Feel your own precious body in life.

Let yourself see the ways you may have hurt or harmed yourself.

Picture them,

Remember them and feel the sorrow that you may have carried from this and a sense that you can release these burdens.

Extend forgiveness to each of them one by one as you repeat to yourself.

For the ways I have hurt myself through action or inaction,

Out of fear,

Pain and confusion,

I now extend a full and heartfelt forgiveness.

I forgive myself.

I forgive myself.

For the ways I have hurt myself through action or inaction,

Out of fear,

Pain and confusion,

I now extend a full and heartfelt forgiveness.

I forgive myself.

And now extending forgiveness to those who may have hurt or harmed you in some way.

There are many ways that I have been harmed by others,

Abused or abandoned,

Rejected knowingly or unknowingly,

In thought,

Word or deed.

Let yourself picture and remember these many,

Many ways.

It's important here not to lean into any trauma,

Perhaps just get a vision as if you were looking from afar or watching a movie if things have been really harmful or hurtful to you in the past.

Feel the sorrow you have carried from this past and sense that you can release this burden of pain by extending forgiveness when your heart is ready.

Now say to yourself,

I now remember the many ways others have hurt or harmed me,

Wounded me out of fear,

Pain,

Confusion and anger.

I have carried this pain in my heart for too long.

To the extent that I am ready,

I am ready to offer them forgiveness.

To those who have harmed me,

I offer my forgiveness.

I forgive you.

To those who have caused me harm,

I offer my forgiveness.

I forgive you.

And if right here,

Right now,

This feels undoable,

Be gentle with yourself and perhaps repeating to yourself,

I am willing to consider forgiveness or an acceptance that this happened and it happened to me,

Knowing that it's not right,

It's not fair,

But also knowing that what's happened is happened and you cannot change it.

But by carrying this,

How is it harming you?

So perhaps,

I am willing to release myself from past hurt and pain.

I am willing to let go and move forward with a lighter load.

I am willing to accept that this happened,

I cannot change it,

But I can change how I am in the here and now.

So no right or wrong.

If forgiveness of another is undoable right now,

Be gentle with yourself and lean into acceptance and letting go.

Taking some deeper,

Longer,

Slower breaths now and breathing in and out through your heart centre.

Just imagining your heart opening and closing like the petals on a flower.

Just gently opening and closing as you breathe in and out of your heart centre.

Feeling connected with your heart.

And as you take those deeper,

Longer,

Slower breaths,

Start to feel the energy flowing back into your body.

Perhaps getting some movement in your hands and your feet.

Having a stretch like a cat stretches after a sleep.

If you're lying down,

You might like to roll to one side if you're seated.

Just take some time and very,

Very gently bringing all your focus and your awareness and your attention back into the room.

And when you're ready,

You can start to feel the energy flowing back into your body.

Reviews

I really felt this meditation in my heart. I have allowed a past relationship to build a fence around my heart and it is very difficult to heal. I am working on this and I am ready to let go of this weight. Thank you. 🙏💙