Forgiving others.
So allow yourself to settle into a sitting or lying down posture.
Inviting a soothing,
Breathing rhythm to emerge.
Mindfully noticing and welcoming all of your experience.
As you have hurt others in your life,
There are probably others who have hurt you,
If your heart has hardened towards them.
This is another area of forgiveness to explore.
Can you contemplate forgiveness towards somebody who has caused you pain and suffering?
Approaching this area only when you have enough clarity of mind and space in your heart to do so.
It might be wise not to begin with the most difficult person in your life.
Remember that forgiving others is not about condoning their behavior.
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.
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 starts with self-compassion by mindfully acknowledging your pain and reactive emotions and all the judgments and stories your mind builds around it.
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 behavior.
Can you see in this person a vulnerable human being like yourself who longs for happiness and freedom from suffering?
He or she may not had much choice in the conditions that led up to the behavior 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.
So 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 gently repeat a kind wish that softens your heart towards this person in a you or in a we phrase.
For example,
May wisdom grow out of past mistakes.
May we be free from suffering.
May we live in peace and mindfully explore the effects of this practice.
Be true to yourself and adjust the words if you find forgiveness too difficult for 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.
Compassionately breathing your own pain or the pain of the other person and breathing out the healing energy can be a good alternative.
