Settle into your posture, feeling the way your body meets the chair, the ground, or wherever you choose to be. Take a few deep breaths, noticing the air cool against your nostrils on the inhale and warm as it leaves on the exhale.
Bring your attention to a situation where forgiveness feels heavy, a person whose actions cast a long shadow. Without judgment, simply acknowledge the hurt, the anger, the resentment that lingers. Let these emotions exist without trying to push them away.
Now, shift your focus to yourself. Notice the toll this burden takes on you – the tightness in your chest, the clenching in your jaw. Imagine carrying this weight around, like a cumbersome stone on your back. Feel how it drags you down, slows you on your journey.
Consider the possibility of letting go. Not forgetting the situation, but choosing to release the emotional grip it has on you. Perhaps visualize the stone transforming, becoming lighter, perhaps even crumbling away altogether.
Think about the person you need to forgive. Do you need to understand them? Not necessarily. Forgiveness is not about condoning their actions, but about recognizing their humanity, their flaws, just like your own.
Imagine this person facing you, and in your mind, extend a hand of understanding. This doesn’t mean reconciliation, not yet. It’s simply an acknowledgment that they are imperfect, as we all are.
Feel the release, the lightness as you let go. This forgiveness is a gift, not to them, but to yourself. It allows you to step out from under the shadow of the past and move forward with a lighter heart.
Take a few more deep breaths, letting the calmness wash over you. You may not feel completely free yet, and that’s okay. Forgiveness is a journey, not a destination. But with each step, you move closer to a place of peace and inner freedom.
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