Forgive to Heal Your Heart…
The power of forgiveness is immeasurable. It frees us from our suffering and clears out negative, stagnant energy from our hearts. It can be a powerful tool in healing our inner wounds, so that we are not only able to offer joy to ourselves and to the world, but also be in a place to receive love.
"In order to forgive, we need to stop identifying ourselves with the suffering that was caused to us.”- DailyOM
When someone hurt us, whether it was intentional or not, one of the most difficult ways to resolve the situation is to forgive. This is because we often feel that forgiving someone is us condoning their actions.
But that's incorrect.
Forgiveness is something we do for ourselves. It is giving ourselves the freedom to let go of the pain.
Sometimes we feel the easiest or even the "right" or "justified" thing to do is to cut that person out and resent them. Sure, sometimes the right thing IS to cut ties with that person if it feels toxic to our lives and our growth. But, even in that case, we can only truly free ourselves is if we have truly forgiven that person.
If we hold onto the feelings of bitterness and resentment in our heart, we only continue to hurt ourselves because we are the ones holding onto that bitterness. We are the ones trapping that negative energy in our bodies.
Choosing to forgive is choosing to alleviate ourselves of that burden. It's choosing to no longer keep our feet rooted in the past so that we can move forward. And, it's choosing to reinvent a new image of ourselves - someone who is no longer a victim but rather a curator of their own life who is actively choosing who they, themselves, want to be and what kind of energy they want to fill their hearts with. We have the choice to be someone who no longer identifies themselves based on the suffering that was caused to us.
Are you unsure how to forgive? If you want to speak with that person, you should spend a few days or even weeks jotting down your thoughts before talking with them since how we feel often changes every day. But you don't necessarily have to forgive that person through talking with them, such as if they are no longer in your life. Forgiveness can absolutely be something done alone, with just yourself, through the following exercise:
STEP 1. Accept what has happened and how it makes you feel. Bring yourself into that scenario again. Sit with the pain this person has caused for a few minutes. One way to do this is to sit in a comfortable position, close your eyes, visualize the situation, and truly feel the feeling it brings you. Allow yourself to sit with the emotions that come up. Remember to breathe.
STEP 2. Following step 1, let's do some specific breathwork. Inhale for 3 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, and exhale for 5 seconds. With each exhale you take, imagine yourself fully letting go of these feelings and emotions that have been stuck inside of you. Emotions are nothing but energy in motion, so allow them to now finally leave your body with each exhale. Visualize a dark energy literally leaving your body as you breathe out. And with each inhale you take, imagine bright, white light entering your body and pumping through your heart. Do step 2 for 5 minutes.
Repeat this exercise every day for 3-7 days, or until you feel free.
* Alternatively, you can journal out these feelings over the course of 3 days and arrange a ceremony where you burn the notes, as opposed to the visualization and breathwork exercise.
Each day you do this exercise, the lighter you will begin to feel. The freer you will begin to feel. The more JOY you will begin to feel.
You may even gain a whole new perspective and feel compassion for who has hurt you, for the hurt they cause usually comes from their own trapped suffering.
Much love to you all...🌟
Beth
