The Freedom of Forgiveness: Letting Go For Yourself

0:00So welcome to the freedom of forgiveness, letting go for yourself.

0:06So just while you're settling in, while you're making yourself

0:10comfortable, allowing your body to be what it is, and allow

0:14this moment to be what it is.

0:16This meditation is an invitation to meet the pain of past

0:21hurt with a soft heart.

0:24Not to excuse or forget, but to forgive for your own freedom to

0:31let go.

0:32Not because they deserve it, but because you do so.

0:39Just allow your body to settle into this moment.

0:42Allow your breath to be what it is.

0:49And here's a little bit about forgiveness.

0:54So in Zen, there's a word, mushin, no mind, A state free from

1:01attachment, judgment, and lingering resentment.

1:05It's not emptiness in a hollow sense, but the spaciousness that

1:11allows everything to arise and just as easily pass.

1:19And this practice invites us to touch that quality.

1:24We do not need to carry the weight of what others did.

1:29Systems or whatever it was that was done to us.

1:33People do what they do, shaped by them causes and conditions.

1:41People do what they do shaped by their own causes and conditions.

1:47It might feel personal, but it's not personal.

1:51What happened to you shaped you, yes, but it does not need to

1:57define you.

2:00So we don't forgive to change the past or reconcile with someone

2:03else.

2:04We forgive to stop drinking the poison that we've been holding.

2:12We forgive to reclaim our peace.

2:16We forgive to remember who we are beyond the wound.

2:23So that's a Zen perspective.

2:26How about we do a little practice?

2:29As you relax gently into this moment, breathing in calm, breathing

2:35out.

2:36Relax and just begin with the awareness of breath and feeding the

2:45body just as it is.

2:49And you invite the body to relax and just soften in this moment.

2:56There's no forcing.

2:58The body knows how to relax.

3:02It's just waiting for you to allow it to happen.

3:07You don't need to change your breath.

3:09Your body knows how to breathe in this moment, as it normally does

3:13in all other moments.

3:23And in a moment, I'm going to ask you to bring to mind an event

3:27or a person that still hold some weight.

3:33Then just take a few moments just to decide what event or what

3:38person you want to bring.

3:40It could be something that is really strong.

3:43It could be something that's slightly less stronger.

3:46For now, and remember, you're not there.

3:50Remember that wise quote that says you cannot get wet from the

3:55word water?

3:58We're not re experiencing it, we're just telling the story.

4:08So if you bring that event or the person to your mind now and acknowledge

4:12the feelings it stirs, whether it's pain or anger, whether it's

4:20sadness or fear could be resentment, it could be, could be

4:31just disbelief.

4:35And then if you just speak inwardly, just yes, this happened.

4:40Yes, it hurt and yes, I'm still here.

4:48And just like that, we acknowledge it.

4:50Yes, this happened, yes, it hurt, and yes, I am still here.

5:00And now shift your focus to the healing or your resilience and

5:06your freedom.

5:11And remember we said about forgiveness, it's not about them,

5:15it's totally for you.

5:19So silently repeat just I forgive you, not for you, but for

5:25me.

5:27I forgive you, not for you, but for me.

5:38And you may feel somewhere in your body where this resistance has

5:41really been held and gently allow it space, maybe in your heart,

5:49maybe somewhere lower or even just in your mind.

6:03And you can ask yourself, what did this experience teach me?

6:11What did this experience teach me?

6:18What wisdom can I carry forward?

6:27And just rest here for a moment.

6:28No fixing, not forgetting, just being present with your own

6:35freedom.

6:50I don't believe in all the forgive and forget and I just don't

6:55think it's possible.

6:57I think we can learn from what's happened.

7:05We don't have to reach out to them or whatever it was.

7:09We don't have to even let them know that they're forgiven.

7:13We're doing it from inside of our own heart for ourselves.

7:25And there's a different way of doing the meta loving kindness affirmations

7:30that align with this.

7:32And it goes like this.

7:34May I be free from the burdens of my past.

7:38May I be free from the burdens of my past.

7:43May I live with an open and peaceful heart.

7:48May I live with an open and peaceful heart.

7:55And may I remember that I am whole even after being hurt.

8:01May I remember I am whole even after being hurt.

8:14And then just place your hand on your heart.

8:18May I be well, may I be happy.

8:24May I be free.

8:28May I be well, May I be happy, May I be free.

8:48And just have a little bit of gratitude for your body and your

8:50mind this moment and recognize that this is a journey, it's not

8:54a one off.

8:56You might have to do this meditation a few times.

9:01And remember it's not about them.

9:03It's totally about you and your life and your freedom.

9:09It's now time for you to live the life that you want on your terms.

9:21So let's bring your awareness back to the room.

9:255.

9:274.

9:28Gently open your eyes.

9:303.

9:31Move your arms to just look around the room.

9:351.

9:35And just maybe take a little bit of a deep breath and just feel

9:39the relief.

9:40Feel the difference between harboring it and thinking about it

9:44and just the freedom that can come from do you know what?

9:48It's not going to bother me anymore and it will come and go but

9:53the more you tell your subconscious mind, the more you tell

9:56your body, do you know what?

9:58I'm done.

9:59I'm okay, I'm here.

10:01I've got a life.

10:02I've got a life to get on with.

10:05The more the subconscious mind, the more the thing will go,

10:07okay, I'll move on with you and you'll have this wonderful freedom

10:13from it.

10:17Meditations like this aren't easy.

10:21Thank you for doing it, thank you for your work and good luck and

10:26I wish you all the freedom.

10:30I'm Stephen Webb and thank you for your support on these guided

10:34meditations.

10:35I put them up free for everybody listening with no adverts

10:39and if you can support me in some way, be amazing.

10:43There's different ways of doing it and following me on.

10:46StephenWeb.uk thank you.