Pamela Church, M.A.
1732 SE Ash
Portland, OR 97214
503-239-8737




 

Awakening Heartfulness: A Practice of Self-Forgiveness

Purpose

  • An excercise to learn how to forgive yourself
  • Forgiveness towards self is a linchpin piece in claiming wholeness.  Its counterpoint, being unforgiving towards self, is not to be underestimated in terms of the harm that it can cause with holding the muscles, the fascia, perhaps even the organs that govern the body.  Returning to self-forgiveness can be like returning to the awareness of the breath, something that we do over and over again.

Two-Minute Simple Balance
1.  Drink water.

2.  Hook up the hemispheres of the brain with Heart Blessing.  With hands crossed over the chest, alternate tapping with each hand.

3.  Rest in the heart for a moment with both hands on the heart.

Procedure

Step 3
Step 3

1.  In Buddhism, the traditional loving kindness practice begins with an intent for oneself:  May I be free of suffering.  Here the intent for self is:  I forgive myself for any harm I have done to self or other at any time.



2.  Place one hand on the heart and one hand on the chin for two minutes.



3.  Forehead-Heart Hold:   Hold one hand on the forehead covering the third eye and one hand on the heart for two minutes.
Step 4
Step 4


4.  Crown-Heart Hold:  Hold one hand on the crown and one hand on the heart for two minutes.

5.  Place one hand on the heart and one hand on the throat for two minutes.

6.  Imagine a compassionate being of light in your heart center, radiating forgiveness in the form of a pink light that infuses your being with the essence of loving kindness.




Check-In

  • Notice the sensations in your body.  Notice if any feelings have changed and, if so, how.

Notes

  • A self-forgiveness practice can be the ground of all other work.  It is like chipping away layers of paint on an old house, getting to the bare wood.   The bare wood, once freed of the residue of years, is ready to shine.
  • A variation of the Tibetan Buddhist practice of tonglen is using it as a forgiveness practice for others.  It works like this: taking in any harm someone else has done to you, transforming it in the fire of the heart, and breathing out a deep forgiveness.  Doing this for several breaths.