On Forgiveness

(With a lot of help from Madisyn Taylor! Thank you.)

During your classes, you may often have heard your teachers speak of ‘opening your heart.’ This can be a most confusing direction! And is often met with resistance instead of softening.

Feelings of anger, resentment, guilt, - whether they are directed toward others – OR TO OURSELVES, tend to block our life force energy in the heart chakra.

Of course, this is another confusing issue! The ancient yogis in their meditation were given the vision (which has now been substantiated by Western Science) that energy in the body travels according to a pre-determined arrangement. Energy, when free of roadblocks, will travel upwards from the root chakrs which we find near the base of the spine. This energy or ‘chi’ or ‘prana’ as we know it in the tradition of yoga is critical to health – both bodily and spiritually and mentally.

So, then when we choose not to forgive ourselves or others, and instead to hold in feelings of anger, jealously, and resentment, this negative energy remains in the heart chakra and we may experience it as fear, or anger or a whole range of negative emotions – including an inability to open up to others, to remain inward. 

And importantly, when we remain in a negative state of being and living, and in turn attract more of the same situations into our lives.

So, when your teachers suggests that you relax, Let Go, soften, this is what is meant.

We can do this in small stages throughout our day. Each time a memory comes up or should we see or hear something that upsets us from my past, remind yourself to FORGIVE…..and to stay open.

Forgiveness is an act of self-love.

When working on forgiveness and opening your heart, painful feelings and memories may come up. But the rewards of choosing to stay open and forgive far outweigh the negatives.

When we work on becoming open and eradicating all that blocks us, this opens us to love and possibility. When we hold in anger, we carry that situation or person with us and keep hurting ourselves. Why would we want to keep hurting ourselves?

We won’t move forward unless we let go.

So, small ways! Learning to forgive the man who cuts us off when driving or beeps his horn at uss. Or when someone jumps in front of us in a queue.

It’s hard to do, but we keep practicing, because keeping it in and holding onto it simply doesn’t serve us.

And, after all, let's acknowledge that we are human! and therefore, we WILL make mistakes going forward. But if we want to experience happiness, relief, and true well-being, we must practice forgiving.

Holding onto anger holds us back and weighs us down.

Let us learn to forgive and feel as light as air. Let our energy pass upward, through the heart chakra, and onto the higher states of being.

We will then be open to receiving all the goodness that’s available to us in life.