Forgiveness

11 Dec 2011 4 Comments

by yogamas in beautiful, forgiveness, karma, love, self care, yoga Tags: Asana, forgive, forgiveness, forgiving yourself first, healing, how to forgive, letting go, love and kindness, meditation and its benefits, New years resolutions, presented with a challenge, self-forgiveness, self-love, the challenge of forgiving, The power of forgiving forgive forgiveness, what yoga teaches us if we listen, why we should forgive, yoga and forgiveness, yoga practice

There are so many things that happen in our lives that make us feel as though we may have been able to do them differently.  Forgiveness is among the elite in this list of areas that we might change.  At times, we are presented with a challenge that perpetuates a decision that we allow to make us feel inadequate, careless, or simply dim.

These actions may be a disagreement with a colleague, an accident with a stranger, an altercation with a loved one, or poor judgment of a good friend.  These events, at times, cause us to become resistant to visiting painful incidents that occur in the most uncomfortable situations.  As parents or mentors, we model behavior for young people and have the opportunity to influence positively by stepping out of our comfort zone to set an example.  The question is: how do we do this effectively and consciously to teach and to learn simultaneously?

We sometimes say and do things that hurt others, but learning the power of forgiveness begins within each of us.  It is quite a task to accept when we are mistaken and act as though all is well when we ourselves are challenged at self-forgiveness with regard to painful memories, rudeness, lack of acknowledgement for others, and helplessness.  The healing process for each one of us begins with compassion:  not just saying we are sorry, but also knowing that those words mean more than that.  They mean that it will not happen again.  

Amongst the traumatic incidents that happen which make an impact in our lives and stay with us, it is necessary to find the stability within and let go of the insecurity in order to move on.  This may seem overwhelming to truly experience and, well, self-forgiveness may become a life long process.

In the progression of your physical yoga practice, you will notice the power of coming into your postures.  Some days, the pose that seemed effortless will become difficult, or, better yet, the pose that you have resisted finally demonstrates its benefit to your body.  In a mindful setting the power of your yoga practice will allow you to revisit and let go, take what you need and leave the rest behind. Know that in life you are planting your seeds and allowing for the blossoms to bloom.

There will always be something or someone that is just a part of the journey that may not be an area of exploration for forgiveness, but at least the tools are here for you and you can choose to make the change, or continue along with the same vice.  We hold ourselves prisoners by not allowing the love in and forgiving others and ourselves.  I do understand that there is always an individual or situation that is not within our humanness to re-examine, but we are able to release it on our own as part of the process and capacity to love.

What we need to do is cultivate self-forgiveness in our minds.  And many times, this is tied in to daily effort and consciousness.  Meditation is also instrumental in accepting an event and in encouraging forgiveness of self and others.  Yoga nurtures our need for healing and this is simply a bonus of the practice.  As we learn new ways to live outside of the box, we empower ourselves and realize the clemency of self-forgiveness, which creates self-love. And as we forgive and love ourselves, it is then that we can forgive, love and serve others freely and unconditionally.