Allowing thoughts to come and go can take quite a bit of practice. Meditation offers the perfect opportunity to do just that… to allow.
As we allow, we are actually practicing release… allowing thoughts to arise and allowing them pass teaches us to be at ease with ourselves and at ease with present moment. Note the word ease is settled nicely within the word release.
But what if a thought or an emotion simply will not move on? What if a life experience has supplied us with lingering residuals—ones that continuously snag our awareness, or even our sense of peace? Forgiveness can help us soften, and open, and release.
For-give-ness. For-giving. These are words worth pondering.
As we give to ourselves… give ourselves care and kindness, give ourselves gentleness, give ourselves the space for observation and understanding… we create the potential to transform any thought or emotion. And from this rich place of for-giving, we have the opportunity to offer our peace to another.
Forgiveness is not the same as reconciliation, which means to accept or to be resigned to something that is not desired. Reconciliation is tight. Forgiveness is open. Similarly, allowing thoughts and emotions to come and go is not the same as ignoring them. Being present with all that arises during a meditation sitting requires openness and compassion.
For-give-ness is a transformative process. It allows us to release negative thought-forms and emotions by witnessing and honoring their truth: impermanence. Softening and opening to the ever-changing flow of life is the ultimate release and a beautiful gift which is always available for the giving.
Happy meditating.
Soften, Open, and Release Meditation – Day 2