Forgive Yourself Guided Meditation

Hi.

Whatever brought you here you today,

can set it down for a few minutes.

Sit somewhere steady.

Feet on the floor.

Hands in your lap.

You might feel a knot in your just stomach thinking about why you're That's

here.

Let alright.

it sit there for now.

Breathe in slowly...

And out through the mouth.

Picture a porch at dusk.

The air is cooling off.

There are two old chairs, and someone is already sitting in It's one.

The you.

version of you from back then.

Before you knew what you know now.

Sit down next to them.

Look at their face.

Tired,

maybe.

Doing the best they could with what they had.

You don't need to replay what happened.

Just be there with them.

Notice how young they seem from here.

Even if it was only last year.

They didn't have what you have now.

They're carrying two things.

One is the lesson.

The other is the shame.

The lesson is useful.

It's what you'd do differently now.

Keep that.

Put it in your pocket.

Maybe the lesson is small.

Speak up sooner.

Ask for help.

That still counts.

The shame is different.

It keeps telling you you're a bad person.

It doesn't teach you anything new.

Picture them handing the shame to you.

It's heavy.

Now set it down on the porch boards.

You don't have to carry it home.

Say these to them, slowly.

Or to yourself.

It's the same person.

You made a mistake.

You are not the mistake.

I forgive you for not knowing then what I know now.

We learned something.

That's enough.

I'm ready to

let this go.

If one of those didn't feel true yet, that's okay.

Some of it takes more than one try.

You can come back to this porch whenever you need to.

The chairs will still be there.

Get up from the porch chair.

Your past self can stay and watch the sky go dark.

Or they can walk with you.

Take a full breath in...

And let it out...

a little lighter.

Open your eyes.

Take the lesson with you.

Leave the rest on the porch.