I’m sorry
Please forgive me
Thank you
I love you
Who doesn’t need to hear this? Whether there’s someone you’re longing to hear say these words or you know deep down it’s time to speak them to someone you’re missing, this mantra is universally recognised by the Human heart.
This is the powerful Ho’ponopono prayer, an ancient Hawaiian saying used for family reconciliation and spoken between people in conflict with the awareness that conflict is inevitable in the Human experience. The vibration of the prayer is recognised on a deep level within our Being and is extremely healing so that blame, shame, guilt and regret are absolved with the repetition of the mantra - I’m sorry, please forgive me, thank you, I love you. Pain, and uncomfortable feelings and emotions are inevitable in Life but holding onto painful memories or using them to berate ourselves for our failings is damaging to our sense of wellness, self esteem and ultimately our health.
We have to forgive ourselves for our past mistakes and we have to forgive others (yes, even if they’re not sorry - letting go is the greatest gift you can give yourself) for theirs if we want to move toward a brighter, lighter future with joy and happiness. The mantra is equally powerful when applied to ourselves since self compassion and forgiveness are a practice and wholly necessary on everyone’s journey if we are to live a conscious, free loving Life. We all make mistakes, acknowledging and accepting that is vital for our growth, development and overall enjoyment of Life.
It can be really difficult to process and move past painful circumstances, especially when we feel like we’ve caused them, but accepting that we can only act from our current level of awareness and that we’re not intrinsically bad or broken (but instead simply Human) means we begin to soften. If you’re someone who’s especially hard on yourself you would certainly benefit from regular practice of the Ho’ponono prayer.
How to practice:
You might like to take a meditative seat with a tall spine, take a few deep breaths, place a hand over your heart and repeat the words for as long as you like (but to begin perhaps up to ten times).
You might want to bring to mind someone who has wronged you, or who you have wronged, and hold them in your heart while you practice, or you might want to focus the vibration of the prayer to yourself.
Holding onto resentment, bitterness, regret and disappointment over things that occurred in the past can be extremely debilitating to our present experience. We each deserve to live a full, joyous life fully rooted in the present moment, moving forward with optimism, hope and belief that we can and deserve to have a beautiful life. The Ho’pononpono prayer allows us to lift painful past experiences, to find forgiveness and compassion for our Humanity and expand into peace, balance, healing and love.
Keep this prayer in your tool box and return to it whenever you need to.
Transcend Blogger - Victoria Tunnah
Instagram > @roots_and_soul
