Giving and receiving is an important part of mindfulness. We can work with our breath to strengthen our awareness of giving and receiving.
Close or rest your eyes. Begin breathing mindfully, bringing your awareness to your in-breath and your out-breath. Concentrate on slowing and deepening your breathing for a few moments, feeling your inhalations and exhalations come and go.
Notice how you’re receiving fresh oxygen when you’re breathing in, and how you’re giving away air on your out-breath? With loving-kindness, visualize inhaling a healing energy of peace and ease, and as you exhale, feel yourself letting go of any tension or anxiety.
Continue to breathe in loving energy, and to breathe out stress. Set an intention for deep self-acceptance. Inhale self-love. Exhale and let go of self judgement. Inhale forgiveness and exhale resentment, without dwelling on any specific details. Inhale acceptance and exhale anger. Inhale joy and exhale compassion.
It can be helpful to imagine our inhale with a color we associate with serenity (white/green/blue/etc) and to think of a darker, contrasting color to represent our tension or stress (black/red/brown/navy). Breathe in the lightness of self-acceptance and breathe out the darkness of stress.
Continue this exercise for as long as you wish. When you’re ready, gently open your eyes and return your breathing to normal.
Deepen Your Understanding: Who needs forgiveness in your life? Are you holding on to something that causes you to suffer? What emotions, memories, and thoughts do you want to let go of? Check out this Mindfulness Balloons meditation to release from difficult feelings connected to your past.
