Yoga of Forgiveness

Your Yoga Practice.......Forgiveness

Forgiveness is one of those tough tasks in life.  We often have trouble forgiving others, and part of the reason is that we have trouble forgiving ourselves for our own wrongdoings to others.

A Yoga practice includes the practice of compassion as a value. In Yoga, compassion is called karuna, the Sanskrit term in Pantanjali's Yoga Sutras where it is named as one of the four Brahma Viharas, or "divine emotions".

The Four Brahma Viharas

Friendliness (Metta)

Compassion (Karuna)

Gladness/Joy With others (Mudita)

Equanimity (Upekkha)

It's tough to open our hearts to forgive becasue we have a natural tendency to guard ourselves against the source of pain that hurt us before.

• Throughout life, we create karma by our actions and also by our inaction. Choosing not to act is still a choice, and every choice has consequences, good or bad, or both.
• We make our karma and we live with what the karma brings us. 
• Don't punish yourself for past wrongdoings-the karma created of those actions will, through living life, punish you enough.
• Forgive yourself and will sooner cease making more negative karma, and you'll also sooner be able to forgive others.

In your Yoga practice, seeing your whole self means accepting yourself in the present tense as you see your whole self. You accept your own flaws and forgive yourself for your own good, and you'll be able to express goodness and forgiveness more easily to others.

Shanti Om!

Sources:

http://www.dhammawiki.com/index.php?title=4_Brahma_Viharas