Meditation is a powerful tool.
At this transitional moment in history, we need to remind ourselves of the power of forgiveness. Forgiving yourself and forgiving your neighbor can have a powerful effect on your life.
Start by watching Malynn Utzinger’s forgiveness meditation, a Moving Art film that pairs Louie Schwartzberg’s unforgettable images with a directed meditation from a doctor who is double board-certified in Family Medicine and Integrative and Holistic Medicine.
Triggering the Healing Response
Malynn has studied alternative medicine for many years, working with great wellness leaders like Dean Ornish MD, Andrew Weil MD, and Deepak Chopra MD.
“Our body launches into calm very quickly, if we ask it to— when we take that deep breath or remember our common humanity. ” she explained in an interview.
“We all think our stress response is easily triggered—and it is. But the healing response is triggered just as quickly in the body. The physiological ‘relax and restore’ response happens even more quickly than the physiological stress response that is triggered when we are afraid.”
As part of our Gratitude Project, Moving Art partnered with UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center to share some of the powerful benefits that forgiveness can bring.
Forgiveness improves our health
When we hold onto grudges, our blood pressure and heart rate spike; when we forgive, our stress levels drop.
Forgiveness makes us happier
Research suggests that if you forgive someone today, you’ll feel happier tomorrow.
Forgiveness is good for most relationships
Spouses who are more forgiving and less vindictive are better at resolving conflicts and have stronger, more satisfying relationships. However, when more forgiving spouses are frequently mistreated by their partner, they become less satisfied with their marriage.
Forgiveness is associated with kindness
Forgiving people are more likely to want to volunteer and donate money to charity, and they feel more connected to other people in general.
“Most of us have practiced forgiveness sometime in our life, and yet we have to be reminded about how important it is,” Malynn concludes.
“There’s got to be a little time where there’s hardness, where people have to remember and feel what it’s like to be in that hardened, contracted state before you’ve forgiven.”
It’s a quiet practice anyone can take. Try it today!
If you are looking for more soothing visual meditations, you can find the Moving Art series on Netflix. You can also rent or buy the series!