We’ve all been there at some point… we just can’t seem to get over a hurtful incident that deeply wounded us, or perhaps even altered the course of our lives. So we hold a grudge against the person who wronged us… it smolders, perhaps for years. We can’t seem to forgive and let go.

Developing the habit of forgiveness can be an incredibly powerful healing force. It begins with realizing that in refusing to forgive, we hurt ourselves more than the person we refuse to forgive. You’ve probably heard the old Confucius saying: “Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves.” So while an unwillingness to forgive does not necessarily equate to a desire for revenge, the result — the harm that “unforgiveness” does to us — may be the same.

This seemingly simple and often ignored act can actually be very profound and even a breakthrough in your quest for learning how to meditate. But what does it really mean?

Nearly all other forms of meditation are geared towards focusing on getting you to perform some cognitive task, mindfulness is the most significant of them. Others ask you to focus or concentrate on something. Still others get you to reduce or eliminate your thoughts gradually using some technique.

Sahaja meditation is almost entirely the opposite of all these. You sit down for meditate and allow that inner energy inside to do its work. Yes, in fact, after you’ve prepared yourself for meditation with a basic starting step, there’s very little you should try to do.

In fact, you should actually get out of your own way.

As an instructor, whenever I go around the room asking attendees if they’ve settled down and established a consistent routine for their meditation, the answers vary.

About 10% of the attendees will say that they’ve started meditating daily and usually, they go directly to talking about how they’re feeling more patient and reacting much less. I see the twinkle in their eyes, the excitement of having discovered some kind of a breakthrough in their lives.

“Not so much, haven’t gotten around to doing it yet.”, about half of the people reply. When I try to find out what’s preventing them from doing so, the single biggest reason amongst new meditators is the ability to make time for a new habit, a lifestyle change.

The rest say “I was able to meditate a couple of times a week, but I really like your weekly group classes, so I’m not going to miss them”.

By now it’s clear that meditation and specifically Sahaja meditation has a wide range of deep and varying benefits. So, what are the ways by which you can quickly establish your daily meditation routine?

A very recent survey conducted by the Pew Research Center in August this year provides a quantitative measure of the serious problem facing us from addiction:

• 46% of Americans have a family member or close friend who is addicted to drugs or has been in the past;
• Opioids account for more than 60% of drug overdose deaths;
• Since 1999, drug overdose-related deaths have tripled in number.

We have dealt with addiction in a lot of detail on our website. Sahaja meditation works in multiple ways to help with addiction, primarily by:

• Reducing stress and stress-induced cravings;
• Making the practitioner more self-aware and mindful of thoughts and emotions, especially in the area of any addictions he or she might be dealing with;
• Releasing negative thoughts and feelings through self-forgiveness that might otherwise lead to rumination;
• Positively impacting neurotransmitters and neurohormones which regulate health and well-being;
  Increasing resilience and better coping skills by re-wiring the neural circuitry.