Ho'oponopono

As the famous quote goes, "Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.” Hoʻoponopono is a Hawaiian practice of reconciliation and forgiveness that is a gentle way to cleanse oneself from stored anger and hate.

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The Hawaiian word translates into English simply as "correction", with the synonyms manage or supervise, and the antonym careless. Similar forgiveness practices are performed on islands throughout the South Pacific, including Hawaii, Samoa, Tahiti and New Zealand. Traditional Hoʻoponopono is practiced by Indigenous Hawaiian healers, often within the extended family by a family member. Historically there are many miraculous stories of healing from implementing the Hoʻoponopono practice.

 

There is also a New Age practice that goes by the same name. This modern day practice is profound but very easy and can be simplified into 4 steps. 

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Step 1: Repentance - Say, "I’M SORRY"

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Step 2: Forgiveness - Say, "PLEASE FORGIVE ME"

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Step 3: Gratitude - Say, "THANK YOU"

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Step 4 (Optional): Forgiveness - Say, "I FORGIVE YOU"

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Step 5: Love - Say, "I LOVE YOU"

 

One can repeat these steps as a mantra as a general practice or one can focus on a specific memory or person that is not fully processed or integrated. To do the latter just think of the memory and feel the emotions that come along with it and start doing Hoʻoponopono and let the practice do the work for you.

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