Ho Oponopono

The Traditional Ho’oponopono Mantra

At the heart of Ho’oponopono is a simple yet deeply powerful mantra:

I’m sorry.
Please forgive me.
Thank you.
I love you.

These words are not only directed toward another person — they are also spoken inwardly to ourselves,

to our memories, to our emotions, and to the experiences we carry within us.

Each phrase holds a deeper meaning:

I’m sorry — I acknowledge the pain, hurt, or imbalance that exists.

Please forgive me — I ask for release from the suffering, whether known or unknown.

Thank you — I express gratitude for the opportunity to heal and transform.

I love you — I return to love, the highest healing force of all.

The beauty of this practice is its simplicity.

You can repeat the mantra quietly during meditation, while driving, walking in nature, before sleep, or during difficult

moments when emotions arise. Over time, the practice becomes less about changing others and more about

transforming the way we hold experiences within ourselves.

Ho’oponopono teaches us that healing begins inside of us first.
And from that place, peace begins to ripple outward into the world around us.

Ho’oponopono

To Make Things Right

Ho’oponopono is an ancient Hawaiian practice of reconciliation, healing, and forgiveness.
At its heart, it reminds us that we are 100% responsible for our own experience of reality.

What affects us most deeply is often not simply what happens to us — but how we hold it within ourselves.

Both unforgiveness and forgiveness shape our inner world.

Ho’oponopono is often called “the forgiveness practice,” but it is also a process of release.

The Hawaiians believed that we must become Pono.
Pono means to become right within ourselves, right with the people in our lives, and right with the world around us.

It is about becoming grounded, centred, and aligned.

Three Ways to Practice Ho’oponopono

Ho’oponopono can be practiced:

With a person who has wronged you

With someone you love or once loved

With someone who has passed away

No matter the circumstance, the practice invites healing, compassion, and peace.

The Two Great Gifts of Ho’oponopono

1. Protecting Your Energy and Vitality

Ho’oponopono helps us maintain our personal energy and vitality.
It teaches us how to release unhealthy energetic attachments and disconnect from patterns that drain us emotionally or spiritually.

2. Emotional Healing

Emotional healing does not mean we never experience negative emotions.
It means we become better able to access peace, compassion, joy, and understanding — and more able to release anger, resentment, and pain.

One of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves in any spiritual practice is awareness.

Awareness is the key to truth.
To witness.
To observe without becoming consumed.

This is not always easy. Difficult emotions can stir up stories and reactions that pull us away from what truly matters: the present moment.

The Relationship We Have With Ourselves

Being in good company begins with being in good relationship with ourselves and others.

And truly, it all begins within.

How do you meet yourself in difficult moments?

Can you become the witness?
Can you hold space for forgiveness, compassion, and love — especially for yourself?

Healing happens within our own experience. Because of this, forgiveness is not only about ourselves.

It is also about holding compassion and understanding for others.

The Cost of Unforgiveness

Holding onto unforgiveness increases stress.
It weakens the immune system.
It interrupts sleep.
It has even been linked to heart disease.

The studies continue, but the message is simple:

Holding onto resentment ultimately hurts the person carrying it.

When someone learns to forgive in specific situations, they often begin to become a more

forgiving person in general. That is powerful growth.

Forgiveness in Everyday Life

Cultivating forgiveness in our everyday lives may be one of the most powerful things we can do

to create peace, live peace, and express peace to others.

This practice lives in the small moments as much as the big ones.

In today’s world, with so much happening around us, our choice for peace matters deeply.

And it is a choice we make moment by moment.

From walking out the door and meeting bad weather…
To sitting in traffic…
To being cut off while driving…
To receiving the wrong order in a busy drive-thru…

I have to admit — that was me just a couple of days ago.

I was tired and not feeling great, and I stopped at Tim Hortons for a coffee and a bagel.

It is not somewhere I go regularly, but sometimes when I just need a little something quick, I will stop there.

Unfortunately, it happened to be during a very busy rush. Once you turn the corner into the drive-thru,

you are committed — there is no turning around.I waited patiently in line and ordered a sesame bagel and a coffee.

They kindly handed me my order, and as I drove away, I reached into the bag for my bagel.

Cinnamon raisin. I immediately felt irritated.I stopped the car, walked back to the window

while they were already helping the next customer, and said, “This is not my order.”

And shamefully, reflecting back, I know my frustration showed.

The employee apologized kindly, and they replaced the bagel without issue.

But after I regained my composure, I sat there thinking:

Dear Lord… would a cinnamon raisin bagel really have been that difficult to enjoy?

I remember thinking, What has gotten into me?

Yes, I was tired.
Yes, I was not feeling well.
But that is not an excuse for not choosing peace.

This choice for peace is an every-minute choice.
It is active and alive within our daily lives.

And sometimes we do not meet it immediately.

But we always have the opportunity to reflect, soften, and return to it.

That is the gift of forgiveness.

Sometimes we allow the smallest things to completely derail our peace. But forgiveness helps free us from that cycle.

When we hold onto grudges, we begin to see life through “grudge-coloured glasses.”

We filter experiences through pain and negativity. Even our emotions become shaped by that perspective.

Interestingly, the same part of the brain associated with anxiety is also activated during excitement

and anticipation. One person may label the feeling as anxiety, while another may interpret it as excitement.

The way we frame our experiences matters.

The person who continually holds onto negativity often becomes more negative.

The person who practices forgiveness becomes more compassionate and understanding.

When we step outside of our own stories, we begin to remember that everyone is carrying something.

Someone who cuts us off in traffic may be rushing to help an aging parent, an injured child, or a loved one in distress.

This is where forgiveness, empathy, and compassion can guide us back to steadier ground.

Choosing Peace

Ho’oponopono reminds us that forgiveness is powerful — and active.

It is up to each of us to decide how we choose to live, respond, and interact with the world around us.

Peace is not passive.
It is a conscious choice.

A choice made daily.
Moment by moment.

Will I choose peace?