Ho’oponopono Affirmations Explained (Remorse, Forgiveness, Gratitude, Love)

Looking for ho’oponopono affirmations?

There are four affirmations in this powerful, ancient Hawaiian prayer and meditation, these are:

• I am sorry
• Please forgive me
• Thank you
• I love you

Ho’oponopono affirmations have been used in prayer and meditation for centuries by the indigenous people of the Hawaiian islands.

These affirmations are used to practice compassion and forgiveness within ourselves, and others.

Ho’oponopono Affirmations

You can use the following ho’oponopono affirmations as part of a meditation or a prayer. Simply repeat them until you find true forgiveness and feel greater compassion for others;

• I am sorry
• Please forgive me
• Thank you
• I love you

Understanding the Ho’oponopono Technique

It’s important to understand the four steps of ho’oponopono to truly appreciate why you’re saying these four affirmations.

This is how these four steps flow:

Step 1 – Saying sorry – The first step is to admit that you may have harmed someone or something, and so show remorse and ask for forgiveness.

This can be incredibly difficult and painful to face up to, but it’s an important part of the entire process.

Step 2 – Asking for forgiveness – The desire for forgiveness must be sincere and honest.

With you asking forgiveness and someone, or something, part of the healing process is to ask for that forgiveness.

Step 3 – Showing gratitude – Gratitude is an incredibly powerful, positive emotion that involves being truly thankful and appreciative for something.

By expressing a heartfelt “thank you” you are opening yourself to receive forgiveness and love. 

Step 4 – Expressing love – Giving love and showing someone else that you have love to give will make a real difference to your life, and those around you.

Love has unbelievable healing powers, this emotion transcends physical actions. It brings together our emotional and spiritual sides. 

When you take into account these four steps that are essentially the framework of the ho’oponopono technique, you get to appreciate what these affirmations are capable of.

Related – More on the history of ho’oponopono.

How Do You Do Ho’oponopono Meditation?

Ho’oponopono meditation is performed in a similar way to any meditation.

Everyone has their own way of meditating; so how you get comfortable, when you meditate, for how long, etc., is up to you. 

The principles of meditation, however, are the same. If you’re new to meditation, the basic steps you should follow are:

Getting comfortable – You can’t get the most out of meditating unless you’re somewhere comfortable and free from distractions.

This may mean sitting, or laying down. You may want to be in darkness, or simply closing your eyes is enough.

Set a time limit – You’ll lose track of time, especially when you’re experienced in meditating. It helps to set a timer with a soft bell noise that’ll ping at the end.

Feel your breath – Breathing and being able to follow the sensation of your breath is at the core of any meditation.

Practice by taking deep breaths in through your nose, holding it for a few seconds before letting it out through your mouth.

Meditate! – Whether you’re following a guided meditation, repeating affirmations as discussed in this article, or you have your own thoughts and phrases as you like to concentrate on;

Meditating is about being present in the moment and training your awareness.

Be aware when your mind wanders – It’s incredibly difficult for one’s mind not to wander when first meditating. Buddhists call this the “monkey mind”, and refer to it as “chatter”.

To meditate effectively, you need to recognize when your mind is wandering away from the moment and bring it back by concentrating on your breathing.

Related – Ho’oponopono meditation scripts you can use.

Does Ho’oponopono Work?

The question as to whether meditation works is always the same. Yes, meditation does work – but how it works and the effect it has on everyone is different.

There are so many layers to meditation, that it’s impossible to answer that question with a short, accurate answer.

But trust me, if you embrace meditation it will enrich your life and do all the things it promises.

It may take months, even years, but it’s worth every moment you spend practicing.

On that note, there is an interesting story about ho’oponopono and how this practice became better known to the Western world in modern times.

The legendary story goes like this;

In Hawaii, there was a special ward in the State hospital, a clinic for mentally ill criminals.

One day, a newly appointed psychologist arrived at the ward, his name was Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len.

Dr. Len would come to the hospital every day, but instead of seeing the patients in person, he would ask to see their files.

Every day, Dr. Len would repeat the ho’oponopono prayer over the patient’s files;

I’m sorry

I love you

Please forgive me

Thank you

Within a few weeks, he and the other members of staff started noting significant changes in the behavior of the prisoners of whose files he was saying the prayer for.

Prisoners started being released, some of whom would never have been released this early if at all, free of medicine and with a newfound compassion and forgiveness in their souls.

---

Image credits – Photo by Sage Friedman on Unsplash