Online Meditation for SAAM: Healing through Radical Forgiveness

Restorative Meditation for Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM)
Saturday, April 26th - Online via Zoom

USA (EST) 9:00 AM | INDIA (IST) 6:30PM
Security Fee: 5 USD | 450 INR

Join Aquamarine Yoga founder Sandi Higgins (currently in Mysore, South India) online for a guided meditation session in celebration of Sexual Assault Awareness Month as we come together to heal with love and freedom.

Forgiveness isn’t about excusing violence and harm, but about releasing the pain and resentment that keep us imprisoned by the past. It's about moving from victim to victor — transforming trauma into an invitation for spiritual awakening.

Session includes optional movement and light visualization.

What is Radical Forgiveness?
"Radical" emphasizes that the act of forgiveness isn’t just a surface-level gesture but a fundamental shift in how we perceive and respond to harm. It's about moving from holding on to pain and resentment to embracing healing and compassion, even in the face of deep hurt. This kind of forgiveness often involves reframing our trauma as an opportunity for spiritual growth.

In the context of trauma, especially in cases of sexual assault, forgiveness can feel almost impossible. "Radical forgiveness" speaks to the idea of forgiving not just small wrongdoings, but the most difficult of offenses, even when the harm done feels unhealable. It's about choosing liberation and peace over being trapped in anger or victimhood.

"Radical" implies that forgiveness is an empowering choice, rather than something that is expected or socially imposed. It’s about reclaiming your power and freedom. You aren’t forgiving because you’re supposed to, but because you choose to for your own healing and peace.

Radical forgiveness involves developing compassion for the person who harmed us, not in a way that condones their actions but in a way that acknowledges our shared humanity and the possibility for growth and transformation, both for the survivor and the one who caused harm. It's about healing ourselves first, regardless of the actions of others.

About Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM)
“Everyone in our communities deserves to live in safe and supportive environments where they are treated with respect. When our workplaces, schools, and communities work together to uphold safety and respect, we make progress in preventing sexual abuse, assault, and harassment.

As long as there have been people who care about making the world a better place, there have been individuals advocating for sexual assault prevention. In the United States, movements for social change and equality began to gain traction in the 1940s and 50s with the civil rights era.

Wide social activism around the issue of sexual assault continued into the 1970s, bringing with it support for survivors and heightened awareness. The first rape crisis center was founded in San Francisco in 1971, the same city where the first U.S. Take Back the Night event was held seven years later. The following decades mobilized survivors and advocates to call for legislation and funding that would support survivors, such as the Violence Against Women Act of 1993 (VAWA).

In an effort to further coordinate awareness and prevention efforts, in 2000, the newly launched National Sexual Violence Resource Center and the Resource Sharing Project polled sexual violence coalitions. They asked organizations about their preferred color, symbol, and month for sexual assault awareness activities. The results showed that those in the movement preferred a teal ribbon as a symbol for sexual assault awareness, and SAAM as we know it was born.”
— https://www.nsvrc.org/saam

Further info -
**https://www.aquamarine.yoga/survivors**