Working With Difficult Emotions: RAIN

RAIN Meditation is a mindfulness practice for working with challenging emotions. RAIN is an acronym for:

R – Recognize what's happening internally (sensations, emotions, thoughts).
A – Allow life to be just as it is, without judgment or resistance.
I – Investigate the felt sense of the experience with gentle curiosity.
N – Nurture the vulnerable parts of yourself with compassion and care.

The session opens with a grounding breath practice, then guides listeners to bring a difficult situation to mind. From there, it walks through each RAIN step: recognizing emotions, allowing them to be present, investigating where they live in the body, and offering self-compassion. It closes with a period of restful awareness, inviting listeners to settle into a broader, more spacious sense of self.

Transcript

Hi everybody, Welcome. So we're going to do a practice called RAIN. And RAIN stands for Recognizing, Allowing, Investigating, And Nurturing. And this is a practice that is helpful in working with challenging emotions. So that's going to be our focus. So we'll start this practice like all of our others with finding a comfortable position. One that allows your spine to be alert. Interact, But relax. And when you're ready, You can close your eyes or lower your gaze. And begin to establish a sense of presence. Can allow your awareness to scan through your body. And wherever possible, Soften and release obvious areas of physical tension. You may choose to take a few very full breaths. And then you can allow your breath to be natural. And bringing your attention to where you most easily detect the breath or maybe where it's most pleasurable. Just letting this place of experiencing Your breath. Be your home base. And anchor to the present moment. Just noticing the breath right here. And if the breath is not a good home base for you, You might instead anchor your attention in the sensations of your hands. Or the sensations of your full body sitting here. Or sounds in the room. Whatever you choose as a home base. Know that you can always come back to this. If you're feeling overwhelmed by the intensity of emotions. To reestablish your anchor and to resource yourself. So take some moments. Tracking your breath. Staying present. With your anchor. Just arriving. Arriving into your body. Just as it is. And as you're sitting quietly and settling into your body, Taking a few full breaths. Bring to mind a current situation in which you feel stuck. So this could be one that elicits a difficult reaction. Such as anger, Fear, Shame, Or hopelessness. Maybe a conflict with a family member. Chronic sickness. A failure at work. The pain of addiction. A conversation you regret. Just take some moments to enter the experience, Visualizing the scene or situation. Remembering the words spoken. And sensing the distressing moments. So contacting the charged essence of the story is the starting place for exploring. The healing presence of RAIN. Just as a note, It is important not to select any situations that might set off trauma or emotions that are too intense and overwhelming for you. So really listen carefully to your own intuition about what can be healthy to process. So as you reflect on the situation, We'll move into the R. Recognizing what's happening. So ask yourself, What is happening inside of me right now? What sensations are you most aware of? What emotions? Is your mind filled with churning thoughts? Take a moment to become aware of your felt sense. Of the situation as a whole. Can you feel how they experience? Is living in your heart. Your body. And your mind. As you notice how this experience is living in you. You can bring your attention to whatever feels most difficult. And what you recognized. And this is the A of allowing, Allowing life to be just as it is. So as you contact this difficulty, Going to bring the attitude of just letting be. Can you allow. . . What is. To be present. And so this is the willingness to pause and stay present. With light that's here just as it is. You can send a message to your heart. To let be. And find your soul. And the willingness to pause and accept. Allowing difficult emotions to be present requires gentleness and tenderness. So saying to yourself phrases such as, This too. Or yes. I can hold this. Can be helpful. And this is about opening to your experience, Even when it's painful. So you might find yourself saying yes. To a big enter no. To a body and a mind painfully contracted in resistance. You might be saying yes to the part of you that's saying, I hate this. And that's a natural part of the process. At this point in RAIN, You're simply noticing what is true. And intending not to judge. Not to push away. And not to control anything you find. So we'll move into the investigation. And we're going to do this with real gentle attention. So begin to explore what you're experiencing more closely. Calling on your natural interest and curiosity about your inner life. You might ask yourself. What about this most wants my attention? What most wants my acceptance? Pose your questions gently. Your inner voice, Kind and inviting. And notice where you feel the experience most distinctly in your body. Are you aware of heat, Tightness? Pressure 8. As you continue to investigate, You could ask. What am I believing? So in RAINN, Investigating is about inquiring into the felt sense of our experience. Rather than being a cognitive or analytic process. While your story and beliefs can be a portal to direct experience, Keep returning your attention to your body. To the felt sense and sensations of wherever you feel most vulnerable. Bringing interested and kind attention. To your experience. So I'll offer a few questions that might be helpful for your investigation. And feel free to experiment with these. You could ask. What is the worst part of this? What most wants my attention. What is the most difficult or painful thing that I'm believing? What emotions does this bring up? Fear, Anger, Greed? Where do I feel these emotions inside? What is the felt sense of these emotions as sensations? Clenched, Raw, Hot, Aching. Or what do I notice when I assume the facial expression and body posture that best reflects these feelings and emotions? And feel free to do that if you're in a private space, Nobody can see you. What happens when you assume the facial expression or the body posture? That reflects these feelings and emotions. Thank you very much. And as you contact and allow what is happening, What do you notice? Is there any softening in your body and heart? Can you sense more openness or space? Or does the intention to allow bring up more tension, Judgment, Fear? Does it intensify or change what you're feeling? So as we transition to the N, Which is nurturing. Stay connected to the vulnerable experience inside. And also sense that you are asking and listening from compassionate presence. So ask the place with most difficulty. What do you most need? How do you want me to be with you? Does the suffering part of you want understanding? Acceptance. Company. Forgiveness or love. Or if the most vulnerable, Hurting part of me could communicate, What would it express in words, Feelings, Or images? And what does this part most need from me? Or some larger source of love and wisdom. So as you. Information on what these vulnerable turts need. Take some moments to breathe consciously. And adjust your posture in a way that helps you fully contact your most awake experience of heart and mind. So sometimes that's your higher, Your future, Your wisest self. So really, Really connect. And call on this wise and compassionate self or another being such as a friend or family. Pet, Teacher, Spiritual figure, Whose wisdom and love you trust. And as you sense what's needed, What is your natural response? What does this vulnerable place most need to remember? Experience. Or trust. You might offer yourself a wise message. Such as I'm sorry, I love you. Trust yourself. It's okay. I'm here and I'm not leaving. You might also extend your care through words, Touch, Like hand on heart. Or imagery. Seeing yourself surrounded or embraced in light. So feel free to experiment with ways of befriending your inner life. How can you comfort and offer care and compassion? To these vulnerable parts. And as you complete nurturing, You might sense if there's a message from your most awake heart, Mind, Future, Wise self. That will be helpful to remember. And as you offer this unconditional kind presence to your inner life, Sense the possibility. Of relaxing back and being that awareness. Become familiar with the quality of presence of your highest, Most compassionate self. Like an ocean with waves on the surface. You can feel yourself as tender, Wakeful openness. That includes this changing life. You can sense how you are, Who you are. Is not identified or hitched. Any particular way. Of fear or anger or hurt. The waves on the surface belong to your experience. That cannot injure or alter. The measureless depth. And vastness of your being. So this is the time to seize any doing. Just take some moments to rest in the presence and heart space that has emerged. And if you're having difficulty contacting or feeling any anything in particular, Anything different, That's okay too. Just allowing whatever arises in your body and mind to freely come and go without censoring. Getting to know this natural awareness and truth of who you are. And if you're feeling some new or residual difficulty, Offer this your acknowledgement and care. And so before we close. You could ask yourself. In these moments. What is the sense of my being, Of who I am? And how has this shifted from when I began the meditation? So you can just check with yourself. Maybe you. I've contacted. . . A larger awareness. Let's notice what that feels like. And if you haven't, That's okay. You just offered an invitation. To your body, To your mind, And to your heart. That you can be. Present with the challenges. Of your life. So when you feel ready. And start to mindfully transition back. And cheer around. And opening your eyes. Like this new sense of awareness.