This is the practice of RAIN inspired by Tara Brach and in fact a lot of the words in this are Tara's words.
So closing your eyes and allowing yourself to come into stillness,
Allowing yourself to arrive right here.
You might take a few long,
Deeper breaths to collect your attention.
Inhaling deeply,
Filling the chest and belly and then releasing with the out-breath.
And again,
Inhaling deeply and a slow out-breath,
Letting go,
Maybe one more,
Just allowing the breath to resume its natural rhythm,
Sensing the quality of being present now.
And taking some moments to scan your life and you might sense how is your pain triggering difficult emotions for you at the moment.
Any way today or in these last few days that you felt caught in fear,
Anger,
Despair,
Frustration or disappointment or maybe there's some relational discord related to your pain and there's hurt,
Anxiety,
Shame,
Maybe there's some anxiety about finances or work because of your pain.
Don't choose anything really traumatizing because that won't serve you so well in this short exercise.
Just bringing this situation to your mind's eye right now.
Enough so you can actually get in touch with what's going on in your thoughts,
Your emotions,
Your body sensations.
If there's somebody else involved,
Bringing their face to mind and their words to mind or otherwise,
Just feel yourself back in the situation.
See if you can sense what's the worst part of this for you.
What's the most upsetting thing?
So the R of RAIN is for recognize.
Just giving a soft mental label to whatever emotion is strongest.
Fear,
Worry,
Anger,
Sadness,
Grief.
And if there's a few different emotions,
Just check what most needs your attention right now.
And if you can't find a good word for it,
It's okay to use a word like icky.
The A of RAIN is for allow.
A willingness to just allow it to be right now.
Not trying to fix it or ignore it,
But just let it be.
Can you have the sense that this belongs like a wave in the ocean?
Just letting it be.
So the I of RAIN is for investigate.
And this doesn't mean investigate in an analytical way.
Most of the investigation is on the body level.
And the N is for nurture.
So right now,
Feeling into your body as you sense the worst part of this situation.
What you're most afraid of.
What's most upsetting.
What you are believing that is so bad that might happen.
Can you feel into your body,
Your throat,
Your chest,
Your abdomen,
And sense where do you feel it the most?
Is it a clutching in the throat?
An ache or a pressure or a stabbing in the heart?
A squeeze in the belly?
An experiment by putting your hand wherever you feel the most sensation related to this emotion.
Even if you just get a general sense that this is around about where it is.
Just a light touch.
Kind of sending the message that it's okay to be here.
It's okay to be all that you are.
Just sending this message to the vulnerable place and inviting it to be just as it is.
Just notice what happens.
What does it feel like?
What are the actual feelings?
You can breathe with what's there if it's difficult.
You can put something soft and comforting around it.
If that's helpful.
Maybe a soothing balm.
A cloud.
A soft blanket.
Keeping your attention there as best you can.
When you're believing that something bad is going to happen,
You might have a sense of what are you believing?
You might just allow your attention to really be in the body when you ask that question.
Not answer it from your head.
What are you believing?
Can you contact that?
Sometimes it can be helpful to let your facial expression show what you're feeling.
Just experiment with that.
Or even your body posture.
Allowing it to exaggerate a little perhaps.
Really being in touch with this vulnerability.
And again,
Not answering this from your head,
But you might ask this place in your body.
What do you most need?
Or how do you want me to be with you place in the body?
Just sitting quietly with that feeling.
Sometimes the answer might just emerge.
Maybe it's a sense of it's needing love.
Or acceptance.
Or forgiveness.
Perhaps it needs to feel it's belonging to something larger.
As you listen to what might be needed,
Can you start listening from your most wise and tender heart?
You may not even know what that is.
But it is there.
You might even let your body posture shift a bit so you can contact that awakened heart.
And if you have any sense of what this vulnerable place most needs,
Can you offer it?
Again,
You might feel the tenderness of your own touch communicating care.
What message does this place most need to hear and remember right now?
It might be simply,
Thank you for trying to protect me.
Or maybe it's,
I'm here and I'm not leaving.
I care about you.
It's okay.
And if it feels really tough to offer yourself a message,
You might imagine it coming from some larger source of loving.
Perhaps from someone that you trust and love.
A friend,
A grandparent,
Maybe a dog.
Maybe the natural world or Jesus or Buddha.
Maybe the earth.
Maybe formless awareness.
Just touching into something much bigger.
It's okay to allow that love and light to flow into you.
Now is the time to let yourself take in love.
Sensing that tenderness and care.
Perhaps even imagining it.
This loving message just bathing you right where the vulnerability is.
Giving yourself permission to let it in.
To be filled by and held by loving presence.
To truly sense the waves of fear held cradled by the ocean of tenderness.
And as you open to what is happening,
This final part we could call after the rain.
Sensing the quality of presence that has emerged.
Maybe just a tiny bit,
Maybe a lot.
Can you notice any difference between the sense of self when you started?
Perhaps we could call that the fearful self or the hurting self or the angry self.
And the heart space.
The field of awareness.
The compassion.
The real truth of you.
And taking a few more moments just resting in that awake,
Open heart space.
