This is a short RAIN meditation practice.
Which is particularly useful for moments when we're experiencing difficulty.
And so we'll start by landing and arriving in the breath.
Maybe you take a few slower or deeper breaths in and out.
Just noticing how it feels to breathe here.
And the breath is our anchor during this practice.
So if you notice that your mind wanders or that you start to feel a little overwhelmed.
You can always return back to the feeling of your breath.
For now,
Bring to mind something that feels difficult.
Maybe you're sensing it in your body.
As a physical experience.
Maybe there's a memory that's lingering in your mind.
Allow yourself to get in touch with what's here right now.
We'll dive into this acronym of RAIN.
The first letter is R.
Recognize.
Begin to recognize.
What is happening in your experience right now?
Consciously acknowledge in this moment if there are any feelings or thoughts or sensations or behaviors that are affecting you or that you're most aware of.
Perhaps you can notice which emotion is the strongest or what has been triggered right now.
You might say to yourself,
Right now I'm feeling.
Or right now I'm noticing.
Perhaps there's a feeling of fear or anger or blame or loneliness or frustration or sadness.
Whatever it is that you're noticing here,
See if you can really recognize it.
And then the next letter is A.
Allow.
Allow the experience to be here just as it is.
Just as the waves in the ocean rise and fall,
Move in and out.
This current emotion,
This current experience is a wave of this moment.
Rising and falling in its own way.
And so resting in that knowing,
Can you allow the thoughts,
The emotions,
The feelings,
Or the sensations that you recognized simply be here?
Without trying to fix,
Without trying to change,
Without trying to avoid anything.
Giving yourself this pause that makes it possible to deepen your attention.
You might simply say to yourself,
This belongs,
Or it's okay.
Or you might repeat the word allow to yourself.
The next letter is I.
Investigate.
Investigate what's here with interest and care.
Set a call upon your natural curiosity and bring a gentle but focused attention into your present experience.
And so you might ask yourself,
How am I experiencing this emotion right now?
Where am I experiencing this in my body?
When this is going on,
What am I believing?
What does this vulnerable part of me want to say,
Want to tell me?
Whatever the inquiry,
It seems possible to deepen your focus into the felt sense of your body.
Taking a somatic investigation.
A body-based investigation.
The last letter.
The last letter is N.
Nurture.
Nurture with self-compassion and care.
Begin to activate your inner sense of compassion by sensing what this wounded,
What this hurt place,
What this feeling place needs right now.
And then offer a caring gesture that might speak to this need.
Does it need a message of reassurance?
Of protection.
Of forgiveness.
Of listening.
Of companionship.
Of love.
What does this part of you need right now?
You might say to yourself,
I'm here with you.
Or I'm sorry and I love you.
Or you might say,
I'm listening and I'm not going anywhere.
You might say something like.
.
.
It's okay to forgive yourself,
Or you're doing your best.
Or trust in your goodness.
And allow the words to be like a soothing balm for this tender part of you.
If it helps,
You might gently place a hand onto your heart or somewhere on your body,
Giving this gentle touch.
This physical care.
You might imagine that your breath could soothe the part of your body that feels in pain,
That feels hurting or tender right now.
As if this wave of breath could gently wash over.
And nurture.
This space of difficulty.
And if it feels difficult to offer yourself love right now.
Then bring to mind somebody,
Whether it's a friend or a spiritual figure,
Maybe it's a family member.
Or an animal,
A pet.
And imagine their love and their wisdom flowing into you.
Maybe you imagine their words or their touch or their closeness and care.
See if it's possible to soften into that space.
And what follows now is the moments after the rain.
Give yourself a few moments to simply rest in your own awareness and notice how you feel.
Can you sense a quality of presence or perhaps a feeling of spaciousness or tenderness?
Maybe a different perspective that might be available here.
And trust that this spaciousness,
This softness,
Is more the truth of who you are than any story or narrative or rise and fall of the wave of experience.
And as we close this practice,
Maybe you carry a piece of that steadiness,
A piece of that spaciousness,
A piece of that tenderness with you.
Throughout the rest of your day.
Thank you for being here.
See you next time.
