RAIN Meditation For Anxiety

Adapted from an ancient Buddhist RAIN Meditation, this will help you learn from your anxiety by becoming present with it in your body. I will guide you through accepting the sensations, rather than resisting them. This meditation will leave you feeling grounded, centered, and peaceful. Perfect for any level of anxiety, and gets easier with practice.

Transcript

Hello,

And welcome to this RAIN meditation to help relieve your symptoms of anxiety.

I'd like to start our time together with a quote from Rumi about a conversation he had with God.

I prefer to replace the word God with love,

As the word God tends to have all kinds of ideas mixed in with it.

But just say God in your mind if you prefer that.

I said,

What about my eyes?

Love said,

Keep them on the road.

I said,

What about my passion?

Love said,

Keep it burning.

I said,

What about my heart?

Love said,

Tell me what you hold inside it.

I said,

Pain and sorrow.

Love said,

Stay with it.

The wound is the place where the light enters you.

Welcome to this meditation today,

Where we are aiming to follow love's advice.

The tendency can be to turn away from discomfort,

From that which is bringing us anxiety,

And the uncomfortable physical sensations it brings along with it.

The tendency can be to distract ourselves with food,

Netflix,

Alcohol,

Work,

Drama,

Our phones,

Our screens,

Social media.

There are always many distractions to choose from.

But the gold is actually in the wound.

The solution lies within the discomfort.

Oftentimes the discomfort leaves quickly once we turn toward it compassionately.

This is what we will practice together today.

So I'd like to invite you to get into a comfortable position.

It may be lying down,

Sitting up with a straight spine,

On a cushion or a chair,

Whatever seems most comfortable and inviting in this moment.

Make sure you really maximize your comfort here.

Bring in extra pillows or blankets to create your nest,

Your cocoon of healing.

Once you arrive to your place of maximal comfort,

You can begin to bring your awareness to your breath.

Not trying to shift it or change it in any way,

But just simply noticing how it is flowing in and out of your body in this very moment.

Tuning into your body as things are naturally unfolding and becoming a witness of this experience.

What does this moment,

This breath feel like in your body?

Just noticing with a sense of curious compassion.

There's no need to judge the experience you're having.

Just notice as if you're getting to witness a wild animal in its natural habitat.

Hopeful for this opportunity and genuinely curious to notice every fine detail.

Spending a few moments here,

Just witnessing the rise and fall of your belly.

Noticing where in your body you feel the most closely connected with your breath.

It might be at the tip of your nose where the air enters your body.

Feeling the air coming in nice and cool and then exiting all toasty warm.

It might be in the back of your throat,

Feeling the air flow through your voice box,

Your center for self-expression.

It might be in the rise and fall of your belly.

Just noticing all of these points of contact with the breath and noticing which one helps to bring you the greatest feeling of connection with your breath.

This is a great tool for you whenever you feel anxious.

Simply tune into this one place to remember your breath and to let it guide you.

To remind you that you're safe in this moment right now.

Taking a deep breath in through the nose and calmly sighing it out through the mouth.

Deep breaths remind your brain that you're safe.

So let's take a couple more of those together,

Shall we?

Deeply breathing in through the nose and sighing it all out through the mouth.

One more deepest breath yet today.

Slowly in through the nose,

All the way up into your collarbones and then out through the mouth.

Bringing your awareness now to the supportive surface below you.

Becoming aware of just how supported you are in this current moment just exactly as you are without having to change anything about yourself and without having to prove your worth.

You are already supported.

One hundred percent of you.

Almost as if it's your birthright.

Allowing yourself to feel the complete safety of this present moment right here and right now.

Settling into this support as if melting into the embrace of a loved and trusted person.

Take a long deep breath in through the nose and calmly let it out through your mouth to remind your brain how safe you are.

Bringing to mind something which in this moment is bringing you a feeling of anxiety.

Allow the feelings to arise that come up when you think of this anxiety provoking situation.

The R in RAIN stands for relax and recognize where you notice anxiety creating sensation in your body.

Where is this anxiety being held?

What physical sensations are you noticing at this time?

How many adjectives can you think of to describe the physical sensations caused by anxiety in this moment?

Can you remember the very first time you ever felt this exact physical sensation?

Maybe it was even all the way back into your childhood.

Noticing what memories pop up for you as you ponder this question.

Noticing what arises with a compassionate spirit of curiosity.

When was the first time I ever felt this?

And you can simply watch it free of judgment as if you were an outside unbiased observer.

Like a scientist collecting data on their clipboard.

A stands for allow.

How much can you allow this anxiety and these physical sensations to be present for you in this moment?

If it resonates with you,

You can even say those words out loud or in your mind.

I allow you to be here right now anxiety.

Or I consent.

Trying to resist or distract from anxiety tends to just make it worse.

So for now,

Let's try to relax and allow anxiety to exist within you.

To see how the feeling evolves with your compassionately curious attention.

Simply notice what happens.

See how much expansiveness you can bring in.

How much compassionate space can you hold for this experience?

You could even imagine as though you take a trip into your body to the place where the anxiety is being physically held.

You hear a knock at the door and you get up to answer it.

It's anxiety.

Notice how it looks.

Take in the details.

You choose whether you want to open the door and invite it in to sit down and have a chat.

If you're able to do this,

You might just be able to gain some clarity and relief.

If you're able,

Invite anxiety into your cozy table by the fire and pour it some tea so it feels welcomed and set up for an honest conversation.

Continue feeling the rise and fall of your belly.

Notice your physical sensations as you sit down at the table with anxiety.

I stands for investigate.

What physical experience are you having of anxiety in this moment?

Is it moving?

Shape shifting?

Dissipating?

How about its texture and intensity?

Taking a look at anxiety sitting across from you at the table.

Notice if this visual is shifting in any way.

You may want to ask if this anxiety has a different name it likes to go by.

Just remain open to any way this anxiety might want to communicate with you.

It might come in the form of physical sensations,

Something visual like a symbol,

Image or memory.

It might be something you can hear or simply know.

The communication might happen now or later,

Maybe even in your dreams.

You are opening up a line of communication now so that you can send and receive messages from anxiety.

So patiently feel the rise and fall of your belly.

You might want to ask anxiety what brings it here today?

What does it want to share with you?

Is it perhaps scared or trying to protect you?

If so,

What is the fear?

It can help to identify with the idea of infinite spaciousness in your body and mind.

An expansive field of body and a wide open sky of mind.

Tune into the vast expansiveness within you while feeling the tiniest of sensations.

This establishes a sense of openness where everything is allowed to be just as it is.

There is no need to hide here.

You may physically touch any points of pain with the loving kindness of your own hands if you'd like.

You may lovingly massage the area around the physical sensation until you feel comfortable to rest right in the center of the discomfort.

Allow the sensations to express themselves honestly.

No need for any judgment.

Just witness like a curious child.

No need to analyze either.

You can trust that messages will be sent to you when you need to know them.

And oftentimes it's quite enough simply to feel the feeling in its entirety.

Feel it move through you and simply let go.

What is the shape of the anxiety at this time?

What is its intensity on a scale from one to ten?

See how wholeheartedly you can say yes to what is happening or I consent.

Continue to feel both the anxiety and the background spaciousness of sensation.

Can it all coexist?

Can you hold the entire experience in your awareness?

Notice what happens to the unpleasant sensations when there is no resistance.

Letting your awareness soothe the pain through simply allowing it to be.

It's like when we just need to get something off our chest or vent a bit and then we feel better.

So too do our feelings need to be a loud expression.

Allow your compassionate awareness to sprinkle light,

Loving,

Healing rain onto your emotional wounds.

This is how to heal yourself.

As you surrender over and over to the current experience,

Notice what is being dissolved into the openness.

Let the body become like the universe.

Nothing but infinite expansiveness.

Plenty of space for any pain that arises.

You can hold it here.

It is safe.

No need for any tension that only blocks the experience from flowing.

Relax.

Breathe.

Allow.

Notice what happens to the guest across the table from you.

Ask any other questions you like of your anxiety and express anything you'd like to communicate.

Thank your guest for being here to keep you safe and for gathering with you today.

N stands for non-identification and nurturing.

As you allow yourself to experience the waves of physical sensation while being the observer,

You begin to realize that you are the ocean,

Not the waves.

You are much bigger than your experiences.

You are much vaster than your anxiety.

You are not your anxiety.

When you are the ocean,

The waves can act however they want and there is no need to fear.

For you are the vast mighty ocean.

You can ask your guest what it needs in order to feel safe and protected.

What sort of nurturing does it need?

Perhaps some words of validation.

Thank you for trying to protect me anxiety.

Perhaps some physical affection.

You might envision yourself giving anxiety a hug,

Holding it like a loving mother with her hurt child.

Knowing that this anxiety is simply a manifestation of a hurt and scared part of your very self.

You might even imagine this anxiety as a younger scared version of you.

Perhaps around the same age as the first time you felt that physical sensation.

This anxious part of you might need reassurance or quality time.

In which case you can promise to check in from time to time.

Whenever you feel these feelings arising again,

You can do rain like we did today or check in via journaling or however it feels best to you.

Notice how the physical sensations are at this time.

If you feel any lingering physical discomfort now,

See if you can name the emotion that's behind it.

Is it still anxiety or is it something else?

What is its shape?

How does it feel in your body?

Bring a screen behind your third eye and ask this emotion what it has to teach you.

See if any image appears on the screen.

Allow it to reveal itself and any messages it would like to share.

Without judgment,

Feel any shifts in your body.

Thank it for sharing wisdom with you to help you grow.

Now take this image,

Tell it that you are going to throw it way up high in the sky and when you do,

It is going to explode into a million pieces of stardust.

Keep shifting into its highest form of unconditional love for those who need it most.

Allow yourself to receive the loving shower of healing stardust as the little magical twinkly particles dance on your skin.

You can feel each of your 50 trillion cells gratefully drinking in this loving energy saying thank you,

Thank you,

Thank you.

Feel yourself receiving this healing.

Drink it in,

Knowing you are so worthy of being nurtured.

Knowing you are so worthy of feeling amazing.

Knowing you are so worthy of living in alignment with yourself so you can shine your uniquely beautiful light into the world,

Inspiring the rest of us to do the same.

Bringing a compassionate touch to the place on your body that needs it most.

Bringing gratitude into your heart for this body which allows you the experience of walking through this life,

Smelling your favorite smells and hugging your favorite people.

Thank you body for housing my soul.

Bringing to mind what piece of stardust you would like to share with the world today.

How will you take the gifts you've received and spread them out into the world on this day?

Feeling how worthy you are to shine your beautiful light.

Feeling in gratitude and sighing out love.

Beginning to gently wiggle your fingers and your toes when you're ready.

Bringing movement into your precious body at your own pace.

Bringing yourself back into this space,

This moment,

This breath.

You may gently flutter your eyes open when you're ready.

Thanking yourself for taking the sacred time today to honor your emotions and to take care of yourself.

Go in peace,

Love and grace,

Always remembering that you are the ocean.

Reviews

I love the quote at the beginning. This put me in an absolute trance. I'm coming out of this healing meditation with a transformed tone & energy. My anxiety was accepted, allowed, understood & completely transformed. This was powerful, healing, grounding, calming, safe and accepting. Thank you, Dia.

I have been struggling with anxiety I am very new to it and get it everyday throughout the whole day and has really consumed my life right now. I have hope that I will feel like my normal self.. I am exhausted

Lovely Dia, so many intriguing journal prompts, will have to watch again to capture them. I love the way you describe healing in a cellular level. When you go off script you shine through the brightest, I can hear the love behind each word. Ty for sharing, Om Shanti, Namaste 🙏

Beyond magical! This was so soothing and calming. I feel amazing.