Welcome to your RAIN meditation,
Where you will practice staying open to difficult emotions and strengthen your ability to deliver self-compassion.
I'm your guide,
Heather Schenck.
The RAIN meditation that we are going to be practicing today was first created by Michelle McDonald and later modified by Tara Brock.
RAIN is an acronym where the R stands for Recognize,
The A stands for Allow,
I investigate,
And N,
Nurture.
We will further explore these steps as we go through the meditation.
Begin by finding a comfortable position.
It can be on a chair or on a bench or cushion on the ground.
Find a posture that is upright and alert,
Yet comfortable.
Let your eyes gently close and do a quick scan of your body from head to toe,
Releasing any obvious tension.
Relax the brow line,
Unclench the jaw,
Relax the shoulders,
Relax the belly.
Now begin by establishing presence in the moment by taking three deep breaths and then allow your breath to be natural.
Notice where you feel the breath most easily.
On your in-breath,
The cool,
Tangling sensation in the back of your throat,
The rise and fall of your chest or belly,
The heat on your upper lip on your out-breath.
The RAIN meditation is a useful tool we can bring to our practice in areas of our lives where we are feeling stuck,
Where we are feeling caught in our difficult emotions and tangled in the stories we've created.
Now allow yourself to re-establish presence in the moment by reconnecting with the breath.
Now bring to mind a part of your life where you are feeling stuck emotionally or mentally.
It may be a conflict with a family member,
A difficulty at work,
A feeling of failure or inadequacy.
One that feels triggering but not one that triggers past trauma.
Imagine the triggering scenario.
Picture the room that you're in,
The other people that may be present.
Play the scene out in your head like a movie.
The words that are said.
Imagine the triggering scenario like a movie playing.
Then stop right when you get to the part where you feel triggered.
Let yourself experience whatever feelings come up,
Whatever feelings arise.
There might be sadness,
Fear,
Shame,
Anger,
Hurt,
Frustration.
We begin with the R of RAIN.
Recognize.
Pay attention to what is happening inside of you as you focus on this triggering moment.
What physical sensations are arising?
What emotions are present?
Now we move to the A of RAIN.
Allow.
Ask yourself,
Can I be with this?
Our tendency is to push away difficult emotions,
To turn away,
To deny them,
To ignore them.
But instead,
Can you stay open to this emotion,
To this experience?
How can you make space and allow yourself to be present with the sensations and emotions?
Now moving into the I of RAIN.
Investigate.
Now this is not a cerebral type of investigation,
But more a somatic experience.
How is this experience manifesting in the body?
Do you notice an aching,
A tightness,
A squeezing anywhere in your body?
With curiosity,
Can you ask yourself,
What's the most difficult part of this experience?
What am I believing?
Maybe some beliefs that are coming up for you are,
I'm not good enough.
I'm not lovable.
I'm unworthy of love and belonging.
I'm a failure.
I'm not considered.
Allow yourself to assume the facial expression and the body posture that best suits whatever is coming up for you.
Where do you feel this most in your body?
If this vulnerable place could communicate,
What would it want you to know?
Now moving on to the N of RAIN,
Nurture.
Ask yourself,
What does this vulnerable place most need from me?
Are there any words or just a kind presence of acceptance and understanding?
Now bring to mind a compassionate being to provide yourself comfort.
It can be an image of a loved one,
A parent,
A child,
A spiritual figure.
It can be an image of your future most awakened self.
Adjust your posture into your most awakened self.
Imagine that you're in the presence of this compassionate being and allow them to comfort you.
Consider bringing your hand to your heart,
Letting the kind energy flow through to your body.
Ask yourself,
What does this vulnerable place need from me?
And offer yourself that comfort.
If it's just a gentle,
Loving presence or maybe kind words.
You are loved.
You are worthy.
I see your pain.
I'm here with you.
You're not alone.
Allow yourself to be bathed in this sunlight of self-compassion.
Allow your body to fill up with the experience of this self-compassion,
This healing,
This nurturing.
Now we move into after the rain.
Allow yourself to become aware of the quality of presence that's here now.
How has it changed from the beginning of this meditation?
Allow yourself to rest in this space for a few more moments before the meditation ends.
