Hello everyone.
Today we are going to discuss the RAIN meditation.
The acronym RAIN stands for Recognize,
Allow,
Investigate,
And Nurture.
It's a popular framework attributed to Michelle McDonald who founded Vipassana Hawaii and it was popularized by Tara Brach.
This technique has been proven effective in helping us understand how to catch ourselves in the moment and respond mindfully using a simple four-part methodology.
RAIN is easy to remember and it's something that you can take with you into your day-to-day life as well as your meditation practice.
So I'm going to go over the fundamentals first and then we're going to do a short practice.
The first step in RAIN is to recognize,
R.
Recognize means to just understand what is happening fully.
Recognize where you are.
If you're feeling great,
This can be quite pleasant.
If you have a lot on your mind,
This technique can be maybe a little confrontational but quite transformational.
Imagine,
For instance,
You're trying to meditate after being stuck in traffic or having a bad day.
Whatever the scenario is,
You still feel anxious and angry.
So the first step of RAIN is to simply recognize,
Simply hit pause and say,
Hey,
I was in the car for a long time.
I was stuck in traffic for a long time.
I had a bad day.
Whatever it was.
This leads to the A in RAIN,
Allow.
In this step,
You bring attention to what you have recognized with a compassionate ability to allow what is.
You're letting things be as they are.
Tara Brach suggests that you can repeat affirmations in this stage to acknowledge difficult emotions and allow them fully by saying things like,
Yes,
I can hold this.
I allow what is.
The third step is to investigate and this is where we allow our cognitive brain to take over.
We can ask why this event is triggering us or what is triggering us.
We can ask what patterns are repeating in our mind.
By simply asking why,
We start to better understand ourselves.
We engage in a sort of self-study.
And the final step is to nurture.
Nurturing practice is about putting self-compassion to work.
This is where we ask what part of us most needs our own love and support.
Nurturing is about taking the time to send ourselves love,
Forgiveness,
And compassion.
So now we're going to take a little bit of time to practice this technique.
But I'd like you to remember that this technique can also be used in the moment during your day.
It doesn't have to be a full-on meditation.
It can be a mindfulness practice that you deploy as needed.
So what we're doing today is training.
So find a comfortable position.
Take a few grounding breaths.
And as you settle into the meditation,
Begin to tune into the sensation of recognition,
Pure recognition.
What thoughts are arising for you?
What do you feel?
Simply begin to breathe a little bit deeper,
A little bit more intentionally.
Notice what is happening in your body.
Recognize the thoughts that are happening in your mind.
Breathe,
Focus,
And notice.
Now step two is to allow what surfaces in your mind to be exactly as it is.
There may be painful thoughts.
There may be pain in the body even.
And this step is about allowing.
Focusing on what is without trying to change it,
Just allow.
And you can repeat this word to yourself,
Allow,
Allow,
Allow.
Feel,
Recognize,
And allow.
You can breathe with this idea.
Eyes closed,
Focus deep.
And now we segue into step three,
Which is called investigating.
And this can often feel like that busy brain analysis that we do.
But just ask yourself a few questions here.
Ask yourself what emotion you're feeling.
What is provoking this emotion?
What stories are feeding this emotion?
What thoughts are feeding this emotion?
Breathe with these questions and sit without judgment,
Just allowing to rise what does.
The final step is to nurture.
This step can also be referred to as non-identification,
But quite frankly this means the same thing.
To nurture means to look at ourselves with the objective eye and trust that we are worth investing self-care.
We are worth investing our love and our nurturing energy.
So to nurture your own emotional state means to practice what Dr.
Brock refers to as radical acceptance.
So look to any parts that are calling to you and accept them.
Love them.
And this final stage sends your body,
Your mind,
Your thoughts,
Your emotions,
Send it all light.
Mindfully surround yourself with light.
Fill yourself with light.
Sit and breathe.
Send yourself nurturing,
Compassion,
Love.
And repeat after me,
I love myself.
I send myself love.
I nurture myself.
I send myself healing energy.
And breathe with these thoughts.
Breathe with this energy,
This light.
And notice how you feel.
Imagine being able to give yourself a giant hug.
Total compassion,
Total love.
And then take a deep breath in through the nose like you're breathing in this love,
Breathing in this nurturing compassion.
And exhale through the mouth.
Two more times.
Inhale through the nose.
Exhale through the mouth.
Last time,
Inhale through the nose.
And gently blink your eyes open.
Take in the light of the room.
Allow a gentle smile to cross your face.
Beautiful job.
This technique can be deployed at any time in your day or during your meditation practice.
Recognizing,
Accepting,
Investigating,
And nurturing.
Practice this a few times,
Maybe even every day for a week and see what changes.
See if you can begin to integrate this into your immediate reactions day to day.
This is a beautiful mindfulness meditation and I appreciate your presence and your practice today.
Wishing you all good things.
