Rain practice.
Taking a few moments here to find a comfortable position.
Sitting upright,
Alert yet relaxed.
Invite a few deep breaths into the body as a way of coming into this present moment.
Sensing your body.
Noticing the parts of you that are touching the ground.
Taking a few moments here to feel your seat.
Connected to the earth.
Supported.
Allow your awareness to come into your breath without changing its natural rhythm.
Notice your breathing.
The parts of you that move as you inhale and as you exhale.
Shifting from thinking into feeling.
Sensing and feeling the breath viscerally from the inside out.
From here,
Scan through your life and sense a situation that has brought up some emotional reactivity.
We only have a short time today to work with this,
So don't choose anything too traumatic.
Nothing that would be overwhelming to you.
Something that might have brought up a sense of annoyance,
Hurt,
Anxiety,
Sadness.
And as well as you can,
Let yourself go inside that situation,
Visualizing it,
Playing out the words that were said or actions that occurred.
Enough to really get a feeling for what was getting to you,
What was so bad about this,
Or what was upsetting.
And as the story plays out,
Begin the practice of RAIN by recognizing whatever emotions,
Feelings,
Or thoughts are most predominant.
You can mentally whisper annoyed or angry or fearful.
Whatever is predominant.
Recognize what is happening in your body and in your mind.
Then let your attention to be allow.
That means a willingness to pause with whatever is here so that your wisdom in you just says,
Let this be.
This belongs.
This is a natural part of life.
A wave in the ocean.
You can even venture to say yes to whatever is here.
An open,
Spacious awareness that is big enough to hold anything that comes up for you in this moment.
This too.
No judging.
No pushing away or controlling.
Allowing what's here to be here.
A willingness to pause and accept that in these moments,
What is,
Is.
And if you can allow,
Even for some moments,
This enables you to begin to investigate.
Coming out of the images and the stories around the subject and into your body with interest and curiosity.
What sensations are you feeling?
Noticing where you feel the experience most distinctly in your body.
Are you aware of heat?
Tightness?
Pressure?
Squeezing?
Breathing with the sensations.
Allowing what's here to be here with interest and gentleness.
Perhaps you can breathe with it and feel right into the epicenter.
Whatever you're experiencing as you investigate,
To again allow it to be there.
A kind of surrendering to presence.
No resistance.
Then with an intimate attention,
You may ask the vulnerable part of you,
How do you want me to be with you?
What do you most need right now?
And sense that you can listen from the most awake,
Wise part of your being.
From your awakened heart.
What does this place most need?
Sense that your awake heart can offer what's needed in a very direct and intimate,
Immediate way.
Just washing through,
Bathing that vulnerable place with some quality of tender presence,
Of love,
Of compassion.
Let your deepest intention be to let that vulnerable place feel loved,
Washed,
And bathed in love.
You might imagine light,
Or warmth,
A simple wash of tenderness.
Your own inner wisdom guiding you,
Nurturing.
Maybe a gentle touch of your hand on your heart.
Feeling free to experiment with ways of befriending your inner life,
Whether with words,
Images,
Energy,
Touch.
Nurturing this vulnerable part of you with your highest wisdom.
Become aware of the quality of presence that's here.
As you offer this unconditional,
Kind presence to your inner life,
Sense the possibility of relaxing back and being that awareness.
Get familiar with the quality of presence that's here.
Taking some moments to simply rest in this spacious and kind awareness.
Allowing whatever arises in your body or mind to freely come and go.
Know this natural awareness as the innermost truth of what you are.
Ending this practice the way we began by inviting a few deep breaths into the body.
Coming back into our alert,
Awake state.
Stretching or moving in any way that's needed.
And taking a moment to just find a little gratitude for yourself,
For doing this work,
Deep work today.
Thank you.
Thank you.
