Welcome to rain of self-compassion.
So much happening in our space,
Whether it's job loss,
Being overwhelmed with decision-making,
Or relationship trouble.
It helps to have some form of emotional agility.
And a great start to this would be to practice having some compassion towards yourself.
I would like to take this moment now to invite you to make yourself comfortable,
Whether in a chair or lying down.
Simply allow your eyes to close and start focusing on your breathing.
Feel the air going in and out of your lungs.
And just follow the flow of your breathing.
Maybe you could feel it in your belly or your chest.
Maybe you could sense the flow of the air through the throat and your nose.
And if you become aware of any thoughts or sounds in the environment,
Emotions or even sensations in your body that interfere with your focus on your breathing,
Just let it come and exhale all of it.
It is as if you are trying to synchronize all of these thoughts,
Sounds,
Emotions and sensations with your breathing.
So gently inhaling and exhaling.
And every time you exhale,
You feel yourself relaxing deeper and deeper.
And just follow the flow of your breath.
And now as you stay aware of it,
Still breathing,
Go to the letter R in RAIN,
Which means recognize.
Recognize what is happening inside.
Become aware of any thoughts that come to you.
It doesn't matter what it is about and how long ago it was.
Just let it come and observe it.
And notice any emotions that are linked to these thoughts.
Notice where in your body these emotions manifest as a sensation.
Tension may be a form of discomfort you feel in your back.
Just become aware of your emotions and sensations.
Now go to the letter A in RAIN,
Which means accept.
Accept it for what it is.
You don't have to do anything with these thoughts,
Emotions and sensations.
Just accept it for what it is.
Imagine sitting on the bank of a river and observing the flow of the river.
And in the same way,
You observe the flow of your thoughts,
Emotions and sensations.
Accepting it for what it is.
Now let yourself go to the letter I in RAIN,
Which means investigate.
But investigate with kindness.
What do these thoughts,
Emotions and sensations want to tell you about yourself right now?
What underlying or hidden message is there for you to hear or become aware of?
Maybe it's an insight that you're missing.
Maybe a positive suggestion.
Or more that you want to give to yourself.
But remember to practice this with kindness.
And finally go to the letter N in RAIN,
Which means non-identification.
These thoughts,
Emotions and sensations are only experiences that come and go.
So you don't have to identify with them.
That is not who you really are.
Take a moment here to become aware of your breathing again.
This I,
The self-conscious mind,
That is now aware of myself and my breathing.
This is who I really am.
This is what I identify with because it's eternal.
It's indestructible.
It's good.
And from this self-awareness,
You look at those thoughts,
Emotions and sensations and see it for what it is.
Only experiences that come and go.
And when you are ready,
You can take a deep breath in.
Now slowly open your eyes and remain aware of your breathing.
Remain aware of your self-conscious eye.
This is who I really am.
