The Practice Of RAIN

This is one of my most cherished practices — a steady companion I return to again & again in moments of difficulty.

The practice of RAIN, developed by Tara Brach, gently guides you through four steps: Recognise, Allow, Investigate, & Nurture.

It offers a tender & powerful way to meet your inner experience with mindfulness & compassion.

May this practice be a refuge for you too, whenever you need to come home to yourself.

Transcript

Sitting quietly, Close down your eyes and take a few full deep breaths, There's no need to change your breath in any way, Just notice the natural fall and rise of your chest or your belly, Maybe notice the air as it comes through your nose and out through your mouth, Notice the way that your body is being held by the chair or maybe the floor and I invite you to bring to mind a current situation where you might feel a little bit stuck, Maybe one that elicits a challenging reaction or an emotion such as anger or fear, Maybe shame or helplessness, Might be a conflict with a family member, Sickness, Maybe a mistake at work or a conversation that you now regret, Just take some moments to enter the experience, Visualizing the scene or the situation, Remembering the words that were spoken, Perhaps sensing the most challenging moments, Contacting the charged essence of this story or memory is the starting place for exploring the healing presence and process of RAIN, Moving into our R, Our recognize, And as we recognize we just notice what is happening, As you reflect on this situation, This memory, What's happening inside of you right now, What sensations are you most aware of, What emotions, Is your mind filled with churning thoughts or is it silent and still, Just take some time to become aware of whatever is predominant, Noticing the overall emotional tone of this situation, Recognition starts the moment that you are able to place your attention on whatever thoughts, Emotions or feelings are being experienced right now, And whilst you recognize, Just be curious, A curious explorer, Not judging, Just being witness to your present inward experience, As you recognize maybe it would be helpful to just name, Name the emotion, Maybe it's numbness, Anger, Anxiety, Just naming it so that we can allow the A of RAIN, Allowing life to be just as it is, Maybe asking yourself can I be with this, Can I let this be, Agreeing to pause and to stay and feel your direct experience even though it might be really uncomfortable, Even though you might want to do almost anything to not feel it, It's so brave but see if you can just whisper a yes to the experience, Just pause, Letting whatever is there to be, Saying yes doesn't mean that you're saying these feelings are okay, You're just saying yes to the reality that they are here right now, Send a message to your heart to let this experience be, Find yourself in a sense of willingness to just pause in these moments, Maybe whispering what is, Is, Or let it be, Perhaps you can experiment with mentally whispering these words, Whatever feels true for you, Now part of this process you might notice yourself saying a huge mental no, You might notice your body or your mind contracted in resistance, You might notice yourself saying yes to the part of you that's saying I hate this, This is stupid and that is just a natural part of this process, At this point in RAIN you're simply noticing what is true and intending not to judge, Push away, Or control anything that you may find, Saying yes creates more room for what is there, It shifts our relationship to pain and decreases our suffering, Allowing enables us to include not fight physical and emotional pain, Now together we move on to the I, We investigate with a gentle and curious attention, At this point we're bringing an interesting and kind attention to your experience, Perhaps asking what's the worst part of this, What most wants my attention, What is the most difficult or painful thing that I'm believing, Where are my feelings about this strongest in my body, If the most vulnerable hurting part of me could communicate, What would it express, Would it use words, Feelings, Images, Symbols, How does this part want me to be with it, And what does this part most need from me or from someone else, Now this part in our RAIN journey it's important to note that this investigation is done without cognition, Without thought, We're not trying to analyze, We are just trying to explore non-judgmentally, So instead of thinking about what's going on, Keep bringing your attention to your body, Go inside your body under your thoughts and notice what you are most aware of, Notice what and where you are feeling, If that feeling could communicate what would it tell you, Now we move on to nurture, The N of RAIN, Nurturing with loving presence, So as you sense what is needed, What is your natural response, As we nurture we call on the most wise and compassionate part of your being, You might offer yourself a loving message or send a tender embrace inwardly, You might gently place a hand on your heart or visualize a young part of you surrounded in soft luminous light, You might imagine someone you trust, A parent or a pet, A teacher or a spiritual figure holding you with love, Experiment with ways that you can befriend your inner life, Whether through words or touch, Images or energy, Discover what best allows you to feel nurtured, What best allows the part of you that is most vulnerable to feel loved, Seen and safe, Spend as much time as you need here, Offering care inwardly and letting it be received, Gentle reminders as you nurture could be asking yourself, What does that part of you need most right now and calling on your wisest, Truest self, That part of you that was able to acknowledge that this feeling was here, This could be your older self and placing a hand on that body part, Offering comfort, Offering nurturance to your younger self, Now after the rain, After the rain we shift from doing to being, The invitation is to relax and let go into the space that has emerged, Just resting in this awareness and becoming familiar with it, You've created this, This is your true home, After the rain we pay attention to the quality, The presence, The openness, Wakefulness, Tenderness in this space and maybe ask yourself in these moments, What is the sense of my being, Of who I am, How is this shifted from when I began meditation, Just as after real rain we might see or sense cleansing or growth of the fruits within,