The practice of RAIN helps you bring a mindful,
Curious,
And compassionate attention to your present experience.
RAIN can be helpful when you're navigating overwhelming emotions,
A challenge,
Or setback,
Or when you're hurt or perhaps you hurt another.
So let's begin the practice of RAIN.
Do it in a way that is comfortable for you so that your body is alert and relaxed.
Bring your attention inward to the process of breathing.
Noticing the rise and fall of your chest or abdomen and inviting a softening of your shoulders,
Relaxing the body as a whole.
Have your feet flat on the floor,
Your hands resting on the tops of your legs.
You can allow your eyes to close gently if you like or just direct your gaze at the ground in front of you in just a soft way,
Unfocused.
Now bring attention to the breath to allow your mind and body to arrive right here and now.
Just noticing that the body is breathing.
See if you can allow the experience of the breath to just arise naturally in your field of awareness.
Now I invite you to bring to mind a recent experience that was difficult,
Stressful.
Perhaps it was a time you experienced failure.
It might also be a time where you got some difficult news or had a setback or disappointment.
Maybe it's a time when you felt overwhelmed,
Under pressure or stressed or you let yourself down or someone else.
A common experience for many of us.
The RAIN practice starts with our recognizing.
So we're recognizing what is happening with a kind,
Curious attention.
This is mindful awareness.
So as you bring to mind that experience,
Step into the scene as fully as you can.
Where were you?
What were you noticing around you?
What was happening in your direct experience?
Can you notice your thoughts?
As you recognize emotions and thoughts in your body,
See if you can identify which thoughts are creating the sensations you're experiencing.
Is it that you don't have enough time or you don't have what it takes?
Or you disappointed someone or yourself?
You're just tuning in to the thoughts that are creating your emotional experience right now.
You're recognizing.
That's the R in RAIN.
And the next step in RAIN is to allow.
Instead of pushing away the thoughts or the experience,
Instead with kindness,
See if you can allow and accept that this is here right now.
And just allow it to be here.
You're making space for whatever is here to just be here.
You're inviting and allowing acceptance.
Allowing the feelings to simply be there while you deepen your attention.
With an attitude of kindness,
Try softening and allowing.
Relaxing your shoulders,
Your face,
Your jaw,
Your hands.
That's what it feels like to be a wide,
Spacious container for whatever emotions are here.
And now we will turn to investigate the I in RAIN.
We continue to deepen attention,
Feeling the sensations in the body,
Observing,
Noticing,
Uncovering what is happening and creating more space.
What's this like?
What am I feeling right now?
Cultivating a mindset and quality of curiosity and using the skill of inquiry to sense your present moment experience.
What am I feeling and where is this most noticeable in my body?
Name what is here.
Sadness in my abdomen.
My throat is clenched and tight.
There's heaviness in my chest.
Try to name the emotion with kind attention.
Okay,
Anger is here.
Anxious,
Anxious,
Anxious.
Or I'm experiencing shame.
As you investigate,
You're bringing curiosity to the emotions in the body.
As you pay attention to the emotions in the body,
What do you notice?
Are they constant or do they change?
Do they evolve,
Ebb and flow,
Transform?
Now bring the quality of investigation and inquiry to thoughts.
Invite curiosity.
What am I believing?
What is the story in my mind about the situation?
What am I assuming?
How do I know that this is true?
What would it be like to let go of any judgment,
Fear or concern here?
Just as an experiment.
And now we'll move on to the N in RAIN,
Which is for Nurture.
This is where you bring a kind,
Compassionate quality to your inner experience.
See if you can bring tenderness to this moment,
Whatever you're feeling,
And meet it with curiosity as you continue to bring the curious awareness to the underlying needs.
We all have needs for love,
Safety and belonging.
Seeing yourself now as having the same kinds of needs that most people have and how your needs are just part of the human experience.
As you start to see more clearly,
See if you can notice your thoughts in a relaxed way,
Not needing to act on anything immediately,
But just allowing all of it to be there.
You can use a physical gesture,
Such as placing your hand on your heart.
Or some people take two hands and cross them on the chest and just feel the weight of that.
Or you can simply pause and breathe for a moment of recognition,
Acceptance and self-compassion.
Reaction is soothing,
So send an inward message of kindness to whatever you're feeling.
You can say to yourself,
What do I need right now?
This is hard.
Many people experience this.
I'm not alone in this,
But what will best serve right here?
Just resting awareness in this field of self-compassion.
And now bringing attention back to breathing.
Breathing in,
Breathing out.
Calm.
Ease.
Here.
Now.
Kind attention.
The practice of RAIN combines the two wings of mindfulness and compassion.
And it helps you cultivate a gentle,
Loving awareness to whatever your experience is right now.
In your own time,
When you're ready,
Open your eyes.
Slowly return your awareness to the room,
To your surroundings.
And see if you can bring this sense of calm,
Open,
Kind awareness to whatever comes up in your day.
Thank you for practicing with me.
May you be well.
Sprinkling
