Rain is a mindfulness technique for allowing and transforming difficult emotions.
When we feel sad,
Lonely,
Afraid,
Or anxious,
We can begin to feel like something has gone wrong.
But viewed through the lens of mindfulness,
Feelings are natural,
Mentionable,
And manageable.
Rain is an acronym.
R stands for recognize,
A allow,
I investigate,
And N stands for non-identification and nurture.
I'd like to invite you to begin by settling into a comfortable position.
Take a deep breath in and let it go with a sigh.
Relaxing the shoulders,
Softening the jaw,
The belly,
The hands,
And any other area of your body where you might be holding tension.
Breathing in relaxation and breathing out any tension.
Settling into presence with calmness and kindness.
Breathing in,
Breathing out.
Then calling to mind a situation in your life that brings up challenging emotions.
It could be something that's mildly irritating or something more difficult.
But not starting with something that is too overwhelming or associated with trauma as you're learning to use mindfulness in this way.
Allowing the awareness of the situation to become vivid in your mind.
Noticing where you were,
When the emotions were triggered.
Noticing the people who were with you or maybe you were alone.
Noticing any other details of this situation and the unpleasant emotions that arose.
Then starting with the R of RAIN,
Recognizing what are you feeling.
You might be feeling angry or hurt.
There might be fear or confusion or anxiety or disappointment.
Taking the time to name what you're feeling as accurately as you can.
Getting it right,
Naming it accurately,
Can result in a great sense of relief.
Oh,
I'm disappointed.
Or of course,
I'm afraid.
Recognizing is about naming.
And then A is for allowing or acknowledging your emotion and yourself with kindness.
Allowing your feelings to be just as they are.
Putting out the welcome mat for your feelings.
Making space for what is here.
You don't have to like it.
It might not be pleasant.
But you allow it to be here with you.
You might take a deep breath as you place your hands over your heart.
Saying loneliness is just what wants to be here right now.
Or sadness is present.
Relaxing with the feelings instead of resisting.
At this point,
We can more easily move into the I of RAIN.
Investigate.
What is the most difficult part of this?
What's calling my attention?
Noticing what's happening in your body.
Is your body aroused and tense?
Tired and sluggish?
Noticing the stories that you're telling yourself about the situation.
About yourself.
About the other people or person.
About the feeling that you're having.
Maybe you're feeling unacknowledged or misunderstood.
Maybe you feel like you've failed in some way.
Or that you'll never be good enough.
That you're unlovable or you've been disrespected.
Just a brief reflection can give you a lot of information.
Paying attention to the places in your body that might be holding the story and the feelings.
There might be tension,
Holding,
And tightness.
Allowing yourself to consider if these stories are completely true.
What else is true?
What can my heart tell me about this situation and how I'm feeling?
Breathing in and out of your heart center?
Can you open your heart to the entire situation?
Feel into it with your heart instead of your head.
Feel the hurt.
Allow it.
Even welcome it and investigate how it feels.
In the body,
Notice if there's some change in how you feel.
And then moving to the end of RAIN.
Non-identification helps you to change how you view the feelings.
Instead of,
I am angry,
You might say anger is passing through.
Or instead of,
I am sad,
There is sadness.
Not attaching to the feeling as who you are,
But as something fluid and changing.
The end of Nurture acknowledges the need to take care of yourself with compassion.
Listening to the whispering of your heart that knows what you need to hear,
To do,
To say,
Or to remember.
Connecting to the most loving and wise part of yourself.
Bringing your hands to heart and asking yourself,
What would serve me most in this moment?
What do I need to hear right now?
What can I do to engage in some type of self-care?
Moving,
Stretching,
Resting,
A hot bath,
Lighting a scented candle,
Hugging your pet.
Now just resting in the heart space that is here right now.
Breathing and feeling the spaciousness all around you and in you.
Noticing any ways that the emotions might have shifted.
Knowing that you can be with whatever emotions arise.
That you are more than these shifting,
Changing emotions.
Resting in awareness and love.
And when you're ready,
Moving the body in some way,
Stretching,
Shifting your position,
Feeling into the body,
And gradually opening your eyes to the outer world.
Taking a moment to reflect on your experience of RAIN and writing down anything that you want to remember.
Using RAIN on a regular basis in meditation or just reflection will help you learn to befriend the full range of emotions that we have as human beings and connect you to mindful,
Loving awareness.
Be well and savor every moment.
