This is a RAIN meditation based on the work of Tara Brach given by Maggie Stevens.
Settle into a comfortable position.
A position where you are relaxed yet alert.
Find a position where your spine and arms and leg are relaxed.
This may be sitting on a cushion or in a chair.
It may be lying down or standing.
Bring your awareness to your breath.
Be curious as to where you can feel the breath in your body.
Perhaps in your nostrils or your throat.
Maybe in the rise and fall of your chest.
Or perhaps in your belly as it goes in and out.
Take a few breaths to scan your body.
Let your hands become perhaps folded in your lap or on your legs.
You may close your eyes or have your eyes looking down at a place not too far in front of you.
Listen to the wisdom of your mind and body as you follow this meditation.
If at any time something becomes too intense,
Then that is not helpful.
So return then to your breath or to an anchor like your hands or feet.
You can always open your eyes or change position or even stop the meditation if things get too intense for you.
If things are only mildly uncomfortable,
See if you can stay with them.
If things do get too intense,
Remember it's your ancestral brain trying to keep you safe.
You can thank it and continue.
Now try to bring to mind a current situation where you feel a bit stuck.
Or there are emotions with which you're not very comfortable.
Perhaps it was a painful conversation or interaction at work.
It may be a conflict with a family member or a friend.
It might be an illness.
Be sure that the situation you choose is not too difficult to bear.
And be aware that sometimes a situation will bring up uncomfortable emotions such as shame or fear or anger or hopelessness.
We start with the R of RAIN,
Recognizing what's happening.
Reflect on what is happening inside me right now.
What sensations am I most aware of?
What emotion or emotions am I most aware of?
What do my thoughts look like?
Not the content of the thoughts,
But are they a rapid waterfall of adjoining thoughts?
Or perhaps they're a drumbeat of one thought over and over again.
What is the felt sense of the body in this situation?
And what are the feelings in the mind or in your heart?
As you recognize what is happening,
We move to the allow section of RAIN.
Allowing life to be just as it is.
Be aware that right now you're safe.
Send a message to your heart.
Let it be just as it is.
You might try some other phrases that you can whisper to yourself or mentally,
Internally whisper.
Right now,
It's like this.
What is,
Is.
I see that this is here right now.
This belongs.
You may feel a strong no arising.
And the body or heart or mind may try to contract.
That's natural.
It's the body and mind trying to protect itself.
You can just say yes,
I see this is part of it.
I can see that I'm trying to pull away.
Just try and notice what's present.
And that may include the initial initial situation,
As well as the resistance.
Just notice you're safe.
And now we move to the eye of RAIN,
Investigating with gentle attention.
Begin by bringing your natural interest and curiosity to your inner life.
And ask,
What about this most wants my attention?
What most wants my acceptance?
Notice where you feel it in your body.
What are you aware of?
Is it heat or coolness,
Tightness,
Pressure,
An aching or squeezing,
Or perhaps a rawness?
Remember,
As we investigate,
We're accepting the feelings,
Not necessarily the behaviors.
When you've identified the most intense part,
Can you bring that feeling to your face and let your face mirror it back to your body?
What emotions are there?
Fear,
Anger,
Grief,
Shame,
Hopelessness,
Anxiety?
Ask,
What am I believing at this moment?
Try not to get deep into thinking or recreating your situation.
Just ask your gut to respond to,
What am I believing?
And if you have trouble with that,
Just let it go.
Do you think you're failing in some way?
Or that perhaps someone will reject you?
That you weren't handling this situation,
Or maybe you won't handle the next one?
Do you think that you can't truly be happy?
Or that somehow you're flawed in some way?
How does this belief make itself known in your body?
What sensations go with it?
Tightness,
Soreness,
Burning,
A hollow feeling?
What is present?
Try sending the message,
This too belongs.
Or it's okay to have these thoughts,
Or emotions,
Or sensations.
As you allow it to happen,
What do you notice?
Is there a softening,
An opening in your body?
In your heart?
Does it bring up more tension,
Judgment,
Or fear?
What are the sensations now?
Can you say yes to this too?
Ask the place where the difficulty is in your body,
Heart,
Or mind.
Ask it,
What do you want me to understand?
What do you most need?
Love?
Acceptance?
Forgiveness?
Protection?
Companionship?
Listen for the answer.
Now we move on to N of RAIN.
Nurture with loving presence.
This is the self-compassion part of RAIN.
Let the wisest part of you respond to this hurt place,
The way a mother cares for a sick child,
Or the way you would hold an injured bird.
You might respond to yourself by putting a hand on your heart or your cheek.
You might hold one hand in the other,
Or hold your shoulders or arms in a self-hug.
If the voice of the critic comes up,
Just put up a hand and let your wise self say,
It's okay,
Thanks for the offer,
But I've got this.
And whatever that vulnerable place needs,
Offer it a wise and caring message.
You might say,
I'm sorry this happened to you.
It's not your fault.
I'm here for you.
I'm not leaving you alone.
It's okay.
I trust in your elemental goodness.
You can experiment by having the offerings come from someone you love or trust.
You might try a pet,
Or a spiritual figure,
Or a teacher or a friend.
Keep offering care in ways that allow the hurt place to receive it.
And the last step is called after the rain,
Just like the air after a rain shower is fresher and clear.
Take a few moments to reflect.
Sense the possibility of letting the body and emotions and mind relax into the spaciousness that your wise self created.
What are the qualities in that space?
Ask,
What am I sensing about myself?
What has settled or shifted?
Or what do I want to remember and carry forward from all of this?
Can you see that the situation is a wave and you are the ocean?
And you can experience the wave,
But it passes.
And you are still the ocean.
We can hold the situations in open awareness,
As big as the open sky.
Rain allows us to see that this is who we are.
Changes come and go over a lifetime,
And even many times in one day.
We,
And our open awareness,
Can remain.
What the mind tells us is not always true.
And we can believe in our fundamental goodness.
And now,
Bring yourself back to this place in time.
You might open your eyes into your cupped hands.
And listen for the sound of the bell.
The bell is invited.
