So,
Finding ourselves in a comfortable seat,
Sitting in a way where we can feel our body in the chair or the cushion,
Our feet on the floor,
Feeling a sense of groundedness and being here in the moment.
And before we do anything,
Just allowing ourselves to arrive,
Paying attention to the next inhale as we breathe in through our nose and out through our mouth.
Again,
Breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth.
I'm going to practice a short RAIN meditation,
Bringing to the present moment a feeling or a thought that might be challenging you,
Something you're struggling with.
Not the most difficult thing you can think of,
But something that's alive and up for you in this moment that you'd like to work with.
So for some of us,
Thinking and feeling is very much attached.
They're kind of an experience that happens at the same time.
But the invitation here is to slow down the perception,
Slow down the awareness,
And allow yourself to get very intimate with the very specific elements of your experience.
So much in the same way that we pay attention to our in-breath,
Noticing the coolness of air on our nose,
The warmth of air as we breathe out.
We can do the same thing with our heart and our mind.
We'll use the process of RAIN,
Recognize,
Allow,
Investigate and nurture with this sensation.
And by doing so,
We will allow it to be here,
To have a name,
And to understand it more fully and how it works within our life.
So bringing your awareness inside to your heart and your mind,
Recognizing what is here,
What is true,
Noticing how you feel in this moment,
What mood is present.
Perhaps this is as far as you go,
Just noticing that you're in a mood,
That you notice a mood occurring,
Or noticing a thought that you're fixated on,
A story you're telling yourself.
Recognizing the awe of RAIN,
Ah,
Frustration,
Ah,
Judgment and self-blame,
Hello,
Welcome.
The A,
The accepting or acknowledgement of RAIN,
Giving it a name,
Allowing it to be here,
No need to change,
No need to push it away,
Staying with it,
Being curious about it,
The I of RAIN,
Investigate.
What is this,
Exactly?
How old is it?
How familiar?
How much of my experience is this thought or feeling?
What else is here?
What else is true?
Is this all there is?
Does it change over time?
When you bring your awareness to it,
What happens?
Do you notice aversion or grasping?
Does it dissipate or intensify?
And if at any point it becomes too intense,
Bringing your awareness to your feet,
Or to the next inhale,
Or to the sights and smells and sensations from the room,
But if you're able to stay with it for just a moment longer,
What is it asking for?
What does it need?
And with the care you might offer a small child,
Or a puppy,
Or a kitten,
What might you offer this experience that would be nourishing and supportive?
Perhaps simply acknowledging isn't enough,
And an action is required.
Perhaps it's a simple hand on the heart,
An acknowledgement of what is.
Or perhaps there's some way for you to put into practice a behavior or an action that will help soothe this voice,
This thought,
This feeling.
Feeling supportive and beneficial and in your best interests.
Or perhaps at this point all we can do is allow it to be here and ask it questions.
Can we allow that to be okay too?
Perhaps even giving it a name is too difficult,
And we can just allow this experience to be here and simply say,
I am having an experience,
And let that be okay.
The last few minutes of the session,
Scanning through your experience and noticing if anything has shifted or changed since you first sat down,
Noticing if the name is easier to reach for,
If some of the questions have been answered,
And just noticing how it feels to engage in this way with what already is.
Whenever you're ready,
Bringing your awareness back into your body,
Sensing the weight of your body or the feeling of your feet on the floor,
Noticing the sensation of breathing,
Noticing your mood or a feeling tone.
And when you're ready,
Bringing your awareness back to the room,
To the sights and smells.
Thank you.
