The following practice is led by Sonia Lockyer,
Host of the Wellbeing Ritual Club.
Okay so we're going to do a meditation practice,
Very simple practice.
I'm going to be guided by Tara Bracks,
Radical compassion,
Her RAIN practice which I know many of us are finding to be extremely helpful.
So maybe let's start by getting comfortable.
So the ideal meditation position is something that feels comfortable to you.
Meditating whilst feeling uncomfortable is a deeply unpleasant experience so be comfortable first.
You want your hips higher than your knees ideally which happens naturally if you're sitting in a chair.
If you are sitting down on the floor then it may need a few cushions and pillows to stack your hips higher.
And you want your spine to be nice and tall.
Let the eyelids drop and we'll just take a moment to settle.
I say let the eyelids drop.
In truth you can keep your eyes open.
If you choose to do that then just allow your gaze to broaden so your peripheral vision becomes more dominant.
You might start to notice the cadence of your breath.
The tongue might gently press up into the roof of your mouth.
With that there may be a softness that spreads through the palate and the jaw.
Maybe your lips soften into an almost smile.
You might find some more space freeing up in the spine as you start to take a little wriggle really ensuring that you are actually comfortable.
I think we have quite a high threshold of sitting in a position that is good enough.
A little bit of adjustment can sometimes make you even more comfortable.
And then slowly starting to circle the head.
Tuning in to how the neck is feeling.
Noticing how the breath moves its way through these circles.
So now changing direction.
And then circling shoulders.
Seeking out the way to move that feels as sweet as possible for you.
Perhaps that means the elbow circle.
Maybe even full arm extensions if you have space.
Your freedom to do exactly the thing that feels good in your body this morning.
And then resting your hands on your thighs and just circling your heart.
Slowing it down so you can be present as you move.
And then switching directions.
An invitation to come into your body and be present.
And then coming to your neutral place and just taking a moment to settle.
With some breath awareness.
Noticing the sounds that you can hear in the space around you.
If you're lucky,
Maybe you can hear some birds song.
And then calling home your hearing so that you're focusing on the sound of your in-breath and your out-breath.
Breathing in and out through the nose if that's available to you.
It's like the very helpful container of RAIN meditation allows us to go through five steps to really investigate something that's making us feel a bit stuck.
So take a moment to bring to mind a current situation that feels a little bit tricky.
You know you've found something when you feel the charge that is elicited its a bit of tension or discomfort.
It could be a straightforward conflict or it might just be a nuance of something that got under your skin.
It might be a conversation that's slightly regretful and going round and round.
It might be something you feel you got wrong.
It doesn't need to be the worst experience of your life,
Just something that's currently playing out for you.
We'll take a moment to settle into that experience.
You might want to visualize a scene or a situation.
Remember words spoken or perhaps just sense the feeling of that moment.
You're finding the charge of that moment.
We'll take the first step of RAIN,
Recognize what is happening.
So as you reflect on this situation ask yourself what is happening inside me right now.
What sensations do you feel?
What emotions rise up?
Perhaps your mind becomes full of churning repetitive thoughts.
So you're taking time to recognize and observe the feeling tone that you're exploring.
So so and the second step is to allow.
So just let it be whatever it is you're experiencing.
Instead of pushing it away just try saying yes to it.
You belong.
You're offering up a pause allowing it to be as it is without changing it.
It can be helpful to just say yes to whatever it is that you feel.
Even if that yes is actually to a very big feeling of no I don't want to feel that.
Just say yes to that feeling.
Just noticing if we're able to hold that feeling without judging it without pushing it away or trying to change it in any way.
Allowing so and we can investigate the third step.
So bringing a kind and curious mindset to your experience.
Start to investigate.
How does it feel in your body?
Where does it feel in your body?
So what's the very worst part of it that's pulling your attention?
So what location in your body do these feelings congregate at?
What's the strongest part of it located in your body?
And how would you describe the feeling?
What words would you use of how it sits in your body?
So what's the most painful thing you're believing here?
Is it a familiar feeling?
And if this feeling could talk to you what would it say?
This most vulnerable expression,
What would it say?
As you sense what is needed,
What's your natural response?
Can we offer some nurture,
The fourth step?
Finding the most spacious part of yourself and offering up exactly what's needed.
Maybe it's loving words or the feeling of a tender embrace.
You might gently place your hand on the part of you that's hurting.
Pull out perhaps you allow a soft warm light to wrap itself around you.
So perhaps it's easier to visualize someone that you look up to and love wrapping their arms around you.
Maybe it's your future self,
The wisest part of you that knows you're going to be okay.
Can you hold the space of offering comfort and receiving comfort?
Both of those things.
So so And then we close the practice with time spent after the rain allowing things to settle and paying attention to the quality of the feeling tone of your experience.
The feeling tone of who you are when you offer up that nurture when you offer up that nurture and when you allow yourself to receive.
In this place of reflection has anything shifted?
How does your heart feel?
And whatever has arisen be that tenderness or vulnerability or an immense sense of love whatever has risen.
Can you hold that in loving kindness?
And bringing your hands together at your heart space and dropping forehead to fingertips.
An intention to share the fruits of our practice with all beings so that our personal practice becomes connected.
Namaste.
