Namaste.
When you feel weak.
Remember this.
Even the strongest trees need rain to grow.
Today.
We'll use the gentle practice of RAIN.
Recognize.
Allow.
Investigates.
And nurture.
To meet Difficult emotions with kindness instead of judgment.
As the rain nourishes the earth,
May this practice nourish the parts of you that need compassion most.
I'd like to invite you.
To take a moment to find a position.
That allows you.
To be.
Comfortable.
Stable.
And alert.
You're welcome to close your eyes or lower your gaze.
And then take a long,
Slow,
Deep breath in.
And an equally long,
Deep,
Gentle breath out.
Again,
Breathing in… and breathing out.
As you continue to breathe.
With each exhalation.
Allow your body to soften.
Just a little more.
Release any unnecessary tension from your forehead.
Your jaw.
Your shoulders.
Your hands.
Your belly.
And your legs.
There is nowhere to be.
And nothing to fix.
Nothing to achieve.
Simply allow yourself.
To arrive in this present moment.
Imagine a gentle rain beginning to fall.
Not a heavy storm.
But a soft.
Nourishing ring.
Notice the gentle rhythm.
As each drop meets the earth.
Notice the scent of fresh rain.
What does that smell like?
The coolness in the air.
The way the earth welcomes each drop.
Without resistance.
Vrain does not force the flowers to bloom.
It simply nourishes them.
Allow this gentle rain to accompany you throughout this practice.
Today,
We are exploring moments when you felt weak.
Discouraged.
Or perhaps as though you had somehow fallen short.
Bring to mind.
One experience.
That feels manageable to revisit.
Perhaps something.
Didn't unfold as you had hoped.
Perhaps you doubted yourself.
Perhaps.
You felt disappointed.
Choose a memory.
That carries some emotional weight.
But not one that feels overwhelming.
Or traumatic.
See yourselves there.
Notice where you are.
And allow the memory to be as vivid.
As possible.
Before getting into the story.
Touch base.
With the sensations within your body.
Where does this experience live inside you?
Perhaps there is tightness.
Heaviness.
Warmth,
Pressure.
Or maybe numbness.
You don't need to change anything.
Just notice.
Like rain resting upon the earth.
Allow your awareness to rest gently upon this experience.
This is where the RAIN practice begins.
So the R of RAIN is to recognize.
And notice the emotion that is most alive right now.
Perhaps it is sadness.
Frustration.
Disappointment.
Shame.
Or self-doubt.
Whatever is here,
Silently name it.
Sadness.
Fear.
Self-doubt.
There is no right or wrong answer.
Just recognizing what is here is already an act of awareness,
Like the first drops of rain touching the earth.
Allow your awareness.
To gently meet this feeling.
We move to the air of rain to allow.
See if you can make a little room for this emotion.
Because it exists in the here and the now.
Noticing if there's any impulse to push it away.
To fix it.
Or judge yourself for feeling it.
And gently.
Let that impulse soften.
The earth does not resist rain.
It allowed each drop to fall.
Can you offer yourself that same permission?
Just for these few moments,
I invite you to allow this feeling to exist.
Breathing in,
I allow.
Breathing out.
I soften.
This brings us to the Eye of Rain.
To investigate.
Where you become curious without analyzing.
Without trying to solve anything.
You may want to ask yourself,
What am I believing about myself in this moment?
And then wait.
Allow whatever arises to arise.
Maybe words.
An image,
Maybe nothing at all.
Whatever appears,
Welcome it.
And then notice where this belief lives within the body.
You may want to place a hand on that part of your body.
Feel the warmth.
Of your own touch.
To be comforting.
You may want to notice how that emotion shapes into your body.
Without exaggerating it.
Maybe allow your posture to reflect what is already here.
If there is heaviness.
Allow yourself to notice it.
Is it?
A slumping of your shoulders.
If there is tightness.
Notice if your breathing is affected.
Or there is tightness in your chest.
Slowly,
Invite just a little more space.
Perhaps lifting the chest slightly.
Releasing the tightness from your jaw by relaxing it.
Allow yourself to take a deep breath in.
And like rain slowly softening the dry earth,
Allow your awareness to soften around this experience.
You may find that beneath this feeling,
There is something even more tender.
A longing,
A heart?
Of fear.
You don't need to understand it completely.
Witness it.
With kindness.
This brings us now to.
.
.
To the end of rain.
Nurture.
And this is where you may want to ask yourself,
What does this part of me need most right now?
Without forcing an answer.
Just listen.
Maybe it needs acceptance.
Perhaps understanding.
Maybe forgiveness.
Perhaps rest.
Or maybe tenderness.
Imagine your wisest,
Most compassionate part.
Sitting beside you.
There's nothing to criticize.
Nothing to repair.
Only gentle presence.
Offer yourself whatever is needed.
Maybe kind words.
A warm embrace.
A reassuring hand.
Or A moment of rest.
Take a slow breath in.
And imagine each breath in,
Drawing in warm,
Healing light.
And as you exhale.
See that light becoming.
A gentle rain.
A rain of compassion.
Arena of acceptance.
A rain of unconditional kindness.
Feel it.
Washing over your body.
Softening tension.
Nourishing every place that has carried pain.
Every place that has forgotten its own worth.
Strength is not pushing these feelings away.
But rather having the courage to remain present.
With yourself.
Exactly as you are.
With honesty.
With compassion.
And with tenderness.
Allow the rain to continue falling,
Not to erase your experience.
But to nourish it.
Just as rain helps seeds hidden beneath the soil begin to grow,
Trust that something within you is quietly healing.
As we bring this practice to an end.
I'd like to invite you to notice your breath.
Feel the gentle rhythm of each inhale.
And each exhalation.
Notice whatever is present now.
Perhaps there's more space.
Softness.
Perhaps nothing feels different at all.
Whatever you notice.
Allow that to be enough.
There's nothing to accomplish today.
Just showing up for yourself.
With awareness.
With kindness.
And as you move through your day,
Remember that you can always return to the many RAIN practices.
And like the rain practice.
You don't have to force your own growth.
Healing often happens quietly,
One gentle moment of compassion at a time.
So I'd like to invite you to take a deep breath in and out.
Place one hand on your heart.
And offer yourself.
A moment of gratitude.
For your courage.
Your willingness.
And your beautiful capacity to meet yourself with kindness.
Namaste.
