So RAIN stands for,
It's an acronym,
It stands for Recognize,
Allow,
Investigate and Nurture.
So through the meditation we're recognizing what's happening,
We're allowing it to be there,
We're investigating it with curiosity,
And then we're offering ourselves nurturance and compassion and kindness.
But it's not always easy to do because we are putting ourselves in a place of vulnerability where we're feeling our feelings.
The shame and the blame,
The fear,
These feelings will show up because we're calling upon them to show up.
So just,
I want you to be prepared.
And you might feel like crying,
Sometimes I cry during this meditation because it is so powerful.
So if you're feeling exceptionally vulnerable right now,
Maybe wait until you're a little bit farther away from that and you're feeling a little more grounded.
But if you're feeling called to do this meditation,
I would say let's do this and we will walk you through it with compassion.
It's helped me learn to be with my difficult feelings and feel more at ease and compassionate towards myself.
I've learned that I can be kind and accept kindness from myself,
That I can comfort me,
And that that helps me feel more connected to me.
And it allows me to feel more grounded and present even in times of crisis.
So if you're ready,
We're gonna start this meditation.
Find a comfortable place to sit or lie down,
Maybe in a chair or a cushion or on a blanket on the floor.
Just noticing where your body makes contact with the surface on where you are resting.
Maybe it's your bottom on the chair or your back against the floor.
Just noticing those contact points right now.
And taking a slow deep breath in,
Exhaling out.
Another slow deep inhale,
Exhaling out,
Emptying your lungs and your chest and your belly.
And one last very deep inhalation,
Exhaling out,
Letting go of the stress and the tension and allowing yourself to be here right now.
So I want you to bring to mind something that you're struggling with.
Maybe it's some behaviors or your inner critical voice or a difficult situation you've been in,
Difficult thoughts or feelings.
Just noticing maybe you're hearing that inner critical voice or feeling shame or fear around behaviors or situations.
Maybe you're feeling anxious or depressed.
I just want you to notice that that's there without creating a story around it or trying to rationalize or judge where you are in this moment.
And now we're going to allow that experience to be just as it is.
We're not going to try to fix it.
Trying not to judge yourself for wherever you are and maybe just noticing with a word or two like,
Yes this is here or it's okay or here it is.
Just acknowledge and accept whatever it is that you're feeling or noticing.
And now we're going to investigate the feelings with interest and kindness.
Maybe you can ask yourself some or all of these questions to explore what's coming up for you.
What's calling my attention right now?
What's the hardest part of this?
And what am I telling myself about this?
Am I feeling fear or judgment,
Anger,
Shame,
Sorrow or loss?
And where do I feel this in my body?
Noticing where that feeling is,
Maybe placing a hand on the part of your body where you feel that feeling most intensely.
Does this feel familiar?
Have I felt this way before sometime in my life?
If I could express these most vulnerable feelings in words or pictures,
What would they be?
What does this part most need from me or from some larger spiritual source of love and wisdom?
Can I tune back into my body as I continue to get curious about this?
And now we're going to nurture ourselves with compassion and kindness.
Can I be with this struggle right now with compassion?
Are there kind words that I need right now or a kind gesture?
If it feels comfortable,
You can say to yourself,
I love you and I'm here.
Or I love you and I'm listening.
Placing a hand on your heart or your cheek or another part of your body that feels comforting,
Just offering yourself that touch of compassion and kindness.
You can also imagine being bathed in a warm cleansing light from above.
Imagine that it's filtering down through your whole body from your head through the body down to your toes.
If there are difficult feelings,
If this feels too hard to offer yourself this compassion,
You can imagine that it's someone you love,
A good friend,
A partner,
A parent,
A pet or a spiritual guide offering you the compassionate words and gestures you need in this moment.
And remember,
No matter what's coming up for you right now,
Try to be with it with a sense of curiosity and kindness and without judgment.
Now take a slow deep breath in,
Exhaling out,
Gently moving your body in ways that feel comfortable to you,
Maybe wiggling your fingers and your toes,
Stretching gently and opening your eyes as you reorient yourself to the room.
Tara Brak offers these words about the RAIN meditation.
When you've completed the active steps of RAIN,
It's important to just notice your own presence and rest in that wakeful tender space of awareness.
The fruit of RAIN is realizing that you are no longer imprisoned in the trance of unworthiness or in any limiting sense of self.
Give yourself the gift of becoming familiar with the truth and natural freedom of your being.
It is mysterious and precious.
