This is a short moving towards pain meditation,
And it's designed for young people to learn about the skill of managing and responding to the experience of pain in a way that will help them to lead a fulfilling life filled with their values,
Things that give them meaning,
Despite having the experiences of pain.
It would be useful if you could find a place that feels comfortable for you to practice this meditation.
Perhaps you might want to lie down on your bed or find a nice comfy chair,
And you might even wish to hold one of your favorite soft toys or something that makes you feel really safe,
Something that is a safety in me,
A sim.
And if you don't wish to hold anything or have anything to hand,
That's absolutely fine.
So this meditation is called a RAIN meditation,
And the reason why it's called RAIN is because we use the letters of the word RAIN to help us to remember how to practice the skill of moving towards our pain.
So RAIN starts with an R,
And then there's an A,
And then there's an I,
And finally there's an N.
So starting with R,
We're going to recognize what's going on,
So taking this moment to just investigate curiously.
We may have spoken about the discoverer in you,
Seeing if it's possible to use your discoverer to recognize and look at what's going on inside of your body right now,
Starting at the top of your head all the way down to the bottom of your toes,
And recognizing if you're experiencing pain,
Where that pain is,
And perhaps even putting your hand on it if that helps.
Then the next part of the meditation is A,
And A stands for ALLOWING,
And this is sometimes quite a tricky part of this new exercise.
So we're going to see if it's possible to allow that pain,
That discomfort to be there,
Just for now.
So just for this moment,
See if it's possible to go and look at that pain,
See where it is,
And allow it to be there,
Noticing with your noticer if there's anything else that's happening for you right now.
Maybe you're thinking,
I don't want to allow this,
I want it to go away,
And so that's noticing your thoughts about this.
Or maybe you're noticing some emotions,
Or your heart is beating very fast,
Or maybe you're feeling scared of this pain.
So just noticing what's going on for you right now,
And inviting yourself to allow the pain to be there,
As well as anything else that's coming up for you that's not nice.
A lot of children and teenagers don't like the feeling of their heart beating,
And they don't like the feeling of thoughts getting in the way of their day.
And many people,
Most people,
Don't like the feeling of pain,
The sensation of pain.
So all of these things are not nice and very unpleasant.
So let's invite ourselves to allow these unpleasant sensations,
Just for now,
Just for this moment.
See if you can allow it to be there.
And then the I of the letters,
R.
A.
I.
N.
,
Stands for Investigate.
So this is when we invite our discoverer to come and join us,
Because we're going to see if it's possible to go and investigate this pain.
And maybe it might be possible to give it a different name,
This pain.
So see if you can call it something else.
You might even want to give it a silly name,
Like Dinky Donkey Doodah.
But you might,
If you feel you can't give it a silly name,
You might want to call it Unpleasant Sensation,
Or perhaps just a Sensation.
But see if it's possible to let go of the word pain for now.
Just look at it like a sensation,
A feeling in your skin or in your bones or in your muscles.
And then see if you can find out what color is the sensation.
Is it red or is it purple or is it black or is it gray?
See what color comes up for you.
And then see if it's possible to then give it a shape.
So see if you can actually almost trace the edges of this sensation with your mind's eye.
See how big it is,
How deep it goes in your body.
So maybe it's got a width and a depth to it.
And then you might even be able to give it a texture.
Maybe it's rough,
Maybe it's smooth,
Slimy.
So see,
Really like you're being a bit of a detective right now,
You're really looking and investigating this sensation.
And then the last part of this meditation is N.
And N stands for nurturing yourself and natural awareness.
So this last part is about just being with yourself,
Nurturing yourself through this quite unpleasant and scary experience and reminding yourself that you are safe.
You are so safe.
You might even want to hug yourself or even say to yourself,
Even though I have this pain,
I'm still good enough.
Or even though I have this pain,
I am safe.
Even though I have this pain,
I know it is not my fault.
And then finishing off this meditation by just seeing if it's possible to go into a natural awareness of everything around you,
Not just your body and the bed or the chair that you're sitting on,
But perhaps the room that you're in and maybe the things that are happening right now in your household,
Sounds that you can hear.
And then when you're ready,
You can open your eyes if they were closed and move on with your day.
Carry on with your day,
Knowing that despite having pain,
You are safe and reminding yourself,
I am so but safe.
