GUIDED R.A.I.N. MEDITATION FOR SELF-COMPASSION
A GUIDED R.A.I.N. MEDITATION FOR SELF-COMPASSION (Based on, adapted and modified from Radical Compassion by Dr. Tara Brach, clinical psychologist and founder of the Insight Meditation Community of Washington, DC) 1. Find a comfortable place for your body to be quiet and still. Whether that’s in a chair, seated on the floor, or even standing, allow your body to be both relaxed and attentive. 2. Allow for three gentle and full breaths in and out. Notice the sensation of the breath into the lungs and belly and back out again. With each inhale and exhale, allow the body to begin to settle down and more deeply relax. You may be noticing there are places where you are holding tension. Give yourself the gift of breathing in and out of those areas as you more deeply relax. 3. Now breathe naturally and deeply as is most comfortable and effortless. Allow the inhale of your belly to expand like a balloon and then gently exhale, allowing the belly to contract. Continue to breathe from the belly and diaphragm as you move into the guided imagery practice of R.A.I.N. R stands for Recognize Recognize what is going at this moment. As you begin to recognize, you may notice sensations, thoughts, or feelings in the body. See if you can identify and name those sensations, thoughts, or feelings. A stands for Allow Allow those experiences to be as they are, without an overriding narrative. Whether that narrative be judgment, editorializing, explanation, justification, rationalization, blame, righteousness, confirmation, or anything that places a label of right or wrong on the experience. Allowing the experience to be just as it is, becomes a gift that allows you to be curious and open. As we allow, you may notice thoughts or images that arise that feel aligned with your belief systems. Just be with each feeling and thought as reflective of the vast spectrum of ego-mind-body narratives present in your life.
I stands for Investigate
Investigate things you disagree with kindness and curiosity. Investigating with kindness and curiosity isn’t just about how we perceive others but also about noticing what is present within ourselves. How do we recognize, allow, and investigate that part of our inner world that needs to be tended to and cultivated and nurtured? This is the part of the process in which we look deeper into the origin and nature of the narratives from childhood. Investigate means to research into your condition using reading, therapies, spiritual practices, and any other means that presents itself. N stands for Nurture Nurture is a loving awareness that comes from not attaching your identity with your experiences or narratives. Finding self-transcending meaning, purpose, and direction that’s bigger than self. Finding a “true north.” Nurture is consciously practicing exploration of your curiosity, empathy, selfcompassion, and loving kindness. Finally, I invite you to allow this meditation to gently dissipate by bringing your attention back to effortlessly settling your attention on your regular breathing in and out. Continue to hold yourself in the loving kindness of a nurturing awareness.