Whazzup everyone?! Thursday is in full swing! Why do the weeks always fly by when you finally have a chance to breathe?
Oh well, today’s topic is definitely an important one. I’ve been rewatching the popular show “House” for weeks now and I forgot how crazy the episodes can get. *(SPOILER ALERT)* For example, when House is experiencing hallucinations from Vicodin overdose, he has no idea what to do. He can’t stop and he knows he needs help. I don’t know about you, but I would describe this as a difficult situation, right?
When life hits you REALLY HARD in the face, what do you do? Do you hide from it or do you face it head on? This is what I mean by “working with difficulties”.
Every night, I listen to a podcast called “Mindfulness Meditation” from the UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center. In the weekly class, researcher Diana Winston focuses on short guided meditations to help work with life’s difficulties. I highly recommend it if you have trouble falling asleep! It’s so calming. Whether it’s difficult emotions, body sensations, or stressful events, practicing mindful meditation can help with calming and focusing the mind to cope with life more effectively.
I remember her talking about a concept called R.A.I.N, an acronym for the four steps of the process of working through difficulties. It directs our attention in a clear, systematic way that cuts through confusion and stress. This mindfulness practice brings a new openness and calm to our daily lives.
So what exactly is RAIN?
- R – Recognize what is happening
- A – Allow life to be just as it is
- I – Investigate inner experience with kindness
- N – Non-Identification
RAIN directly de-conditions those bad habits in which you resist your moment-to-moment experience. It doesn’t matter what you do to avoid the “what is”, whether that’s lashing out in anger, having a drink, or obsessively thinking, trying to control your life actually cuts you off from your own heart and from the world.
R– Recognize what is happening:
Recognition is seeing what is true on the inside. It starts the minute you focus your attention on whatever thoughts, emotions, feelings or sensations are arising right here and now. For example, you might recognize anxiety right away, but if you focus on your worried thoughts, you might not notice the actual sensations of squeezing, pressure or tightness arising in the body. It’s crazy! I remember trying to fall asleep and then realizing that my jaw was clenching. I released it and immediately felt better. Ask yourself, “What is happening inside me right now?” As you focus inward, call on your natural curiosity. Try to let go of any preconceived notions about the meditation and listen in a kind, receptive way to your body and mind.
A– Allow life to be just as it is:
“Allowing” means letting the thoughts, emotions, feelings or sensations you discover to just BE. You might feel like averting, or wishing that unpleasant feelings would go away, but as you become more willing to be present with “what is,” a different quality of attention will emerge. As humans, we naturally resist from things that are uncomfortable to us. However, “allowing” is essential to healing and realizing this can give way to a conscious intention to “just be.”
I– Investigate with kindness:
Winston says that sometimes working through the first two steps of RAIN is enough to provide relief and reconnect you with the present moment. In other cases, however, simply recognizing and allowing is not enough. For example, if you are in the thick of a divorce, about to lose a job, or dealing with a life-threatening illness, you’re probably going to be overwhelmed by intense feelings. That’s totally okay! In this step, investigation means desiring to know the truth and directing a more focused attention to your present experience. In order for investigation to be about healing and freeing, it’s important to approach the experience with a deep quality of attention. Diana Winston uses the phrase, “Investigate with kindness.” Imagine that your child comes home in tears after being bullied at school. In order to find out what happened and how your child is feeling, you have to offer a kind, receptive, and gentle attention. Bringing that same kindness to your inner life makes healing possible.
N– Non-Identification:
The open presence evoked in the R, A, and I of RAIN leads to the N: or Non-Identification, and the realization of what Winston calls “natural presence”. The first three steps of RAIN require some intentional activity. In contrast, the N of RAIN expresses the result: realizing your natural awareness. There’s nothing to do for this last part of RAIN; we simply rest in natural awareness. 🙂
Read more about Diana’s works HERE and her bio HERE! She’s amazing!
By the way, how appropriate is today’s positive thought of the day?! And no I did not plan it out! Funny the way things work 🙂
BE WELL EVERYONE! <3
Today’s “March (Into) Happiness” thought of the day: