Had to remind myself to practice RAIN yesterday…one of the smallest but useful tools in this quarters MBOX is the RAIN bookmark.
1. RECOGNIZE-yesterday for no reason I noticed I was feeling agitated. Perfect normal morning, beautiful day, went to farmers market..nothing big has to happen sometimes it just shows up. RECOGNIZING let’s me take a breathe and check in.
2. ALLOW-once I see it I can take heat out of it by acknowledging it-“ok I see you, looks like you’ve decided to hang out here for a bit ok let’s do this”-acknowledging and allowing what’s showing up first settles the brain (literally it’s a muscle remember) and sometimes lightens me up on myself.
3. INVESTIGATE-I’ve practiced RAIN enough and body scan meditation lots so I know usually where agitation shows up in my body but I always still do a deeper investigation. How do I feel it in the body and perhaps investigate what behaviors or triggers may have moved me along into the space. INVESTIGATING builds greater empowerment. We don’t have to find a perfect source but INVESTIGATING makes it real and not a notion of craziness we think we are in during a tough moment.
4. NON-IDENTIFY-yes hardest part of RAIN but most powerful. I can be with what’s showing up but I don’t have to be it. This is not a simple just “get over it” or a dismissiveness to what’s showing up….it’s the settling of mind that says even if you are here for a moment, hours and even sometimes a whole day it (for me agitation yesterday) doesn’t get to be me. R.A.I.N. is not a simple exercise when you are having a tough moment. It takes practice and lightness with ourselves. The more it is practiced the easier it is to pull in and can be one of the most powerful mental exercises you can do for yourself.
