Tara Brach - Meditation: The RAIN of Self-Compassion (2015-12-16)

Episode Date: December 22, 2015

This meditation is included at the end of the RAIN of Self-Compassion talk. This talk explores three key features of the trance of unworthiness and introduces this guided meditation based on a new version of the acronym RAIN that awakens self-compassion and de-conditions the suffering of being at war with ourselves. To listen to the complete talk, go to: The RAIN of Self-Compassion.

The following meditation is led by me, Tara Brock. To access more of my meditations or join my email list, please visit tarabrock.com. As you come into stillness, take a few full breaths, a nice deep in-breath and a slow-out breath. And again, a nice deep, full-in-breath, filling the chast, filling the lungs,

and then a slow-out breath, feeling the sensations of the breath. as you exhale. And then letting the breath resume in its natural rhythm just feel this body breathing and take some moments to scan in your life. And you might notice where your relationships with others or in your own behaviors you feel like you've turned on yourself in some way.

It might be in a situation where you're in conflict with another person but feeling bad about yourself. It may be that you've turned on yourself, you're at war with yourself for a way that you're behaving as a parent, a partner, a friend. You might be judging yourself or down on yourself for something to do with work.

Or maybe it's for an addictive behavior. Where do you get into the trance of unworthiness? The trance of not okay. and let your attention go to that place where you know you get into the trance and for now just let yourself kind of get close into it so you can feel the sense of how it is to be living inside that mind state of the belief that in some way you're falling short you should be different. Perhaps there's a sense of not lovable, not okay, not respectable, something's wrong

wrong. We begin the reign of self-compassion by recognizing, oh, this is trance at war with myself, recognizing the thoughts and feelings of the trance, just allowing that all to be here right now. Making room for what's here. The A of rain is just to allow, this is how it is right now. We begin to investigate with curiosity, with gentleness. So what's it like when I'm in this trance? You might sense what you're believing about yourself and other people, if that comes quickly, just you know, what's the belief right there? I should be different. I'm bad because I'm hurting others. No one could love me. I'll always fail. Just sense what might be built in there, what kind of core belief. And most

important, feel your body and sense when you're in the trance of unworthiness, what is it like in your body? What's your throat feel like, your chest, your belly, when you're really feeling bad about yourself. The most important part of investigating is connecting with the embodied experience, sense the most vulnerable part of you, where you feel the worst, sense what that part most needs, the part that feels deficient, not okay, what does it need? Does it need to be seen in a different way and loved, understood, held? Just sense that. And as you're listening into that, as you're feeling into that place in you that, that

is feeling not okay. You might experiment with putting your hand on your heart. Just lightly, a very tender touch. This is the beginning of turning towards loving, towards the end of rain, the nourishing. And sense the possibility of offering what's most needed inwardly. Perhaps there's words that you might offer. Sometimes it's okay sweetheart

are I'm sorry and I love you Ticknod Han says Darling I care about this suffering is a powerful phrase Or it might be as the minister that you sense the love of the God or the divine

flowing through you or for me that kiss on the brow of pure care sense the possibility of calling on love and offering it inward. Nourish with self-compassion. Each time you nourish with self-compassion, let it be a fresh, creative exploration of what really allows you to feel love flowing into your own being. You might imagine light, warmth pouring in. Just the intention to offer care inwardly begins to

decondition that tendency to be at war. The meditation becomes full when after the steps of rain, we simply notice, who am I, if I'm not any longer believing anything's wrong, sensing that tenderness, the openness, the spaciousness of being when we're not at war. From the teachings of Bapuji, an Indian master, he says, my beloved child, your heart no longer. Each time you judge yourself, you break your own heart. You stop feeding on the love which is the wellspring of your vitality. The time has come your time to live, to celebrate and see the goodness that you are. Let no one, no thing, no idea or ideal obstruct

you. If one comes even the name of truth, forgive it for its unknowing. Do not fight. let go and breathe into the goodness that you are.