Tara Brach's wonderful RAIN practice

For those moments when we have a lot going on and feel the need to centre ourselves, clinical psychologist and self-compassion meditation teacher Tara Brach has developed a beautifully simple practice to create a little space for what's going on inside and to find great greater calm and self-compassion.

RAIN Practice - Recognise, Allow, Investigate and Nurture.

Find a quiet place to sit comfortably and notice the places where your body meets the ground or surface you're sitting on. Extend your exhale for a couple of breaths, and you're ready to begin.

Recognise - Recognise what's going on inside you. For example, 'I notice I'm feeling a bit anxious and there's a tightness in my chest.' Start small, noticing physical sensations in your body, your emotions and thought patterns.

Allow - Whatever you notice in step one, allow the experience by not judging, trying to fix or change anything. Allow your breath to move in and out, and let what you feel simply be here. For example, we may need a reminder not to judge ourselves for feeling anxious.

Investigate - As your awareness deepens, you can investigate whichever feeling is 'top of the pile'. Notice how the feeling is showing up in your body. For example, a tightness in the chest. We can then ask: 'What does the anxious part of me believe?' and notice the answer(s) that come up. For example, 'I am worried that I'm not doing a good enough job with this piece of work.'

You can then ask, 'What does this part of me most need?' and listen for the response. For example, we may sense that this part of us needs reassurance or a comforting moment in order to know that it's ok.

Nurture - With the fourth step, we can offer a moment of kindness or warmth, perhaps by placing a hand gently on the place in your body where the feeling resides, or maybe offer some words of kindness to meet the feeling's need. Eg. 'It's ok. What you are doing is enough. You are experiencing a moment of self-doubt. I will be here with you while you feel uncertain.'

By offering this simple way of being with ourselves, we can allow the feelings going on inside to start to feel heard, listened to, and, through the connection of a moment's kindness and patience, understood.

Take a few moments to soak in the warmth and kindness of the offering you've made to yourself. Take as long as you need here. When emotions are given the time and space they need in a safe enough environment, the body knows how to begin processing them and, in the right moment, starts to let them go and move on to the next thing.

Notice how you feel, and take a moment to share gratitude with yourself for practicing RAIN.