Embracing Mindfulness

Some of our guests may remember presenter Monica Jordan from her wonderful Mindfulness workshop during last summer’s Women’s Wellness retreat. She has extensive training in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction and she has a passion for sharing how these techniques can help all of use during this difficult time in our lives.

In addition to sharing this practical guide from her blog below, Monica is also hosting free mindfulness sessions each week and she invites you to participate! She’ll be hosting these sessions on Tuesdays and then on Saturdays in Spanish. See details at the end of this reading.

Let’s learn about a helpful tool for coping with our stress today…

This easy-to-remember tool for practicing mindfulness consists of four steps:

R is for Recognize: The R in RAIN stands for Recognizing what is going on in the moment. It is to notice what is happening.  While this may seem like a simple process, it is not easy. Many of us automatically react to situations without being present to what IS, instead of reflecting on the feelings we are experiencing, and then responding wisely.

A is for Accept. Accept the experience just as it is, without judging it. Welcome the emotion or the sensation as a message, and allow it to express itself in the body. You will neither indulge in the emotion nor resist it.. You might want to breathe into the area of the body where you feel the sensation the strongest, and as you bring awareness to your feelings notice if the sensations shift. By allowing the experience to be, you create a space that lets you see more clearly into your own patterns and the nature of your emotions, and empowers you to respond more wisely to your life challenges.

I is for Investigate. The idea is to explore especially your physical sensations with kindness. Just name it like This is sadness. This is anger. This is fear, and let it express itself in the form of tears if necessary. Ask yourself, What does this sadness, anger or fear feel like? The heart might beat faster, you might experience a flush of energy, heat, or dizziness or a tightening of certain muscles.

You might want to breathe into the area of the body where you feel the sensation the strongest, and as you bring awareness to your feelings notice if the sensation slowly shifts together with a shift in perspective. You might sense more opening, relaxation, and a feeling of letting go, which dissolves and integrates the emotional energy. If this process is not done, the emotional energy might get “stuck” in the body, and will eventually reemerge unexpectedly, or will turn into pathology.

N stands for two things:

1. Not Identifying with the experience. In other words, what you just experienced is an emotional event that does not define who you are. You were the observer of the event, not the event itself. You brought awareness to your experience. This realization opens a new door to freedom.
2. Nurturing This is the moment when we bring nurturing self-compassion to your experience. You notice with warmth and no judgement the suffering you went through, and allow a tender feeling to embrace your entire being.

Gradually, you will be able to go through these steps in less than a few seconds, and this RAIN of self-compassion will help you cleanse your challenging emotions and learn from them.

RAIN gives you the possibility of getting to know yourself and the inclinations of your mind better, and of choosing to metabolize challenging emotions in a way that might not interfere with your wellbeing.

Incorporating RAIN into your daily routine may be the ingredient you need to experience the quality of wellbeing you are longing for.

*This post was taken from a portion of a post on Monica’s blog, with her permission.

 

Monica will be with us again in February for a day-long retreat entitled ‘A Serenity Pause in the Busyness of Your Life’. Click here to learn more about it.

 

She would like to share mindfulness practices with everyone in these challenging times. Monica is offering FREE ONLINE mindfulness sessions every Tuesday from 7:00 to 8:00 pm. Join her from the comfort of your home. Invite friends & family! Sign up here: https://embracemindfulness.org/free-mindfulness-at-unity/

Estoy tan feliz de poder ofrecer Mindfulness en español en vivo todos lo sábados. Si quieres unirte este sábado, inscríbete en el link para poder recibir la invitación con las instrucciones de cómo tener acceso. Si ya te inscribiste antes, no es necesario que te inscribas otra vez. Este es el link: https://embracemindfulness.org/mindfulness-o-atencion-plena-en-espanol/