This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
~ Rumi ~
I recently bumped into an "unexpected visitor" encountering a conflict with a friend. It pulled me into an old and sticky voice, which I hadn't heard in quite awhile. I was irritated, annoyed, disappointed and found myself stewing in those juices for awhile. A long enough "while" that I started to feel that I couldn't shake it. It was "sticky" and I was starting to get stuck. Here I was, this very human mindfulness teacher, moving into "lost and stuck" territory.
With deep gratitude for the practice of R.A.I.N., I moved into the lost and sticky territory, and into my body. Constriction in my gut, tense jaw, hands gripping. Here it all was, stress reactivity pulsing through my body. Time for RAINing! Recognizing what was happening, I began to Allow the reality of the reactivity, leaning into and gently being with all that was showing up in my body and emotions, getting instantly curious and began Investigating. What I bumped into there was sadness, and then that old belief reigniting the message "I don't belong". What did she who didn't belong need to hear?
Well in this instance, my whole body burst into laughter, seeing that old voice was still buried in the annals of my body history. In that moment I was grounded and knew the belief wasn't the reality of my life, surrounded by friends and loved ones, the tribe to which I completely and utterly belong. All those dear ones came into clear view. This was my Nurture, the Non-identification with this VERY old story. Yes, RAIN brought transformation through my stuck story and into ease and knowing the scope and depth of belonging in my life today. Ahhh, sweet sigh...
Here are a couple of resources on the practice of RAIN