part0023

“When you discover that all happiness is inside of you, the wanting and needing are over, and LIFE gets very exciting.”

Cultivating mindfulness is necessary in order to overcome worry and anxiety and access the natural wisdom that already resides in you. Understanding what mindfulness is all about is the first milestone to the way of mindfulness. Understanding why you should practice mindfulness is the second milestone. Learning how to practice mindfulness is the third milestone to the way of mindfulness.

Tools for practicing mindfulness

The key strategies to practicing mindfulness are:

Focus your attention on the present moment

Enhance your power to attach and detach

Become nonjudgmental

Key Tools for Practicing Mindfulness

The following is a mnemonic that will help you remember the various ways in which you can incorporate mindfulness into your day.

Imagine being outside and suddenly encountering an unexpected heavy RAIN. What would you do? For a moment, you might STOP and acknowledge the fact that it’s raining and then you would probably WALK/RUN for shelter. When you eventually arrive home you might SHOWER in order to feel clean and put together again.

Let’s look at each of these words in detail to see how you can use each one to practice mindfulness daily.

RAIN is an acronym for a four step process that was developed by a number of Buddhist teachers years ago in order to help people deal with intense emotions. The acronym RAIN is available to you anywhere. Whenever you experience a painful situation, you can find refuge in following this acronym to clear your mind of confusion and stress and systematically bring yourself to a place of truth and calm.

RAIN de-conditions the habitual ways in which you resist the present moment.

The four steps that work in tandem with the acronym RAIN are:

R ecognize what is happening

Recognition is acknowledging what is true deep inside of you. It begins the second you recognize the emergence of a strong emotion. For example, you might recognize nervousness emerging but if you focus on the nervousness itself you might not recognize that the core of your physical response is actually a fear of failure.

When you recognize the emotion, it is important to ask yourself the question “What is happening inside of me right now?” Use your curiosity while focusing on the inner sensation. Try not to judge what you feel and instead observe and listen to what your body is telling you.

A llow life to be what it is

Allowing means to let the emotions, thoughts, and feelings simply be as they are. It is likely that you will cringe at the mere acceptance of a negative emotion but “allowing” the emotion, positive or negative, is extremely necessary for healing.

In order to soften the pain of the emotion you need to utter an encouraging word like “yes” or “I consent.” From the moment you do this you should feel a weakening of the emotions power over you. The more you continue to do this, the more the emotion will lose its power over you.

By consenting with the emotion, you avoid your usual resistance to the emotion. You begin to relax and accept the experience.

It’s possible that the first two steps of RAIN will be sufficient in providing a sense of peace and calm for you. If you feel you need to go further you can access your inner curiosity by investigating the emotion with kindness.

Do this by asking yourself “What does this feeling want from me?” “How am I feeling this in my body?” Hidden within the emotion you might find a painful sense of unworthiness or shame. It is important to become conscious of these hidden parts of an emotion in order to weed them out so that they no longer feed the belief that you are deficient.

Observe – observe without attaching your identity to the emotion

Explore – explore the emotion without disturbing it

Learn – gather information and derive lessons from your exploration without attaching your opinions to it

Understand – understand the lessons learned during your exploration

Appreciate – appreciate that the emotion was necessary in order for you to learn and grow

Accept – accept the emotion as it is

Non-identification means that who you really are is not defined by emotion. The N of the RAIN acronym requires no work, it simply expresses a result: the freeing realization of your natural awareness.

Non-identification helps to deflate the “same old story” your mind likes to regurgitate over and over. It promotes a clear understanding that the emotion is just a passing state of mind and doesn’t define who you are.

Using RAIN allows you to sit back and watch the workings of your mind. Being a non-judgmental observer of your mind allows you to grow in a deeper understanding of what fuels your anger, pain and fear.

When you find your mind racing with stress, use the STOP acronym:

S top (what you are doing)

O bserve (your thoughts, feelings and emotions)

P roceed (to that which ought to be done now)

“Stop” is a powerful word in mindfulness. When you start experiencing stress, stop what you are doing and separate yourself from the activity for a moment.

Take a deep breath then breathe normally. Pay attention to the in and out motion of your breathing. If it helps, say “in” as you inhale and “out” as you exhale.

By observing your thoughts, you can take note of what you are thinking. While observing, it is important to understand that your thoughts are not facts, they are merely thoughts. If a thought of inadequacy arises, simply acknowledge it, allow it to be what it is, and move on.

Name any emotion that you “see.” Studies have proven that naming your emotions can provide a calming effect.

Next, proceed to an activity that can support you in the moment and be an anti-dote to the emotion. This might include going for a walk, talking to a friend, or kicking your feet up.

The following mindfulness technique can be practiced while you are walking to work, running errands or going for a leisurely walk. Throughout your day, pay attention to whether you are rushing so much that you are missing out on the present moment.

Walk/Run mindfulness involves the following:

As you walk, be thankful for your ability to walk. Think of those less fortunate than you that are confined to wheelchairs and don’t have the luxury of walking like you do.

Grounding is a way of intricately connecting with the physical act of walking. Focus your attention on your legs and feet as each foot rhythmically steps from heel to toe. Follow the motion of each foot as it repeats this process with every step.

Walk a little slower and become aware of each of your senses one by one. Use your eyes to see what is around you as you walk. Use your ears to listen to the sounds. Taste the air moving in and out of your mouth. Feel the refreshing brush of the air on your face and smell the air.

Try also to be aware of all the senses at once. Drink in everything that you feel.

While you walk, simply repeat a mantra that you enjoy. Focus your attention only on your steps and your mantra.

Practicing mindfulness while showering can reduce stress. Instead of thinking of everything on your “to-do” list while showering, try replacing that with your moment by moment experience.

Turn off your busy brain and drink in the smell of the soap. Feel the warm water gently beating on your face or on your back.

Understand that it will take a bit of time to train your brain to shut off its usual mental clatter and simply acknowledge the events of the present moment. The brain is use to doing something all the time, so be patient with it. You may have to lead it back to what you want it to focus on several times. It can take a little while but it will learn the new habit you want it to learn. Just stay consistent and you’ll get there.