Setting boundaries with others and ourselves creates a sense of safety and well-being. Yet, whether we base our boundaries on external or internal awareness can significantly determine their success. This meditation, initially offered by the late Cynthia Wilcox, utilizes imagery to guide us to a deeper understanding of how our bodies communicate ‘yes,’ ‘no,’ and ‘maybe.’

This practice offers a simple technique you can use, whether you’re facing a life-changing choice or are just feeling overwhelmed by all the small decisions that often crowd our busy lives.

The human mind was not built for “Not Knowing.” From a young age, all it wants is answers—question after question. When solutions are available, they have a calming effect. If not, the mind spins round and round. Why, Why, Why. In times of questioning, turning inward, following the breath, and sitting with uncertainty, the fear the mind holds around uncertainty eases and can shift towards a peace-filled wonder instead.

Eckhart Tolle wrote  Realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have, and make the Now the primary focus of your life. Then, your life will be peaceful and full.  It’s the mind’s natural tendency to focus on the past or the future, moving back and forth, back and forth.  Unfortunately, thoughts of the past often bring regret and thoughts of the future hold worry.  This practice shifts away from this tendency by asking, “WHAT ABOUT NOW?”

The National Science Foundation estimates we have 12,000 to 60,000 thoughts daily.  80% are negative and 95% are reoccurring.  Yes, that means 95% of what you think today you thought yesterday, and without intervention, you will think tomorrow, and yes, 85% percent will be negative.  This Meditation offers ways to counterbalance our negativity bias.

This classic Zen meditation, allows us to practice being in an expansive state of not knowing, and finding a quality of mind that is beyond knowing.

When we are hijacked by fear or any other adverse emotion, it can be really hard to remember the way home to the present moment as our executive functioning goes offline—hijacked by the survival brain.
This is when a practice like RAIN can assist, as RAIN is an acronym for Recognize, Allow, Investigate, Nurture.

Having RAIN in our tool kit when our executive functioning isn’t entirely online gives us a structure we can walk through to bring a much more integrated brain back online and give us more access to our heart and awareness.

In this meditation, we look back at that which is observing the many aspects of the breath and body to discover the presence of awareness itself.