RAIN: Recognize, Allow, Investigate, Nurture
RAIN: A Practice of Radical Compassion
The acronym RAIN is an easy-to-remember tool for practicing mindfulness and compassion using the following four steps:
- Recognize what is happening;
- Allow the experience to be there, just as it is;
- Investigate with interest and care;
- Nurture with self-compassion.
You can take your time and explore RAIN as a stand-alone meditation or move through the steps whenever challenging feelings arise.
Visit RAIN: A Practice of Radical Compassion for a full description of the steps of RAIN.
• Download a new free printable guide here: RAIN: A Practice of Radical Compassion (PDF).
Radical Compassion, Tara’s guidebook to RAIN, addresses in depth the many applications of RAIN, and how to work with an array of challenges that arise.
• Download the free Study Guide for her book, Radical Compassion.
The RAIN of Self-Compassion includes the steps of RAIN, as well as some translations to other languages.
Resources for RAIN Partners: Once familiar with the steps, you may wish to explore RAIN in co-meditation.
Talks, Meditations and Resources to guide you:
Talks on RAIN
Facing Fear (Part 2) – Awakening Your Fearless Heart
Fear is a natural and universal part of our incarnation, and, when it goes on overdrive, we get imprisoned in the suffering of separation. These two talks explore how the RAIN...
Facing Fear (Part 1) – Awakening Your Fearless Heart
Fear is a natural and universal part of our incarnation, and, when it goes on overdrive, we get imprisoned in the suffering of separation. These two talks explore how the RAIN...
The RAIN of Forgiveness
The capacity to release the armoring of hatred and blame is intrinsic to our evolving consciousness. This talk explores the process of authentic forgiveness, and how we can...
Self-Forgiveness with RAIN
Our inability to forgive ourselves blocks healing and freedom. As we explore in this talk, the habit of judging and blaming ourselves traps us in fears, prevents intimacy with...
After the RAIN: The Flowering of Awake Awareness – Part 2
The blessing of the spiritual path is a homecoming to our essential nature—wakeful, loving awareness. These two talks explore the grounds of that awakening, which is a shift of...
After the RAIN: The Flowering of Awake Awareness – Part I
The blessing of the spiritual path is homecoming to our essential nature—wakeful, loving awareness. These two talks explore the grounds of that awakening, which is a shift of...
Repairing our Hearts – Healing with the RAIN of Compassion
Living in a fear-based society fuels the trance of separation and unworthiness. This talk explores how we can bring an engaged compassionate presence to the suffering of this...
Facing Pandemic Fears with an Awake Heart
While it’s natural to feel fear during times of great collective crisis, our challenge is that fear easily takes over our lives. This talk explores how the mindfulness and...
After the RAIN (retreat talk)
This talk offers an in-depth exploration of RAIN, applying the wings of mindfulness and compassion to painful domains of trance. We bring special attention to the fruit of RAIN,...
Dissolving Trance with RAIN
One of the pervasive expressions of trance is identifying with a limited and separate sense of self. This talk contrasts the self-trance to our intrinsically open, awake...
Meditations on RAIN
Meditation: Befriending Fear with RAIN (15 min.)
When we have the courage to pause and meet fear with the mindfulness and compassion of RAIN, our awareness and wisdom awaken. This RAIN meditation will guide you in unhooking...
Meditation: Shining a Light on Limiting Beliefs with RAIN (12:18 min.)
The Buddha taught that if your mind is captured by the fear and misunderstanding of limiting beliefs, “trouble will follow you as the wheel follows the ox that draws the...
Meditation: RAIN of Compassion (9:21 min.)
In this short practice, we are guided in bringing the mindfulness and self-nurturing of RAIN to a difficult emotion. This helps us shift from feeling stuck and reactive to the...
Meditation: A Practice of RAIN (20:00 min.)
The acronym RAIN - Recognize, Allow, Investigate, Nurture - guides us in bringing mindfulness and compassion to difficult emotions. With practice, we can find our way home to...
Meditation: Nourishing Happiness with RAIN (15:17 min)
While RAIN is regularly used for untangling suffering, it is also a powerful tool for deepening our access to positive states like happiness, gratitude, wonder and love. This...
Meditation: Light RAIN in Difficult Times (9:31 min.)
This meditation guides us in bringing the mindfulness and self-compassion of RAIN to a challenging part of our life, and particularly, to places of self-judgment or feelings of...
Meditation: Uprooting Limiting Beliefs with RAIN (9:21 min.)
This short meditation guides us in using RAIN (recognize-allow-investigate-nurture) when we discover we are caught in a limiting belief (an excerpt from the full talk, Freedom...
Meditation: RAIN of Self-Compassion (17:27 min.)
One of the great sufferings is turning on ourselves with judgment and/or self-aversion. This practice brings the acronym RAIN to this pain. It helps us cultivate a healing...
Guided Reflection: The RAIN of Compassion – What Is It Like to Be You (11:55)
Compassion is hard wired in our organism, and can be cultivated. We have the capacity for affiliative care, to tune into each other and to hold each other in our hearts....
Meditation: Healing Shame with RAIN (12:59 min.)
This meditation brings the clarity and self-compassion of RAIN to the suffering of self-aversion and/or shame. It helps us see the conditioning that shaped what we judge about...
Other Resources on RAIN
Blog: RAIN Partners Protocol – 2025
What Are RAIN Partners? RAIN, the process of bringing mindfulness and compassion to difficult emotions, can be practiced with another person in a way that is deeply healing. RAIN...
Blog: Two Versions of Acronym RAIN
The Two Versions of the Acronym RAIN: There have been two primary forms of the RAIN acronym circulating in the meditation spheres, and we would like to clarify between the...
Blog ~ Guided Reflection: Bringing RAIN to Difficulty (text and audio)
Download in PDF: Guided Reflection: Bringing RAIN to Difficulty Guided Reflection: Bringing RAIN to Difficulty Sitting quietly, close your eyes and take a few full breaths. Bring...
Blog: The RAIN of Self-Compassion
The RAIN of Self-Compassion View or download the PDF version Link to talk: The RAIN of Self-Compassion Link to Meditation: The RAIN of Self-Compassion Translations: تأمل مطر من...
Radical Compassion: Learning to Love Yourself and Your World with the Practice of R.A.I.N. – Chapter One
CHAPTER ONE: RAIN Creates a Clearing Do not try to save the whole world or do anything grandiose. Instead, create a clearing in the dense forest of your life. ~ Martha...
Blog: Turning Toward Fear with RAIN
Turning Toward Fear with RAIN Adapted from Tara's new book: Radical Compassion: Learning to Love Yourself and Your World with the Practice of R.A.I.N. In a far-off land, word...
Blog – RAIN: A Practice of Radical Compassion
RAIN: A Practice of Radical Compassion Download a free printable guide here: RAIN: A Practice of Radical Compassion (PDF). Português [.pdf]: RAIN: Uma Prática de Compaixão...
Tara Talks – Reflection: Healing Self-Blame
When we are stuck in blaming, disliking or hating ourselves, we are unable to love our world. In this guided reflection we’ll explore using the acronym RAIN...
Meditation Instructions – RAIN and Question-Response (14:23 min)
Tara gives morning instruction on retreat including RAIN (Recognize, Allow, Investigate, Nourish), then responds to questions from retreatants. Includes a question on resourcing...
Blog: RAIN de la Auto-Compasión
• Ver o descargar la versión PDF Nota: La palabra RAIN en inglés es LLUVIA. Sin embargo, hemos decidido usar RAIN en esta traducción para conservar el acrónimo o sigla. Cuando...
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