Mindful Presence
Radical Compassion & Value-Aligned Action
1. Grounding
Settle into your body. Feel the weight of your presence in this moment.
The Situation
2. RAIN
RAIN is a mindfulness practice that brings clarity and compassion to whatever is difficult. Rather than pushing hard feelings away or being swept up in them, RAIN invites you to turn toward your experience with curiosity and care.
It works in four steps: Recognize what is happening, Allow it to be there without resistance, Investigate with gentle attention, and Nurture yourself with compassion. You can move through each step slowly, or return to any step as needed. There is no wrong way to do this.
RAIN practice inspired by the work of Tara Brach.
Recognize
Pause and consciously acknowledge what is happening inside you right now — the thoughts, feelings, or behaviors most present in this moment. You don't need to analyze or fix anything. Just notice.
What are you most aware of right now? What thought keeps surfacing? What feeling is here?
Allow
Inhale presence, then gently exhale any resistance. Let the thoughts or feelings be just as they are. You aren't agreeing with the pain; you are simply making room for it. This belongs.
Is there anything inside you that wants to be acknowledged before you move on? No need to fix it or understand it — just let it be here.
Investigate
Direct a tender curiosity inward. Where do you feel this most in your body? What is the story that you are telling this part of yourself? What does this part of you most need right now?
Nurture
Self-compassion begins to arise naturally when we recognize we are suffering. Now, intentionally bring some care to the part of you that is hurting.
Sense what this vulnerable place most needs. Does it need reassurance? Forgiveness? To feel less alone? You might offer a quiet inner message — I'm here with you. It's okay. You're not alone. Or simply place a hand on your heart.
What does this part of you most need to hear right now? What gesture of kindness can you offer yourself?
Release
Type anything still weighing on you. Watch it go. Nothing is saved.
Sometimes releasing is enough. Living through your experience with awareness and compassion is its own complete practice.
If there's an intentional next step ahead, notice where you are right now. RAIN has a way of loosening the grip of the story you were caught in — leaving you more spacious, more yourself. From that open place, you're not just reacting. You're free to choose what comes next in alignment with what truly matters to you.
3. The Choice Point
All day long, we are doing things — and everything we do either moves us toward the person we want to be, or away from them. When life is easy, choosing well is easy. But when difficult situations arise, and hard thoughts and feelings show up, we can get hooked — pulled off course by the reactive mind.
The Choice Point is a moment of awareness. From here, you can ask: am I about to react from the hooked place — or can I choose a response that reflects what truly matters to me? The more clearly you know your values, the easier it becomes to choose toward them, even when it's hard.
Choice Point framework adapted from the work of Russ Harris (ACT Mindfully).
Choose Your Direction
Are you moving toward your values, or being pulled away by the reactive narrative?
Select Guiding Values
Toward Move: How can you act in alignment with your values?