The rain can be a powerful teacher. The cool, clarifying, and often cleansing nature of this wet weather inspires many of us to be still and breathe for a moment. Some people like to curl up inside with their favourite book, others will dance outdoors, relishing the natural shower.
This week, guest writer Gladys Torres shares her second guest blog for Calmer, this time exploring both the symbolic and practical ways in which rain supports a more intentional, meditative existence.
Connecting with compassion
When it comes to our internal worlds, rain can provide more than just a welcome excuse to cuddle up or prance about outside. It can also impart profound wisdom about navigating our mental states in a more compassionate and present way.
Similar to the rain, your perspective on life can nourish and cleanse you. Or, it can cause chaos and destruction. It’s all about how you approach it, and why.
Becoming more intentional about the way that you think can help to develop a clearer, more compassionate relationship with yourself.
What is intentional thinking?
Thoughts are a lot more powerful than we give them credit for. We often confuse our thoughts with reality, which can make the process of loving yourself more complicated.
To practice intentional thinking is to cultivate a deeper awareness of your thoughts and to be more willing to openly engage with and challenge ones that no longer serve you.
For example, many people struggle with thoughts of self-doubt and self-criticism. These are thought patterns we build up over the course of our lives until they are so familiar we no longer question them as truth. When in reality, we may only think those things because it’s what a toxic family member or friend, or system of beliefs, told us to believe in a moment of vulnerability.
Practising intentional thinking might look like:
Acknowledging your thoughts (both healthy and unhealthy) with a higher sense of awareness
Trying to find the root of where those thoughts came from
Confronting harmful thoughts with openness and self-compassion
Actively choosing healthy, nourishing thoughts over destructive ones
Intentional thinking isn’t about controlling your thoughts. Put simply, it’s about acknowledging them for what they are and being open to challenging the ones that do us more harm than good.
Remember: RAIN
RAIN is an acronym first coined by yoga and meditation teacher Michele McDonald in 1999. Determined to help people find purpose, clarity, and compassion through her teachings, McDonald developed the RAIN concept to help others pause, reflect, and draw awareness to their internal worlds.
Recognise the true nature of your thoughts
Allow them to exist without judgement
Investigate with compassion
Natural awareness, the act of not identifying with the experience
RAIN helps us grasp the importance of separating what you think, from how you feel. For example, just because you feel unworthy of love, it doesn’t mean you are. Everyone deserves love and kindness — and RAIN (both conceptually and literally) can provide a safe space to recognise and practise that.
5 Lessons about mindfulness from the rain
For the romantics and dreamers amongst us, rain is a precious phenomenon that we can embrace rather than avoid. From the chaotic torrents of a squall to the gentle pitter-patter of a spring shower, there is a poetic, almost magical quality to rain.
Whether we like it or not, rain is something just about everyone on the planet is exposed to, but only those who really listen will hear its secrets.
Here are 5 lessons about mindfulness from the rain:
1. Let it all out
In many ways, the rain is reminiscent of tears. Instead of emotional buildup, the clouds above grow so dense with moisture that they cannot help but burst open and release what they’ve been storing up. When life gets too much and you can’t hold yourself together anymore, it’s okay to let it all go. In fact, it’s an essential part of your life cycle that keeps you healthy in the long run.
2. Appreciate the little things
When it rains, it gives us a unique opportunity to pause and reflect upon the world around us. The soft hush of the rain hitting the ground seems to bring calmness and clarity, encouraging us to pay attention to the little things in life. A simple cup of tea, the raindrops on a plant, the freshness of the air. This can become a very meditative practice if you open yourself up to it.
3. Cleanse your environment
The rain forms a part of the earth’s self-cleaning system. It replenishes dams, cleans streets, and provides spaces for birds, squirrels, and all types of creatures to take a natural bath. Sometimes, cleansing your environment is all you need to renew your energy, both inside and out.
4. Relinquish the need for control
Rain often prevents people from going outside or holding outdoor events. It can also block roads and cause general inconveniences. However, these things are unavoidable, just like many obstructions in life. Sometimes, letting go of that need for control can give way to a more accepting stance on life.
5. Contemplation is key
There’s nothing like a good rainstorm to get your introspective juices flowing. Something about the rain prompts us to become pensive and thoughtful, which is important for gaining a deeper understanding of yourself and the world. Sometimes, the most powerful thing you can do is to watch the rain and allow yourself to contemplate the mysteries of life and the incredible experiences it offers.
Become a more intentional person with rain
Whether you like the rain or not, it is an inevitable aspect of life.
Our thoughts are the same.
You can’t always stop yourself from overthinking. However, you can start shifting the way you perceive your thoughts. By practising more mindfulness and mental awareness, you can develop a more balanced internal dynamic that serves to nurture you rather than hinder growth.
For such a simple, natural phenomenon, rain — and everything it represents — has the potential to teach us about control, release, acceptance, and self-compassion. So, next time the sky lets loose, embrace it and see what lessons you can learn.
Gladys is a writer who is an advocate for self care and leading a healthy lifestyle. She hopes that her writing can inspire others to prioritise their mental and physical wellbeing. With an absolute love for food and a self proclaimed foodie, when she's not writing Gladys loves to experiment in the kitchen and try out new recipes.