Guided Meditation: Befriending Difficult Emotions - Tara Brach 

I acknowledged my sadness. I said, "I see you, Sadness. Come. Let's have tea." I felt the pain in my chest as I acknowledged the sadness, as I accepted I am sad. I have tried for years to make people like me. Sadness reminded me to feel who I am, what I am, and accept me as I am. My eyes had tears for the first time in years. My chest is light.

Thank you for this. I’m reminded of Stephen Levine’s work/approach in his book “Healing into Life and Death” whereby entering “the pain” with soft eyes. I’m moved to send agape to everyone who is present. I’ve only recently (at the age of 65) begun to love myself with more understanding after a lifetime of being sensitive and deeply feeling those around me. Learning my personal and precious boundaries is a gift which I am just receiving with gratitude. I entered this meditation to approach my anger and will continue to accept and investigate the fear of loneliness that my newfound boundaries will inevitably create. But there is so much joy on the other side of this bridge. I’m grateful to you.

I learned that I need to have more grace with myself like a good friend would

I learned I want to respect myself more, instead of anticipating others needs/desires. Also I learned to thank the fear for trying to protect me, thank you for sharing

I am working on acceptance of a relationship situation that is causing me sadness and fear. It’s triggering some deep issues of abandonment. I loved the story of Mara…I see you, let’s have tea ❤ the entire session was so very helpful, I hadn’t heard of RAIN before and that is something I’ll go back to. The other thing that I really liked was picturing this issue as a wave on the ocean of my life. Thank you, thank you, thank you ☺️🙏❤️

I had a triggering moment today that made me physically sick. I decided to do a little self care, so I listened to Tara tonight, and this message was so powerful for me. Brought the feeling of compassion comfort and love back to myself. I cried because I needed this so much. Thank you Tara for your words. ❤❤❤

Fear is driving me to feel inadequate, yearning for something unknown, and worryingly comparing myself to others. I'm grateful for the RAIN technique for enabling me to feel the physical sensation of this emotion, as well as taking a moment to acknowledge it for what it is, rather than pushing it away. Thank you for this session.

I learned some new ways to nurture myself. I often forget that I need to nurture myself, and love this process and reminder ❤ Thank you very much.

Remembering that it’s ok to make mistakes every day thanks to Tara ❤

I was having a hard day regulating and came online hoping something would help me. I found this and I feel a lot better. I learned that I don't need to set aside a whole hour to meditate, I can use small moments of RAIN to come back to center. Thank you, Tara.

Thank you for reminding that ‘to resist is to persist.’ I will remember the importance of Recognising and Allowing.

I felt the quality of the living light and the divine support. I am learning to trust myself and surrender in the process. Thank you Tara very much .

I've been listening to RAIN meditations for a few months now, but this is the first time I saw myself starting to attend to the next step a beat before the guide, and it was really validating how capable I can be at nurturing myself.

A great reminder to trust my goodness, even when myself and others around me doubt it. Lovely meditation ❤️

The most powerful, effective meditation I’ve ever done hands down. The steps of RAIN is what I learned and that I was not sitting with tea with my emotions.

I sat with my fear and concern for someone so dear to me. I felt empathy for myself. Thank you.

As always I feel peace after a morning meditation with you. ❤

I felt a deep loss for a friend who is leaving to go far far away despite how close we are. It brought up a very painful childhood memory and tears flowed.

The guttural cry came from deep with in. Thank you for the guidance of the releasing.

I learned I need more forgiveness, love, acceptance from myself. Thank you so much.

I’ve been practicing meditation semi regularly throughout the past 3 years and I like to utilize many different kinds from guided to transcendental and so on. I stumbled upon this today and I had a break through. I have a very difficult time letting myself cry and I was able to release a lot of pain and cry today listening to your words. I hope you see this I’m sending so much love and gratitude your way. I’m going to remember this day. Thank you Tara x

I don’t want to go to my parents house because I don’t want to let go of my mom, who died. I need to go through my parents things and clean out the house, but I’m facing a lot of inner resistance. This helped me connect some dots this evening. Thank you:)

I learnt how to sit with myself and talk, like a good friend would. And when I named the feelings out aloud such as fear, hopelessness it didn't seem too big and impossible anymore. Also it took me what's the worst that can happen, alley. And it wasn't wo scary then. Thank you Tara❤

I learnead to sit and let my emotions be without trying to change them. I feel then more at peace.

Namaste Tara. I learned (finally) what RAIN stands for, and I learned to really sit with, name and investigate my emotions (at least for the purposes of this meditation). I will continue to investigate them. I found the most difficult part was the nurturing, I will work on this too.

These meditations have helped me so much. I see a person who was closed and blocked and is no releasing sliwly

This was a first for me, I didnt know how to encounter self in dealing with past/ present emotional pain. Thank you, Ms Brach, your guided meditation really helped. I thought dealing with this would be a long painful process, but I came away feeling different, better, before, I really avoided dealing with this, but reached a point where I was tired of having it in front of me constantly. Now I know what to do iwhen something painful pops up, again, thank you so much.

this was so peaceful, even so with my eyes closed. What I’m trying to learn more of is just understanding my emotions more and to not let them get the best of me. I don’t know how to handle my emotions in a mature way, my think is go distance, be nonchalant, or avoid it and I don’t want that to continue, it’s especially hard dealing with it when it comes to friends, closed ones, or even someone I care about deeply/love. I want to learn how to navigate through those emotions with self compassion and to work through them.

I had had a very upsetting encounter with a close friend and a couple of days afterwards found myself feeling deeply saddened and very hurt. I listened to Tara's RAIN meditation while I was washing the dishes and noticed an immediate transformation ... both in my state of mind (which became much calmer) and in my heart (which previously had felt as if it was aching physically.) Thank you Tara for this transformative and healing video. 🙏

I learned that exactly what I 'need' from others I can provide my own self. I am here with you and I'm not leaving. We're in this together. We are safe with each other.

This meditation helped me accept that I love my therapist, not romantic. My heart and body are full of love. Thank you Tara I've been meditating with you for 3 years it's changed me.

This 17:37 minute meditation really made me see my uncomfortableness. And why it was there so it was very helpful in that moment to let it go with understanding and care for myself and my emotions to be purposeful for me… 😮 to see how I could find myself at peace in the end of this meditation….❤Thank you I will keep practicing and healing 😇🙏

Thank you.. I learnt My fear likes to keep me in sadness😢

I loved the lesson about Mara and having tea with Ananda

Beautiful! I learnt that all seasons, even the storms of the ocean can be accepted as part of my experience

My higher self deserves love kindness and understanding. She doesn’t need to be bullied by my mean girl ego. Sitting with self doubt and honouring low self esteem taught me that I have to put myself my peace and my priorities above all. Being gentle with myself instead of mean girl shaming myself and expecting results (self sabotaging). The key to happiness is within the moments I can let go of those doubts and fears and live with purpose ❤

I felt sad and betrayed today by someone I had reached out for help to. It took me so courage to be honest and reach out to them . So when I was knockbacked I was hurt and angry and wanted to mentally beat myself up and blame myself. I watched you instead and practiced what you said and I cried but it felt like tears of love and hope. Bless you Tara I'm so glad I found this today ❤

I joined the cloud sangha and am in the Practicing RAIN group! Thank you Tara!

I learned that I am worthy of my own attention, love and kindness.

Hi Tara , I’m not really ready go and speak about my depression. Ur important to me!! I like your longing to be kind to yourself and to others ? I heal with you , my bud disinformation about mental health will be a problem for me , but with you I realised I am bigger than I can be

What a healing experience 🙏 Thank you so much 🙌

First I felt a lot of self judgment, but it started to shift into hurt, selfdoubts and fear of falling again into unhealthy patterns of behaving and treating myself. Last couple days I've been visitng my caregivers and noticed how each day makes me more and more miserable... I thought it's because I can't solve their problems, that I'm not enough strong etc. and this meditation has showed that exactly those thougts are the reason of my pain right now and this is an old pattern of thinking. Thank You Tara, all the best❤🙏

I want to be present. Being present, for me, requires love and care. I’m a beautiful spirit.

My fear of my illness and my ability to be with it and myself, not to abandon myself in depression. Namaste dear ones

I want to remember I can tap into this oneness when I am grasping for others to love me. I dont need others to validate my goodness. I am good.😢

I want to remember that I matter.

There's no doubt that meditation has been a life changer for me in a lot of ways!❤🙏

My longing to be kinder to myself brings me kindness Radical acceptance Truth of who i am I am not the waves I belong to the ocean My soul desires a true belonging to life, I forget I come from love.

I realized that I have not accepted my feelings of disappointment in a relationship. When I did acknowledge them, without judging, or guilt, I felt warmth towards both of us.

Muchas gracias❤ I Want to Remember that there's always a vulnerable part asking for love behind the toughest face of the emotion.

Getting in touch with how desperately I am still trying to earn love by performing well--whether at work, at volunteer tasks, at hobbies, with friends and family. You name it, I'm trying to win it so people will like me. Sigh. And also recognizing how deeply unwanted and ashamed I can still feel sometimes when I come home to a house where I live alone. It's like the quietness proves I'm not loved, in spite of many, many wonderful friends and two sweet kitties. Makes me sad but also helps with calming the frantic anxiety--which is really just me running from all of that unworthiness, loneliness and sadness. Thank you, Tara. You've helped me a lot in the last 12 months, especially when you said if you are trauma triggered you can't really do RAIN until you're grounded and regulated. I kept feeling like a failure until I heard that part. I think it was Part 2 of The Awakened Heart. Putting one hand on my heart and one on my belly is now something I do every single day. ❤❤❤

Biggest realization was that this fear and anxiety came about all in its own from a very deep place. And there was nothing I could do to control it but what I could control was the steps here: 1) recognizing, 2) allowing 3) seeing what beliefs it came with. And speaking compassionately to it. I felt a massive energy shift almost like a boulder being rolled over. It came about on its own but instead of being scared of it I was able to sit with it, and move with it. Work with and through it. Thank you Tara 🙏🏽 we need to carve out time to fully lean into these emotions

coming back to my truth not driven by fear & pain.. unlearning reactions to conditioning by consumerism & culture about my body as a woman.. making space for my being just as i am- in all of my flawed beauty.. seeing through the facade of unworthiness & inadequacy to my truth & the collective truth for everyone.. you are enough just as you are & you are so very beautiful my love 🌹❤️

I led my first mindfullness of emotions meditation in my mentor group with Nico Hase yesterday. It went well and I used your ice to water to gas visualization ( gave you full credit of course!) and it went pretty well. I lost my nephew at the end of last month and its been a stressful couple of weeks and being able to do this has been very comforting to me. Thanks for your inspiration and kindness ( Jack too!) Namaste. One day I hope to be helping others as you do.

It is the best one I’ve ever tried ❤ I really felt a shift. My mind was very suspicious of it at first, but it calmed down and I almost managed to stay out of self judgement the meditation through. Thank you❤

I learned that touching my body where I am feeling the emotion helps me deeply to let it out.

❤❤❤this. Absolutely

I learnt that I am able to give to myself what I give to others

That was very powerful , thankyou , my dog whos in spirit was in my nuture moment it was beautiful , in beginning i was doubtful an dismissive by the end humble and present 👐

Thank you. I was feeling shamed for not being careful with my words due to feelings of overwhelm. This meditation has helped, and I will practice it regularly. 🙏💜

I am having trouble trying not to worry and be my own worse critic. My feelings of guilt and self criticism have helped me strive to finish school, land a good job and afford to support my family. I think deep inside is a feeling that if I change these habits then everything will fall apart. Ive read the Untethered Soul by Micheal Singer and it sounds so freeing/liberating to just let go and enjoy the moment.

I am the holder and the held…wonderful x

Thank you.

“You’re the holder and the held”

I started to cry ... so many emotions coming up....😏

❤thank you 😊

I learned to recognize exactly where in my body, especially several parts in my stomach and my liver where I practiced RAIN during following your meditation. I have always been angry at my stomach and even though I'm not unfamiliar with the fact that discord at one level is at the same time harmony at another level, I never did practice on my stomach.

Thank you 🙏 this meditation arrived at exactly the right moment for me to connect with anxiety and fear, and understand that that part of me has been aiming to keep me safe. Now I can love that part and appreciate the good intentions ❤🙏

This has been so helpful, thank you

I learned how 😢 I have a voice inside saying how much I suck at life and how I'm so scared of screwing up 😢

I wanna remember most of all meditating to have tea with my difficult and to befriend them like I would my best friend not just to release them , to give attention to them I feel1000 times better after doing it this way 🎉😊

Loved this meditation it posed lots of questions that I am filtering ❤

Thank you Tara🤍 Your voice is withholding so much love, which makes it so easy to soften snd melt in the heart, with whatever is

Thank you for this ❤

"resting in your awareness is the real your-self" thank you ma'am. great!

So, so powerful. Thank you. 💛

Thank you

Thank you. I uncovered the "fear" that I have been holding. Since letting go of a relationship. A migraine began and with that, intense pain. Tears started to flow. Grief, pain and fear which I have suppressed in order to move on.....Rain was very helpful. At least the migraine has subsided......😢 Grateful❤

I Can trust myself

Thank you so much so beautiful and what I needed I want to note take so I can do journal prompts of this, what I learnt it's like I was not allowing my emotions fully because I do not understand them they feel a bit irrational so I was judgemental towards them

❤😊

I have trouble allowing my hurt as well, it hurts!

My third time listening to this as I am struggling to work with my shame over my loss of memory that led me to lying to protect myself. I am fearful of growing older and more incompetent alone. How to accept this?

Meditation starts 4:35

when i am agitated or unsteady it's because i am not listening. i am not acknowledging mara.

I find it difficult to ‘bring up’ the emotions of fear/panic and the hopelessness during meditation but they flood in when I’m not mediating - any advice?

🦋🫂🦋 I learned how to accept the comfort I offer others.

❤😊