Rain Meditation

Today is a rainy day where I live, in fact 16 of the 26 days this month have been raining here. It was too wet to take Sam for a walk today, so I decided to meditate on the rain. I am trying to establish a regular meditation practice and so far the concept of concentrating on a sound or object seems to be what works best for me. My mind has a huge tendency to become distracted. A quote from a book I am reading, Mindfulness in Plain English, says it this way:"The essence of our experience is change. Change is incessant. Moment by moment life flows by, and it is never the same... a thought springs up in your head and half a second later, it is gone. In comes another, and then that is gone too." That pretty much sums up how my mind works! But meditation helps me stay focused longer. I'm not sure if the rain meditation is an actual official type of meditation, but it calms and stills my mind and that's all that matters to me! The next time you find yourself at home when it's raining outside try the rain meditation:

• Sit comfortably, with your spine tall, but not rigid. You can sit against a wall, in a chair, or on the floor.

• Take several deep breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth to relax the body and mind.

• Begin to focus your attention on the sound of the rain. Really tune into the rush of water, the steady drops, or the intermittent showers.

• Hold your attention to the sounds, and if your mind wanders just smile to yourself. This is normal. Gently bring your mind back to the sound of the rain.

• Meditate for as long as you like. There is no required amount and there is no time limit.

Hopefully the next time it rains where you are, you will find a moment to meditate and concentrate simply on the beauty of the sound of rain. Here's hoping for clear skies tomorrow so I can once again walk my dog Sam.

photo courtesy freestockphoto.com