Slogan #29

Abandon Poisonous Food

Today, I had the privilege of guiding students at the StudioBe Community using Tara Brach's RAIN Meditation. Using the Lojong Slogan 29: "Abandon Poisonous Food” a theme for the class helped share this beautiful practice in a class setting. This slogan reminds us to be mindful of what we consume—not just physically, but emotionally and mentally as well.

As I led the session, I introduced RAIN: Recognize, Allow, Investigate, and Nurture. Watching the students settle into this process.

Recognize: We started by acknowledging our current challenges or emotional struggles. I could feel the collective stillness as everyone tuned into their inner experiences. This recognition is crucial—it's about identifying the "poisonous food" we ingest mentally and emotionally, the thoughts and patterns that do us harm.

Allow: Allowing these feelings to be present without trying to change them was a transformative step. There was a palpable sense of acceptance in the room. It's like digesting food; resisting only causes discomfort. Allowing creates space for healing.

Investigate: Guiding the students to explore their emotions with curiosity and kindness, I saw a deeper understanding unfold. What beliefs or memories underlie these feelings? This step is like examining the ingredients of what we consume. Are they nourishing or toxic? By investigating, we can begin to transform our suffering.

Nurture: Finally, nurturing with self-compassion, acceptance and love brought the meditation full circle. Seeing the release and relief in my students' faces was a poignant reminder of the power of kindness. Nurturing ourselves is the antidote to the poison. It’s about choosing nourishment over harm.

Reflecting on this experience, I realized how deeply interconnected RAIN and Lojong Slogan 29 are. By recognizing and abandoning our mental poisons, we make room for self-compassion and growth. Today’s class wasn’t just about teaching meditation; it was about embarking on a shared journey of healing.