The meditation includes visualizing the year that is ending in reverse chronological order and letting any memories of whatever happened during the year arise naturally. Afterward, fill out the template available for download. In the template, specify one to two highs and lows from each season, reflect on the one biggest lesson you (re)learned, and contemplate on how you want to feel in the coming year.

For those familiar with the practice of cultivating loving-kindness, you probably have done so through a recitation of phrases. Reciting phrases is just one doorway into this particular heart quality, and it doesn’t always work for everyone. In this practice, you’ll be guided to use images or a memory to inspire the sensations of loving-kindness to arise, and then to share it outward.

The acronym RAIN - recognize, allow, investigate, non-identification - was created by Michelle McDonald and popularized by Tara Brach. Often taught as a tool to deal with overwhelming emotions, this twist on a more traditional RAIN practice is guided so that it can be an essential technique you refer to regardless of what your current experience is.