Hello and welcome to this mountain meditation.
Begin by finding a comfortable position,
Seated or lying down.
Somewhere you can feel both supported and at ease.
And let your body settle.
Take a few moments to arrive.
Notice the natural rhythm of your breath.
The rise and fall and the gentle movement in the belly or in the chest.
Let yourself feel the contact points beneath you.
The ground,
The chair,
The mat.
And trust that you're being held right now.
And just start by bringing your awareness to the base of your body.
So feeling your feet,
Your legs,
Your hips.
The part of you most in contact with the earth.
And sense the weight and steadiness of those parts of your body.
Imagine that with each exhale,
Your body softens downwards.
Imagining roots spreading into the soil below,
Finding connection and stability.
There's no expectation or need to perform here.
We're simply allowing the body to be as it is.
Heavy,
Human,
Whole.
Belonging right here on the earth.
And as you breathe,
Begin to sense that the ground beneath you is breathing with you.
Subtle exchange of energy between you and the earth.
So inhaling and receiving support.
And exhaling and letting go.
Perhaps taking three more long,
Smooth breaths here.
And now bring to mind the image of a mountain.
It's tall and strong and ancient.
Perhaps it's a mountain that you've seen or it could be one that arises in your imagination.
See its broad base anchored deep into the earth.
Its peak reaching towards the sky.
Notice how it remains steady through every season.
Through wind and rain,
Sun and snow.
Begin to imagine yourself as this mountain.
Your body becoming the mountain's form.
Imagining your feet and legs as the solid base.
And your spine as the steady column rising up.
And your head as the peak touching the sky.
And feel your breath moving through you like shifting air across the slopes of the mountain.
Sometimes gentle,
Sometimes strong.
Never disturbing the core of the mountain.
And as sensations arise,
Warmth,
Coolness,
Tingling,
Stillness.
Let them move through you as weather moves across the land.
You as the mountain simply witness.
You might notice thoughts or emotions passing through.
Like clouds through the sky above the mountain.
Perhaps sometimes stormy.
Sometimes moving slowly,
Sometimes quickly.
And see if you can meet them with the same steadiness.
So quiet knowing that you can hold them all.
You might like to stay with this feeling of being the mountain.
Breathing as a mountain.
Experiencing the steadiness of your mountain-ness.
And then gently starting to bring your attention back to your body as it is here in this moment.
And sense the groundedness in your lower body.
The firmness of the earth beneath you.
The openness of your chest perhaps.
Maybe again feeling the breath rising and falling.
Perhaps sensing the space above your head.
That sky of awareness that holds it all.
And let your breath deepen.
So with each inhale you might imagine drawing in the strength and stability of the mountain.
And with each exhale releasing any tension.
Softening into belonging right here.
Remembering that being steady does not mean being rigid.
Even mountains are alive in a way.
They're slopes shaped by the wind and the water,
The weather.
They're stories written over time.
You might place a hand over your heart.
Perhaps one over your belly.
Acknowledging this meeting point between the earth and the sky that you are.
A balance of strength and softness.
Of steadiness and ease.
And perhaps just letting yourself feel a sense of stillness and strength.
That comes not from that rigidity or hardness but from steady presence.
And whenever you're ready you might want to start to bring your awareness outwards again.
So you might notice some sounds around you.
Maybe the temperature of the air on your skin.
Perhaps again taking one or two long full breaths.
Allowing your body to gently move a little bit.
Wiggling the fingers and the toes.
Rolling your shoulders.
Maybe turning your head from side to side.
And as you start to perhaps let your eyes blink open.
Look around you.
You can see if you can carry this sense of embodied steadiness into your day.
It's a reminder that you can meet the weather of life with a sense of grace and ease.
And thank you for practicing.
Have a great day.
