Start by getting into a comfortable seated position,
Placing your hands on your knees.
Close your eyes.
Pay attention to the flow of your natural breath in and out.
With each breath,
Feel the weight of your body against the ground,
Strong and stable.
We can see this strength and stability all around us in nature.
A mountain is just one example of nature that can experience rapid and dramatic change in the course of a year,
And yet the mountain itself remains unchanged.
The mountain is grounded and stable,
And imagining yourself as a mountain can bring a strong sense of stability and strength to your own life.
Take a moment to envision a beautiful mountain.
It could be a snow-capped mountain with jagged peaks that reach into the clouds,
Or it could be a green mountain with rolling hills and plateaus and slopes of wildflowers.
There might be water traveling down the mountain,
Slowly at first and then growing and moving faster.
Maybe it tumbles off a cliff as a waterfall,
Pooling in a blue glacial pond.
Or perhaps it becomes larger and larger until emptying into a river at the mountain's base.
Maybe it has all these things.
That's just how massive the mountain is.
Its overall shape is that of a triangle,
Much like your own posture.
Your head is the tallest peak,
Your arms the mountainsides,
Your hands at your knees are the base,
And your sit bones are its deep connection to the earth.
Become aware of how tremendous and unmoving the mountain is.
Do your best to embody and become the mountain.
Share in its stillness.
You are this breathing mountain,
Centered and rooted.
Breathe in and tell yourself,
I imagine myself as the mountain.
Breathing out,
I am grounded and strong.
I imagine myself as the mountain.
I am grounded and strong.
Once you're visualizing your mountain,
Envision each season passing over it.
The crisp fall air as the mountain's trees turn orange,
Red,
Yellow,
And fall to the earth.
The rustling sounds of mountain animals preparing for the winter.
The quiet as birds leave for warmer climes.
The mountainsits.
The howling blizzard of winter.
White out storms that make the mountainside a mystery unto itself.
Shorter days and less sunlight.
All the mountain water is frozen solid.
Tree limbs barren,
Grasses and vines turn brown.
A black-capped chickadee bouncing along a branch.
It calls out but the sound is muffled by the snow that blankets everything around him.
He flies away and snow falls from the branch in an icy wet splat.
The mountain remains solid,
Unyielding.
Spring comes to the mountain.
There's a trickle of water rambling down the mountain as the ice in the higher elevations melts.
Flowers bloom and dot the mountainside in brilliant yellows,
Reds,
Purples,
And blues.
Chirping birds are beginning to return and poke about in the fresh foliage for a bite to eat.
They build nests in the budding trees and feed their younglings.
Hibernating animals come out to hunt,
Their footprints sometimes deliberate and heavy.
And others are fast to scurry along the forest floor.
All the new activity as life begins to return to the mountain.
And yet the mountain remains the same strong and steady entity,
Supporting it all.
Sense into being the mountain.
Solid and rooted.
Summer rain makes the trees and shrubs a lush deep green.
Water rolls down the mountainside in a clamor.
You can hear it murmuring within a mile of the stream.
It seems every animal is attracted to the water.
Sipping the cool water,
Looking for a bite to eat.
The trees are tall and thick and hawks and buzzards circle high above the tree line.
People come to visit the mountain.
You can hear their chatter and laughter as they set up camp.
Their fire at night sends a trail of smoke into the starry sky.
In the morning they pack up and leave,
Some enjoying the mountain a great deal and others thinking it wasn't a very good use of their time.
Maybe a summer visitor is irresponsible with their fire.
A grove of dry brittle trees is set aflame.
A flurry of fire trucks arrive.
Helicopters with buckets of water buzz overhead,
Dumping river water along the fire line until the flames are extinguished.
As the smoke begins to clear,
The firefighters pack up and leave behind the charred and crumbled remains of foliage.
And amid everything,
The mountain remains the same.
Year after year as that blackened spot on the mountainside is recollected by the forest,
One day with green saplings and flowers sprinkled throughout.
Changes continue,
But the mountain is stable and balanced.
Know that the peaks and valleys of life will come and go.
Strong emotions will give way to new ones,
But you can always try to embody the mountain.
Filled with dignity,
Strength,
Grace and calm,
It abides by all change.
Breathe in and tell yourself,
I imagine myself as the mountain.
Breathing out,
I am grounded and strong.
As we bring this practice to a close,
See if you can acknowledge the active choice of taking time out of your busy day for your own well-being.
Meditation is an act of self-care.
Remember to take with you this sense of calm,
Balance and stability into the rest of your day.
