Mountain Pride: Guided Imagery Mindfulness Drawing Exercise

Draw or doodle along with me on a guided imagery exercise. You don't need to be an artist to enjoy this track, just pick up a pen and draw whatever shapes, colours, or even words that come to you as you listen to this track. This exercise has been put together for mindfulness, introspection, and relaxation.

Track image: Generated by the Headliner

Music: Gaia (extended) by Chris Collins, Indie Music Box

Transcript

Hello beautiful soul,

Welcome into the space.

It's time to pause,

Calm your mind and come with me on a guided mindfulness art exercise.

You don't have to be an artist to take this journey.

All you need is something to draw a line on and something to draw a line with.

This is not about creating a breathtaking artwork but using the process of drawing to distract your mind from its usual flurry of thoughts.

We'll start with a few deep breaths,

Just grounding ourselves in the space and in this moment.

Then I will tell you a little story,

Something you can use as inspiration as you draw.

You can draw shapes,

Smudges of color,

Swirling lines,

Write some words,

Whatever comes naturally to you in the moment.

Let's begin.

If it is safe to do so and if you're comfortable to do so,

Close your eyes.

If you prefer,

Softly focus your eyes on the neutral point,

Perhaps the wall across from you or a spot on the floor.

Now let's start with three deep breaths,

In and out,

Each on the count of three.

In through the nose,

Filling up your lungs,

Expanding your chest and belly and out,

Relaxing into this moment.

Again,

In through your nose,

Feeling that expansion and out,

Relaxing deeper and feeling how you're held within your body.

One more breath in,

Filling your body and out,

Secure,

Relaxed and aware of yourself in this time and in this place.

Today I'm inviting you to come with me to the slopes of Table Mountain,

Here in the southwestern corner of South Africa.

The mountain is a natural wonder,

Well known around the world.

Its flat top rises sharply above the glittering city at its feet and overlooks the cold swells of the Atlantic Ocean on either side.

Today we're going to take a walk up a rambling mountain path that carries us a little way up the slopes of that mountain.

The sandy,

Gravelly path starts by winding its way through gray and green shrubs,

The fynbors,

That are the hallmark of this area.

The sun is bright and hot above us in a furiously blue sky.

The leaves we brush past are heavily scented from the baking sun.

There are hints of spiced orange,

Warm straw,

Honey,

Blackcurrant,

Even coconut.

There's the heavy hum of insects,

Tiny native honeybees zithering in the depths of flowers.

Corpulent carpenter bees bumbling along in a flash of electric blue.

The zip and whir of blue and red dragonflies.

The long-tailed sugarbirds call out to each other in piping voices as they move across the mountain slopes in search of the nectar inside the glossy,

Glassy,

Pink sugarbush proteas.

Smaller birds that we can't quite see bustle about busily in the lower branches of the bushes,

Seeking out small insects and carrying on a tremulous conversation.

We come to a bend in the path that leads us up to a small mountain valley on the face of the mountain.

As we start to climb,

The path will change from warm gritty sand to a dappled gray stone.

There are rough,

Low cut steps here that have been worn down by feet for decades.

As we make our way upwards,

It becomes cooler.

The rough beauty of the Famebos is making way for curling bracken ferns and small trees,

Sinuous creepers and lush mosses.

As the trees close above our heads,

The air is full of a musky,

Peppery smell of fallen leaves and the distant sound of trickling water.

Plush carpets of emerald moss creep down the sides of the path and fringe the stone steps.

In this little valley,

The light seems dim and sound is dampened,

And soon our breath and footsteps are the loudest sounds we hear.

Then,

Just ahead of us,

You see a flash of red.

On the curve of the path ahead of us,

A few small plants are rearing their heads.

Their flowers overhang the path,

And there are three pointed stars of brilliant scarlet against the muted green of the trees behind them.

This is what we've really come to see,

The red geyser orchid.

It has three large petals forming a triangular silhouette.

The bottom petals are deep red and fan slightly outwards.

The top petal is a slightly lighter colour with veins of deep red.

This top petal folds a little at its base,

Embracing the inner part of the flower where golden yellow pollen is held.

This beautiful orchid is only found on the sandstone mountains of the Cape in this corner of South Africa and nowhere else in the world.

It's become an annual pilgrimage for many who live here,

And they climb the slopes of the mountains between January and March every year to try and catch a glimpse of the startling blooms.

Let's take a rest here in the shady corner of the mountain to enjoy the geysers,

And I'll tell you a little legend we have here about them.

Many years ago,

When European settlers were first establishing themselves in the Cape,

There was a wealthy farmer who settled his family on a farm near a mountain where the geysers grew every year.

This farmer had a daughter named Eliza,

And as she grew up she became famed far and wide for her beauty and her charm.

Unfortunately,

They say,

Eliza grew up to become rather vain because of this.

When she came of age and young men began trying to court Eliza,

She declared that any man who wanted a chance to marry would have to accomplish a daring feat to prove they were worthy of her.

If they wanted to prove their love for her,

They would have to climb the treacherous slopes of the mountains behind her father's farm and pick her a red geyser orchid from the high cliffs.

Most of the would-be suitors looked at the mountain and decided that was just far too dangerous.

A few did make the attempt,

But soon gave up when they realized just how perilous that climb was.

Of all her suitors,

There was one that stood out,

A young man named Philip.

Even though Eliza had fallen in love with Philip,

She still wanted him to prove his devotion to her by bringing her a red geyser from the mountain.

Philip was brave and strong,

And he succeeded in making the climb and picking the flower,

But sadly he did not return from the mountain alive.

The way down was just too perilous.

Eliza was left alone,

With,

They say,

Only her pride to comfort her.

Our red geysers nod along sagely in the small breath of wind that finds its way through this damp mountain valley.

Of course,

Stories like this are typical of local legends,

And they're meant to warn us when we are children away from being prideful and stubborn.

A couple of large brown butterflies have flitted in,

Along with the breeze that is cooling our faces.

They dance above the geysers,

Showing off the orange spots and stripes,

And flashing the blue and white eye markings that adorn their brown wings.

These are known as table mountain beauties,

Or mountain pride butterflies,

And they're the largest of their kind in the country.

Unlike many butterflies,

They seek out orange and red flowers,

And have even been known to sit on red clothing worn by visitors to the mountain in their enthusiasm.

They've come here specifically for the red geysers,

And they're the only insects that pollinate these orchids.

It's funny in a way.

The red geyser,

Which was proud Eliza's downfall,

Is wholly dependent on the mountain pride butterfly for its continuation.

Perhaps pride isn't always bad.

Wherever you are,

Take a moment,

Watch the sky,

Hear the wind in the grass,

Touch a tree,

And take a moment to remember that we are one and the same.

We are part of this natural world.

We are not disconnected from it.

We are not separate from it.

It is not here merely to serve us.

We are a part of it,

And it is a part of us,

This glorious interconnectedness of all living and even non-living things.

I hope you've enjoyed this short journey up the mountain,

And I hope you can find yourself in a still,

Quiet space to hear the whisper of the wind,

Or the sound of water.

Until next time,

Beautiful soul,

Farewell.

Reviews

Ahh, Jessica, this is such a gem. I could feel the journey, taking each step in my imagination. Thank you for creating these magical awake ing reminders of the intricacies and splendor of our world. Beams of Love and Gratitude.