Equanimity Practice: Mountain Meditation

Using the imagery of a mountain through the seasons, Kari Scott leads you through thoughts and techniques to practice non-judgment, acceptance, and equanimity. This technique can be transferred to daily life with practice, to increase your sense of calm and peace regardless of the events going on around you. Add this to your regular meditation practice to build the non-judgment "muscle" in your heart and mind.

Thanks go to Chris Collins for the music in this track.

Transcript

This meditation will be focused on the feelings and practice of equanimity or non-judgment.

As we begin,

Please know that you can practice this meditation in any posture you wish,

Seated in a chair,

On a cushion,

Or lying down.

Please make yourself comfortable and use whatever blankets or props or pillows you need to make sure that you are feeling supported,

Comfortable,

And safe.

When you're ready,

Please take a deep breath all the way into your belly and exhale.

Let's do that again.

Inhale nice and deep into your belly and a slow,

Controlled exhale.

One more time to get us in the here and now to make sure you're present in the space you occupy.

A nice deep breath into the bottom of your belly and exhale.

Stretch out your fingers and toes.

Wiggle them a little bit before placing your hands either together in your lap or on your knees or thighs or next to your body if you're lying down.

Make sure you're sitting upright if you're seated with your shoulders and collarbones as far apart as is comfortable and your chin tilted down just a little to let those muscles in the back of your neck lengthen.

I invite you now to close your eyes if that's comfortable for you.

Otherwise,

Leave your eyes open,

Maybe at half halfway open,

And choose a spot on the floor or near you to let your gaze focus as we meditate.

Let's take a few moments to just think about the breath.

Think about where you feel it most in your body.

Focus on how the air feels coming in on the inhale and how it feels leaving on the exhale.

If at any point throughout the meditation today you feel thoughts intruding,

Any kind of thoughts trying to push their way into your mind,

Acknowledge them,

Recognize they're there,

And then let them go.

Choose not to engage and let them float on by like leaves on a stream.

That is the practice of meditation after all.

Recognizing when you've been distracted and making the conscious choice to return to your breath.

Now as you're breathing,

There's no need to change your breath.

Just let it be at whatever is comfortable for you today.

And start to imagine in your mind's eye a mountain.

It's your mountain so it can be any type you wish.

Ancient and old and smooth or tall,

Reaching for the clouds,

Jagged and sharp.

Take the time to imagine your mountain in all its glory.

Not just the shape,

But what's on your mountain,

What's around it.

What's it made of?

Is it all stone or is there mud and dirt?

Are there plants,

Trees?

Is there snow at the top of your mountain?

Take a few moments to envision the mountain as you see it.

Mountains have a solid base,

A firm foundation that supports them as they reach for the sky.

Not much can move a mountain.

It sits still no matter what goes on around it.

See if you can see your mountain from multiple sides.

Maybe a bird's-eye view so you get a 3D picture of this firm foundation wide at the bottom,

Narrowing toward the top,

Changes in between on your mountain.

We're going to think of our mountains as a place of non-judgment,

A place of equanimity and acceptance.

Now imagine if you can merging your sense of self with the mountain.

Imagine just bringing that mountain into yourself where that bottom strong foundation of the mountain is like your seat as we are meditating.

It's solid and firm and safe and strong.

Imagine the sides of the mountain come up and brush the edges of your shoulders and your head is along with the spires or the hills at the top of your mountain bathed in sunlight and moonlight and starlight and the energy of the universe.

If you get distracted,

Just return to your breath for a breath or two and then try and think of your mountain again as a strong and steady presence that is traveling your path with you today.

Now as you get comfortable imagining yourself and this mountain together,

Imagine if you will that it's springtime wherever your mountain is living and the spring rains are falling.

They're soaking your mountain from top to bottom.

The rain is running down the rock feeding the waterfalls and streams being absorbed into the plants and mosses and trees toward the base of your mountain and the mountain is quiet.

The mountain is still.

The mountain is present in this rain.

Even if the rain turns to a storm,

The spring lightning might strike and the thunder might roll and the mountain is still there.

Still strong and firm in foundation,

Still reaching for the sky.

Think for a moment about that rain,

That steady and life-giving rain washing over your mountain in the spring.

When the rain dries,

Things begin to bloom on the mountain.

Flowers,

Trees,

Leaves,

Insects arrive and small animals enlarge.

They take their place in the spring sunshine and maybe make your mountain a riot of color in the beautiful spring bloom.

And underneath that color and that life is the mountain sitting still and strong and still reaching for the sky.

Take a moment to lose yourself in the color the shades of green,

The warm breezes,

And the sounds of the bees buzzing.

As the season progresses,

Things may get dry on your mountain.

The sun turns hot.

The white light turns some of the green to shades of brown.

The pine needles may fall The animals may change when they're active during the day.

Different parts of your mountain will have different textures during this hot dry summer.

If your mountain has snow at the top,

It might keep that snow even during the warmest of summer months.

Anyone walking on your mountain would hear the crisp crackle of the dried grass and leaves beneath their feet and feel the hot sun on their shoulders.

The creeks may dry up,

The waterfalls may go down to a trickle but the mountain is still there.

Still strong and steady and still reaching for the sky.

Take a moment to imagine what your mountain smells like during this hot summer time when things dry up and life begins to shift to a slower pace.

Sometime near the end of summer,

There will come a cool breeze that will turn to a cold wind.

The first flakes of snow gently fall on the dried grass.

The trees begin to change their leaves.

They go from all the shades of green to a brilliant combination of yellows and oranges and reds.

Your mountain may seem like it's on fire with the reds and oranges and yellows.

Of fall,

The crisp winds turn into colder evenings.

The animals start to prepare for winter and as the season goes on,

The riot of color churns to browns and some leaves fall to create a carpet on the forest floor.

The mountain is still there.

The mountain is solid and steady and strong and the mountain still reaches for the sky.

Reaches for the sky.

Take a moment to imagine the fall wind,

The smell of the leaves,

And the feel of the crackle beneath your feet as you walk in the forest.

The winds turn bitter and the snow falls in heavy curtains across the top of your mountain.

Winter has come.

The snow piles on all the way down the sides,

Covering the fallen leaves in the dried grass,

Laying a blanket of silence across the mountain.

The stars seem brighter.

The moon seems larger and the air is crisp.

It seems to crackle in the night and still the mountain is there.

Under the snow,

Beneath the blanket of silence,

The mountain is strong and steady and is still reaching for the sky.

Even on the coldest night of the coldest season,

The mountain doesn't budge.

The mountain doesn't shrink or quake or turn away.

Even on the most glorious day of spring,

When all the flowers are blooming and the colors are at their height,

The mountain doesn't jump for joy or celebrate or dance.

The mountain is there.

The mountain is acceptance.

The mountain feels it all,

But the mountain is still strong and steady and the mountain always reaches for the sky.

For the last bit of our meditation today,

I'm going to suggest a mantra for us to practice.

It will ride along on your breath.

So on the inhale,

Think or say out loud,

Like a mountain.

And on the exhale,

Think or say out loud,

I am balance.

Like a mountain,

I am balanced.

I'll watch the clock so you can focus on your mantra and your breath.

If thoughts intrude,

Acknowledge them,

Recognize that they're there and choose to not engage.

Let them float on by like leaves on a stream and return to your breath.

And the mantra,

Like a mountain,

I am balanced.

Like a mountain,

I am balanced.

Like a mountain,

I am balanced.

I'd invite you now to take a nice deep breath all the way into the bottom of your belly.

Inhale and a gentle exhale.

Let's do that again.

Inhale and exhale.

One last time,

A nice deep breath.

Inhale and exhale.

I hope you can take some of the sense of the mountain into your day and through your week.

The sense of being strong no matter what is going on around you and always reaching for the sky.

Go ahead and wiggle your hands and toes.

When you're ready,

And not before then,

Go ahead and open your eyes or lift your gaze.

Thank you for meditating with me today.