Good morning.
Good evening.
Good afternoon.
Wherever you may be.
Whatever you may be doing.
And welcome to this practice today.
My name is Thiru Munda Varara.
And I try and help people.
Back home to themselves.
So they can meet life from a place of presence,
Steadiness.
And self-trust.
Today we're going to sit for a moment.
At a crossroads.
This practice is for anyone.
Who has or is.
About to embark on a change.
Be that professionally,
Be that personally.
It's a practice that I record at a very special place.
Set the bass.
Mountain in Malawi.
A mountain which The mountain is known locally as Island in the Sky.
And I found myself.
Really drawn to it.
One,
I simply love mountains.
But too,
There's just been something that has stood out for me every single time.
Since I first saw it probably about three years ago.
And on one side sits its significant peak.
Which in the local language translates to don't go there.
And that's roughly been named,
Well,
It's roughly been titled that.
Because.
.
.
Of the local beliefs,
Spiritual beliefs that refer to.
.
.
Dangers of the climb.
And the mystery.
That it holds.
And I find it very apt being.
At this place at this time.
For me personally.
And as ever.
That results in me recording.
A meditation which I believe will speak to somebody out there.
So if that is you and you feel comfortable doing so,
Please do.
Leave a comment.
About.
How is practice?
Touched you.
Made you feel.
If ye do,
If ye so feel.
Where you are currently in life.
At that junction of those crossroads.
Without further ado.
Let's take a slow deep breath in and we'll hold it at the top.
Close our eyes.
And exhale.
Now let's begin.
Allow yourself.
To slow down.
I say the words.
To simply say to your mind,
Slow down.
And allow yourself to let go and allow that to happen.
No need to focus on your breath.
To simply allow yourself or your mind.
To quiet.
Into him.
And if during the practice your mind begins to wander Gently say to yourself,
That sintering mantra.
I am here.
I am now.
I am present.
And with that,
Let's start.
See yourself standing.
On a quiet path.
Surrounded by trees.
Fields and blocks of tea.
Ancient tea.
Some plants.
Having been on this land for over a hundred years.
The air is still.
World feels hushed,
And ahead of you the road divides.
Not split.
Divides into two directions.
One path gently.
To the left.
Wide familiar.
Easy to follow.
The other turns slowly upward toward the mountain.
Narrower.
Steeper.
Less certain.
You can't even tell where the road goes.
Once it breaches the horizon.
Allow yourself.
Right now.
This moment to simply.
.
.
Stand here.
And accept where you are.
And if it helps,
Pause this practice right now.
And take it all on board.
Not the emotion of where you are in life right now.
But simply the reality of it.
Life has a way of bringing all of us,
At some point,
To these moments.
Moments where.
Something inside us quietly realizes.
If I keep walking the same road.
And lightly arrive at the same destination.
The same patterns,
The same cycles,
The same relationships with others The same relationship with self.
And sometimes that road is comfortable because.
.
.
We know it.
We've travelled it,
We've been travelling it.
Even if.
.
.
No longer fits who we are becoming.
Now look toward the path on the right.
The path climbs.
You cannot fully see where it leads from where you are.
Parts disappear behind trees.
Rocks.
Fields.
You're not sure but at some point it seems like the road becomes a path.
The incline looks demanding.
And yet.
.
.
Despite what it looks like.
Something about it feels alive.
Real.
Not easy,
Not polished.
Are true.
You feel deep down it feels like the journey that has brought you to this point on this road.
Has also felt like your identity.
Has become more true.
The masks have been removed.
Burdens.
Shit.
Not all.
When the load feels lighter.
You wake up in the morning.
Feeling ever so slightly more true.
About you.
And this is often how growth feels.
Not loud certainty.
Complete confidence,
Just a quiet knowing that something deeper is asking for your attention.
A different way of living.
Different way of loving.
A different way of speaking.
Yourself.
Different way of seeing.
Self.
Perhaps.
The higher path asks you to let go of who you had to become in order to survive.
Maybe it asks you to stop abandoning yourself for approval.
Maybe it asks you to finally trust.
Your voice.
Your own voice.
Your authentic voice.
Or perhaps.
.
.
Maybe.
It only asks you to believe.
That your life can hold more peace.
More honesty.
More alignment.
Than what you have settled for before.
Climbing changes perspective.
At first,
All you notice.
The effort,
All you feel is exertion.
The discomfort,
The unfamiliarity.
The new route to work.
And new colleagues.
A partner who doesn't.
Get that joke.
Missing that partner that doesn't get that joke and then Slowly.
The view begins to change.
You start seeing.
Further than you once could.
Things that.
.
.
At some point felt enormous.
Begin looking.
Smaller.
It's on above.
The fears that controlled you lose.
Some of their grip.
And somewhere along the way you realize.
The climb was never punishment.
It was transformation.
Even though the name might say don't go there.
You're not being a rebel.
To realize.
And you feel.
A draw,
And a calling.
So I want you to now go back.
And ask yourself that question.
Similar question.
To what we did at the beginning of this practice.
But I want you to reframe it.
Why don't you ask yourself?
The broader question.
And I'd like you to place both hands on your gut as you do this.
And gently ask yourself the question.
Where in my life am I standing?
A divide in the road.
Where in my life am I standing at a fault?
And again,
If need be,
Press pause.
I'll be here waiting when you come back.
Now having done that.
.
.
Which path feels familiar?
But no longer fully true.
And which path feels uncertain but deeply alive.
Here there is no judgment.
From neither me.
Yourself,
Your parts.
Choosing a new path.
Can be.
And feel terrifying.
Because every new version of your life asks something from you.
It asks for courage.
Patience.
Honesty.
And often it asks you to become your own companion.
To be more of your own cheerleader.
While you walk through unfamiliar terrain.
But perhaps that.
.
.
Is the actual journey,
Not becoming fearless,
Not becoming perfect.
Becoming someone who stays with themselves.
While life changes.
Building that relationship with self.
Your best friend.
Learning that you can.
Do.
Will always rely on self.
It's becoming someone who learns to trust.
They got.
Their own footsteps.
Their feelings.
Someone.
Who with time becomes their own.
Safe place in which always be able to return to.
Take another deep breath in now and hold it gently at the top.
And again,
Exhale slowly.
Oh.
And feel the physical ground beneath you.
The carpet.
The grass,
The ground,
Your shoes.
And know that you do not need to have.
The entire mountain figured out today.
You do not need to know.
Where every turn will be in the path ahead.
You only need the willingness to take.
The next.
Honest step.
And see yourself beginning to walk.
Slowly,
Steadily,
Upward.
Trees shifting around you,
The air changing,
As you were saying.
As you climb.
The magnitude of the mountain opening itself.
Little.
By little.
And with each step.
You're not only changing your direction,
You're changing your relationship.
With self.
Changing who you are.
We are becoming.
And it might not be.
The Big Game.
Moment.
The Grand.
Shift.
But with time.
.
.
You'll look back.
And remember.
So let's take one final breath in.
And softly out.
And repeat the centering mantra.
I am here.
I am now.
I am present.
Now.
As you inhale.
Feel a sense of calm and peace and hold it at the top and gently exhale.
Open your eyes.
And bring yourself back.
From the practice.
Thank you for being here with me today.
Thank you for your willingness to pause,
To reflect,
And to listen inwardly.
And if this meditation resonated with you.
I'd encourage you.
Take a look at my course.
Titled What To Do When You Get Triggered.
It's a 12-day journey that I hope will be worth it.
Helps and supports.
Due to learning.
And building.
The stronger.
More trusting relationship with self.
And the parts within you.
That have helped protect us and get us to where we are today.
And with that,
The final deep bows to you all.
Thank you.
And I'll see you next time.
