Taking a deep breath,
With the out breath blowing out any tension.
And again,
Holding at the top,
Releasing on the out breath.
Another deep grounding breath,
Holding and blowing out.
Now just allowing the breathing to return to a natural rhythm,
Bringing awareness to your posture.
Sitting upright,
Still,
Tall,
With a quiet sense of dignity.
Bringing your attention to the ground or the chair beneath you.
The weight of your body supported.
Feeling your connection to the earth beneath you.
As you sit still with that quiet dignity and groundedness.
Visualise a grand majestic mountain.
Whose peaks pierce smoky clouds and continue upwards,
Where the air is clear and the view is endless.
Supported by a vast foundation,
Rooted deeply in the bedrock of the earth.
This mountain,
A monument to all that is solid,
Unmoving.
Be this mountain.
Take on its stillness,
Its strength,
As your own.
Grounded in the stability of your posture.
Your head,
The mountain's skyward peak.
Your shoulders,
Its cliffs and slopes.
Your feet,
Legs and hips at base,
Solid and rooted beneath you.
Be the mountain.
A living,
Breathing mountain,
Alive and aware,
Yet unwavering in inner stillness.
Completely what you are,
Beyond words and thought.
A centred,
Grounded,
Unmoving presence.
The mountain sitting tall bears witness.
As the sun travels across the sky,
Casting light and shadows.
Moment by moment in the mountain's stillness,
Surface teems with life and activity.
Trees and flowers bloom and die,
And bloom again.
Wildlife returns and departs with the seasons.
Be the mountain.
Which sits and witnesses.
How night follows day and back again.
The warmth of the sun.
The stars at night.
Through it all the mountain sits.
Aware of the changes that each moment brings around it.
The flowing,
Changing conditions.
Yet the mountain remains itself,
Still.
As the seasons change around it.
One season flows into the other.
The earth swells from hot and cold,
From tame to turbulent.
None of this disturbs the mountain's stillness,
Its composure,
Its groundedness.
Gales blow against the mountain's surface.
Rain batters down,
The streams run down the face of the mountain.
Ice and snow in winter.
Melting in the spring.
And still the mountain remains.
In the same way.
Our emotions arise and pass.
Sadness.
Hurt,
Anger.
Fear.
Joy,
Gratitude,
Love.
They come and go.
Like the weather.
As to the seasons of our life.
Circumstances change.
Jobs,
Relationships.
Places.
Memories.
The drama of the world,
The chaos of the world.
All around us.
Yet through it all.
We can sit.
Walk.
Still.
Grounded.
Like the mountain.
Bearing witness to the changing nature of our own mind and body.
And the world around us.
We will all experience periods of varying intensity.
Of darkness and light.
Activity and inactivity.
Moments that fill our lives with colour.
Through it all.
Be the mountain.
Take on that mountain stability as your own.
Draw on your inner strength and stillness.
Draw on that grounded equanimity.
Be the mountain.
Unwavering stillness.
Grounded presence.
Witnessing as the sun travels across the sky.
As day becomes night and night returns to day.
Witness as the weather changes and the mountain remains the same.
Unmoving.
Calm and majestic.
With that unwavering stillness.
Be the mountain.
Let your own periods of light and darkness come and go.
Just as the mountain experiences sunlight and shade,
Daylight and moonlight,
Winds and rain.
Allow the seasons to change and the violent storms of life to rage around you.
While you remain the calm,
Stable and still presence that is your essential nature.
And as we prepare to end this meditation,
Form the heartfelt intention and determination to take this sense of strength,
Groundedness and stillness with you.
Out of this meditation and into your life.
So that you can bring this grounded presence and stability.
Into your life whatever challenges or chaos you may face in the world.
Allowing us to be the mountain for others.
To offer this stability and groundedness for them too.
So that they may find their own stillness.
Taking some deep breaths now.
Aware again of the weight of your body supported by the ground or the chair.
The cool feeling of air against your skin.
You may want to wiggle your fingers and toes or stretch or move your body.
As you come into movement,
Maintaining inner stillness,
Inner groundedness.
Going into your day now with that stillness and grounded presence.
