I invite you to stand or if it better supports you,
You are welcome to sit.
Notice that however you choose to position yourself,
You find yourself grounding down,
Feeling the earth beneath your feet,
Perhaps your seat on a chair,
Feeling this growing upwards,
This dignified way of being,
Not too relaxed,
Feeling grounded,
Active,
And alive,
Awake.
Feel your breathing,
Feel the in and the out.
No need to change the breath,
Not needing the breath to be any particular way,
But just be with it to see how it is.
Perhaps experiencing this art of being present,
Just being here now as you are.
In this practice today we will be engaging our imagination and in a way taking support from nature.
Nature is often a place that we can learn from.
Feel again your feet on the earth,
The ground,
The connection here,
And have a deep breath through your body,
Feeling this connection to the earth and to your breath.
And so bring to mind the image of a mountain.
This may be a mountain that you are well familiar with,
One that you've hiked,
Spent time with,
Maybe one that you have seen in pictures or heard about,
Or it may be that you've not had encounters with a mountain and yet there is a sense of what a mountain is.
I'm calling forward this inner sense of a mountain.
For many of us being in nature can feel supportive and an available pathway into the present moment.
Nature has so much to show us,
To teach and reveal to us.
Each tree is a tree,
The river is the river,
The sky is only the sky.
These things remain true to what they are and for this practice today we are taking the support of an image of a mountain.
And as with all practices,
If that practice does not resonate with you taking a practice that does.
So bringing to mind this image,
This image of a mountain,
Notice its base,
Its different peaks,
Maybe there are many,
Maybe there are few.
It might be more sharp or rounded looking,
Its peaks may be covered with snow or not.
And as you hold this image of a mountain in your mind just tending to the experience that it is,
That this image offers,
You might notice the fluctuations in intensity,
The imagery,
Or perhaps a body sense.
But just being with this mountain however it can be known to you.
Taking in the size of the mountain,
Sensing the wholeness or the parts,
And if not able to visualize no need to strive,
If you can't create this picture in your mind,
Notice how you have a sense of a mountain without the need to see it.
The solidness of the mountain,
The stability,
That is something we know too.
Perceiving a mountain in its fullness,
Allowing the sense of this image of a mountain to come into your body.
This firm base that you've established,
The very base of the mountain like your feet connected to the ground beneath you.
And arising up from this firm base is our torso.
And so feeling this sense of uplift,
This sense of rising,
Your upper body becoming this elevation of the mountain,
Your shoulders and your arms are the slopes,
And your head the very peak.
Connecting as you are with this sense of stability rooted and elevated.
Taking in and becoming this mountain more with each breath filled with life and movement,
And perhaps connecting with this deep essence of a moving presence.
And as with all things you can move in and get closer to become more familiar with to get a better look.
You might notice how multifaceted it may be.
Areas of the mountain may be spacious and lush and other areas densely populated,
Trees and shrubs.
Another area of the mountain may offer a glimpse or a surprise,
A gift from nature,
A spectacular view,
An animal sighting,
Or a beautiful water feature.
And then as you explore the different facets of the mountain you might see parts of the mountain that are ravaged,
Fire,
Flood,
Or some other kind of destruction.
Parts of the mountain are beautiful and other parts can be unsettling.
Yet when we broaden our focus,
Seeing the entirety,
The whole mountain comes into view,
Not defined by one facet,
By one perspective.
And also with anything that we attend to for a period of time we experience shift and change.
All kinds of weather patterns visit the mountain.
Gentle rain falls,
Torrential downpours,
Brilliant sunshine,
Dense fog,
Floating clouds.
The different seasons visit the mountain.
Summer bringing warm and lushness,
Fall colors and decay,
Winter snow covering the mountain,
And spring bringing renewal.
All this change that occurs in and on the mountain and again throughout it all the mountain remains true to its essence.
As we reflect on the mountain,
This mountain investigating it,
Bringing the mountain into our experience,
Perhaps we notice similarities.
We can also narrow in and notice our own way of being and our own personalities that we find beautiful.
And other aspects or other moments in time we encounter parts of our self that seem barren or damaged.
And then just rounding a corner on the mountain can open the sight line to something new,
Unexpected.
We also can find aspects within our self and tools that we didn't know were possible.
When we narrow in the focus we see this and when we broaden out we find the totality.
We are not one action,
One thought,
Not one season defines us.
We are so much more and just like the mountain we also experience change.
Different weather patterns impact us both internally and externally.
Full consuming sorrow can give rise to hope for what can be.
Our body is constantly evolving and changing.
Some areas we may find pleasant and other parts challenging and it changes.
And with this all like the mountain perhaps there is an enduring presence within you.
And through the practice we may notice the fluctuations and movements of our mind.
And throughout this too is an enduring presence,
An awareness that we are cultivating that is receptive and unchanging.
This vast capacity to be awake and present to our life feeds the growing ability to meet what comes our way.
Like this enduring presence that is in a mountain.
Mountains can evoke awe and mystery and sitting here now perhaps recognizing the mystery and magnificence that you are.
All of the parts that make you up,
The sunny,
The stormy,
The stillness and the howling wind.
Awake to right now.
Aware of here and available to each moment as it unfolds.
Inviting yourself to rest in this sense and stability and presence of the mountain.
The essence of a mountain.
Sensing groundedness as each moment gives way to another.
Let's begin to let this image,
This sense of a mountain fade knowing it is always here to recall upon later.
And take a deeper breath,
A long breath out and another one of those.
You might gently wiggle your fingers brushing your own fingerprint unique to you or wiggle your toes.
When you're ready lifting your eyelids to let the light in and allow your palms to press down into your thighs,
Your legs.
Feel your hands touching down.
Take a deeper breath and sensing into any possible reverb from that practice.
Bringing with you into this moment and the next,
A sense of the mountain within.
A deep bow to you.
Thank you for your practice.
