Mountain Meditation

A grounding meditation practice using the image of a mountain.

Transcript

In meditation,

Sometimes using an image can be helpful,

Using a metaphor that points to a quality that's worth cultivating.

And so I'd like to use such an image in this meditation.

And the image that I'm going to use is the image of a mountain.

And I'll say more about that as we proceed,

But just beginning by sensing your body as it sits,

Feeling the places of contact in the body,

Sensing the body from the outside,

Feeling the air on your skin.

Sensing the body from the inside,

Feeling the muscles and the bones,

The pulses and the vibrations.

And beginning to zero in on the sensations of your breath.

Feeling the breath coming in,

Feeling the breath going out.

Breathing in and breathing out.

So,

Now I'd like you to picture in your mind's eye the most beautiful mountain you've ever seen.

It could be a real mountain in the world,

Or it could be a mountain in your imagination.

Just picturing the most beautiful mountain you've ever seen.

And notice the qualities of your mountain.

For example,

Does the mountain that you're imagining or seeing have one peak or many?

Are they snow-capped or bare?

Are the sides of the mountain covered with trees or with rocks,

Meadows?

And how are you seeing the mountain?

Are you seeing it from its base,

Looking up?

Or perhaps you're seeing it from a horizon,

As if you were on a freeway driving past it,

Seeing it in the distance.

Or perhaps you're seeing it from above,

Maybe from an airplane looking down.

Just seeing your mountain,

Bringing it into your mind's eye.

Now see if you can take the image of the mountain and merge it with your body.

Your head becomes the lofty mountain peak.

Your shoulders and arms become the slopes of the mountain.

Your buttocks and legs,

Feet become the base of the mountain,

Deeply rooted into the earth.

You can sense the uprightness of the mountain in the uprightness of your own spine.

You and the mountain are one.

And the mountain just sits totally itself,

Awake,

Present,

Immovable.

And the day turns to night and the air becomes cool.

And the mountain just sits there,

Beneath the stars,

In the cool air,

Totally itself,

Awake,

Present,

Receptive.

And the seasons change and the fall comes.

And the leaves on the trees turn color.

And the days become a little shorter,

The nights a little longer and cooler.

And the mountain just sits totally itself,

Present,

Awake,

Imperturbable.

And then the winter comes,

The days becoming shorter and colder,

And some of the trees becoming bare except for the evergreens.

And the nights become longer and the rains come.

And then finally the snow,

The mountain becoming covered in ice.

And the nights are very long.

And the mountain just sits totally itself,

Receptive,

Awake,

Present,

Imperturbable.

And the mountains just sit totally itself,

Present,

Awake,

Imperturbable.

And after a long winter,

The spring comes,

The days become warmer and longer,

And ice begins to melt on the sides of the mountain.

And icy rushing streams of water cascade down the mountain sides as the days become longer still,

And more and more ice melts.

And the trees now with new green leaves.

And on the meadows of the mountain,

Wildflowers begin to sprout more and more each day in dazzling colors.

And the mountain just sits totally present,

Awake,

Receptive,

Totally itself.

There is no weather that the mountain can't stand.

No condition in the world that the mountain can't be with.

Whatever comes,

The mountain is able to be with it,

Steady,

Awake,

Receptive,

Always itself.

And that's why Indian The birds have vanished into the sky,

And now the last cloud drains away.

We sit together,

The mountain and me,

Until only the mountain remains.

Reviews

Wonderful practice with such a calming voice. Thank you 😊

We love this meditation. His voice is so calming

Just a perfect start to the day. Even my dog came and joined me.

Wonderful imagery guidance and use of scilence/pause. In gratitude, Namaste 🙏

Very effective. Great visualization. Will do again. Thank you!

Lovely . Namaste.👃

beautiful .. easy to imaging .. very calming

So helpful in the immediate to relieve heady anxiety, as well as for continued practice to merge with the mountain. Bookmarked and will be repeating. THANK you!

I've heard that the mountain meditation is good for those with anxiety and now I know why. I am of the earth. I am of they sky. I am of the seasons. I am...
Definitely bookmarking this one!

Meditating with this image of a grounded and beautiful mountain is great!I love it..thanks a lot!

Love this type of meditation!

A wonderful meditation. Brought solidity to my morning.

Excellent metaphor and loved the feeling of the changing of the seasons

Very grounding, very calming, and very centering. 🙏

I really enjoyed this. It casts a brilliant metaphor for being at one with yourself and your surroundings. Really well done.

I got a lot out of this one. Very effective. Makes you think of remaining at peace throughout the many occurrences of life. Will add to my favorites.

Excellent meditation..! Very helpful. Calming and relaxing voice.

Liked this one quite a bit

Love mountain meditations. Really powerful metaphor I think.

Lovely! I felt good to continue sitting for a while after the bells rang.