This meditation is an invitation to remember something that leaders often forget in the midst of pressure and change.
Just like nature,
Our lives move in cycles.
They're cycles of growth,
Stillness,
Turbulence and renewal.
Nothing is permanent and yet all through all of it,
There you are.
You don't have to be lost in the transitions or swept up in the uncertainty around you.
And the mountain teaches us endurance.
It shows us what it means to stand rooted and steady while the seasons change on its surface.
Storms come,
Colour returns,
Life grows and winter arrives again.
And still,
The mountain remains itself.
So this practice is a gentle reminder that you too can meet change with presence,
Resilience and clarity.
That beneath whatever is shifting around you,
There is a deeper you that is strong,
Steady and completely intact.
And just like the mountain,
You endure,
You thrive and you rise again.
So let's arrive.
Take a deep breath in.
And gently release it.
And another slower breath in.
And as you exhale,
Begin to go within,
Quieting down any external distractions,
Any noise that doesn't need your attention right now.
This is time for you.
Allow yourself to settle on your breath.
Let it be soft and steady and effortless.
And in your mind's eye,
Bring to mind a beautiful mountain landscape.
Perhaps it's somewhere you've walked before.
Perhaps it's a picture you've seen.
Or maybe it's one your imagination creates in this very moment.
Let yourself arrive there.
Take a moment to notice the surroundings.
What can you see?
Is the sky clear or are clouds drifting lazily across it?
What colours can you make out?
The greens of the trees,
The greys and purples of stones.
The blues of a vast open sky.
Notice what you can hear.
Maybe the distant trickle of a stream or the rustle of leaves.
A single bird calling across the valley.
Notice the temperature.
The air fresh on your skin.
Perhaps there's a slight breeze that's brushing your face.
Maybe the sun is out and you can see how its light dances on the mountain peaks.
Whether they're capped with snow or standing bare and proud.
And now,
I invite you to become the mountain.
Feel your awareness shift,
Feel your body grow tall from within.
That sense of massiveness,
Stillness and the quiet majesty arising in you.
Notice the ground beneath you.
A solid base that's rooted deep into the earth.
You can feel the ancientness in your bones.
The knowing,
The wisdom of something that has been here long before this moment.
And will continue long after.
It's that silent strength.
And breathe.
And with each breath,
Become a little stiller.
A little more mountain.
And wavering in your stillness.
Completely what you are beyond thoughts and words.
Centred,
Rooted.
An unmoving presence.
And breathe.
Now notice the sun travelling across the sky above you.
The warmth it brings to your surface.
The way that light shifts and shadows lengthen and soften,
Moment by moment.
And notice how time moves around you.
Yet you remain still.
Night follows day.
The sky deepens.
The stars appear,
One by one,
As tiny pinpricks of ancient light.
The moon rises,
Casting a soft glow across your slopes.
Illuminating ridges and valleys.
And the mountain simply sits.
Experiencing change.
Witnessing it.
Without resisting.
Noticing without grasping.
And as you sit there,
The seasons begin to turn.
Winter arrives with a quiet authority.
And snow settles on your peaks.
Cool,
Clean,
Pure.
A soft white blanket drapes itself around you,
Smoothing your edges and calming your surface.
And storms gather.
Wind lashes against your sides.
Rain and sleet pelt your rocks.
Fogs rolls in,
Thick and unyielding,
Obscuring everything from view.
Yet deep within,
Your core stays steady.
You don't resist the storm.
You do not fear the cold.
You simply allow winter to be winter.
Weather moves across your surface,
But it never changes who you are.
And slowly,
Almost imperceptibly,
The light shifts again and spring approaches.
Snow softens and melts and it trickles into tiny streams that make your way down your sides.
Fresh shoots of green push through the soil.
And small flowers take root in your crevices,
Finding home in the most unlikely places.
Birds return and you can hear sound,
You can feel movement and that new life that it brings.
The air feels different.
It's warmer and lighter and hopeful.
And you feel colour returning.
You feel energy rising.
Spring invites renewal and you welcome it,
Without hurrying it,
Without forcing it.
Just allowing life to return in its own rhythm.
And breathe.
And then comes summer.
It's bright and open and expansive.
And sunlight pours over you,
Warming your stones,
Filling your valleys with golden light.
Plants start to grow in abundance and animals gather and rest and play.
And you are vibrant,
Alive,
Buzzing with life and fullness.
The days are long,
The sky is wide,
And you enjoy the richness of this season.
The warmth,
The growth,
The abundance.
You receive it all.
And yet you remain grounded,
Rooted,
Unchanging in your essence.
And then gently,
Almost quietly,
Summer exhales into autumn and colours transform.
The greens fade into golds and reds and deep browns.
And leaves fall softly to your base,
Creating a carpet of change and colour.
And the air becomes crisp again,
Carrying the scent of wood and earth.
Animals gather what they need for the colder days to come.
And there's a sense of preparation and surrender and completion.
Autumn whispers of letting go,
Not with fear,
But with wisdom.
And you release what needs releasing.
You hold what needs holding.
You trust the cycle as it moves through you.
And you breathe.
And then winter returns as it always does.
Snow falls,
Winds rise,
Days shorten,
And still,
You remain there.
Through it all the mountain sits,
The weather changes,
The light changes,
The life around you changes.
But who you are,
Does not.
You are the stillness beneath the storm,
The strength beneath the surface.
You are solid,
Majestic,
And moving in your truth.
You witness all that moves across your life.
Emotions,
Seasons,
Challenges,
Opportunities.
And still,
You know who you are.
So take a breath here,
And feel that sense of unwavering presence in your body.
Feel the deep stability of the mountain within you.
Nothing to do,
Nothing to fix,
Nothing to control.
Just remembering your future.
The mountain remains the mountain,
And so do you.
And when you're ready,
Begin to bring your awareness back to your physical body.
Notice the ground beneath you.
Notice your breath.
And notice the steadiness,
Now alive,
Within you.
Take a deep breath in.
And release.
And gently,
In your own time,
Open your eyes.
Namaste.
