Hello everyone.
It is afternoon for me,
So good afternoon,
But whatever time of day you're listening to this,
Whether it's morning,
Midday,
Or evening,
I hope that you've had a good day so far and that you're getting out of this meditation what you're looking for.
So today I'm going to lead you through a mountain meditation.
So it's going to be a combination of visualization as well as mindfulness techniques.
So if you're new to this,
Just try to keep an open mind about it,
And I hope you enjoy it.
So settling into a comfortable position,
Whatever is going to give you the most comfort,
Ease,
And energy as possible.
So you have the option to be seated,
Lie down,
Or stand up,
Depending on the time of day and what you need right now.
So just checking in with yourself and getting into whatever posture suits you best in this moment.
Taking a deep breath,
Inhaling in through the nose,
And perhaps an exhale,
Sighing out through the mouth to let go of any unnecessary tension,
Anything that's easy to fall away that's not serving you right now.
Welcome to this moment right here.
Now picture yourself walking,
And as you're walking you come across a mountain.
So I want you to visualize what this mountain looks like and what are in the surroundings.
It could be a mountain that you've seen in real life,
A mountain you've seen in movies or pictures,
Or something completely imaginary.
Just taking in the sights of the mountain.
Is it lush with trees and bushes and wildlife?
Or is it more barren?
With snow capped tops.
What's the color and texture of the sides of the mountain?
And are there streams passing through?
Allowing yourself to imagine what smells are around you,
Perhaps the smell of fresh trees or clean,
Crisp air surrounding wildlife.
And also imagining what you can feel.
Is there a warm sun present?
Is there a breeze?
And now as best you can picture yourself embodying this mountain.
Your feet and legs as the wide,
Stable,
Strong base of the mountain.
Your torso and body.
The sides of the mountain.
The habitat for whatever life or animals are present.
And the top of your head as the peak,
Perhaps covered with snowy caps or not.
Imagining what qualities of this mountain that you would like to embody.
Stillness.
Patience.
A sense of calm and ease.
One of my favorite quotes.
Even though nature never rushes,
Everything always gets done.
Even when the winds are blowing around you.
And the atmosphere might be chaotic.
Or maybe there's a rain or storm present.
The mountain remains unchanged.
Stable.
Still affected and changing over time.
It's adaptive and responsive to its environment.
But the changes are more long term.
The mountain doesn't get flustered.
The mountain is not angry because of any of these changes.
And allowing life to move through you as you inhale and exhale.
Inhaling the qualities of the mountain that you would like to embody more.
And allow them to wash over you with a breath.
And practicing non-attachment with the exhale.
If you can imagine fall with this mountain.
Maybe the leaves on the trees are changing.
The days are shorter.
Perhaps a growing stillness.
Less activity.
The mountain remains unaffected.
And even as winter approaches.
Perhaps more of the animals go into hibernation.
Maybe the leaves fall from the trees.
The days are shorter.
The nights are longer.
Less people are coming to admire the mountain.
And there's more solitude.
The mountain remains unaffected.
Responsive and adaptable.
But yet has the internal stability.
To trust that even when life is slowing down.
And it's going through phases and changes.
That this is part of the natural cycle of life.
And of the seasons.
And embraces it.
Just as it would any other time of the year.
And eventually the winter passes.
The days start to get longer.
The mountain tops start to defrost.
And the snow melts.
Flowers are blooming.
New life is being born.
And as the activity around the mountain starts to pick up.
The mountain is an observer of these changes.
But is not personally affected.
The mountain just is.
And it's a canvas for all of these changes to take place.
These normal and natural changes.
Witnessing the seasons of life.
Without resistance.
Or clinginess.
It willingly and gladly allows spring to come.
And once again,
In its due time,
Spring.
Has passed.
And it's the advent of summer.
And there's more life than ever on the mountain.
People are coming from far and wide to observe the mountains beauty and to bear witness to it.
But the mountains esteem isn't affected by these changes.
It's just as happy to have these people and admirers here as it is to not.
And once again life is teeming on the mountain.
The days are at their longest.
The sun is at its hottest.
The mountain simply observes.
Bearing witness to the beauty and life of summer.
And of course,
Summer eventually passes.
And so the cycle of fall begins again.
And so I ask you again,
What qualities of the mountain.
Do you wish to embody in this moment.
Right now.
Are there things happening in your life in your environment that you can bear witness to.
Without being personally affected.
But simply noticing.
Not resisting.
Not clinging.
But just bearing witness.
How much can you just allow in this moment.
How much can you just be in this moment.
Being here right now as a witness to your life.
Letting the image of the mountain fade in the background,
And really being present with yourself.
Feeling your body in this space.
Feeling yourself breathe breath in and out of your body.
What little cycles can you notice right now,
Even if it's just the cycle of the inhale and the exhale.
If you can practice non attachment with everyday things like your breath.
Soon you'll be able to carry that in the rest of your life.
With bigger and bigger things.
So practicing that here.
Being a witness right now.
If your life was a chessboard a chessboard.
You are neither the white pieces nor the black pieces,
Playing against each other.
Brother you're the chessboard.
You're the container for everything that's happening.
And can you allow yourself to embrace that observer within yourself.
Taking one more deep inhale in through the nose and a full exhale completely emptying the chest and the belly with breath.
If your eyes were closed.
You can gently open them whenever you're ready.
And bring movement to the body.
Or if you'd rather continue to meditate I encourage you to do that.
I hope this was a helpful practice for you and I hope that you got what you needed from it today.
Have a beautiful day.
