Mountain Meditation

Mountains have always been used to inspire and create a sense of strength in human beings. Let this quick, relaxing visualization help guide you to cultivate self-confidence, independence and strength in your everyday life. Enjoy the process as you imagine yourself as your favorite lofty peak able to weather any storm.

Transcript

Hello, My name is Hillary Lafon and I'm so grateful that you joined me today to explore a mountain meditation. This visualization is a wonderful way to help build self-confidence and strength in your everyday life. So wherever you find yourself today, Let's get really comfortable. Sitting upright in your chair, Lying down, Relaxing all the muscles in your body. Wherever you are, I'm sitting in my chair today. My head is above my shoulders, My spine is in line, My feet flat on the floor, Palms are face up. And if you feel comfortable, Gently close your eyes. Bring awareness to your breath, Welcoming your breath if this is the first few breaths that you've noticed for the day. Take a moment to notice if you're having short, Shallow breaths in the top upper chest. And if you are, See if you can engage all the muscles in your chest, Back and stomach. And really take a deep inhale, Letting your chest rise, Your stomach expand, Deep belly breaths to really start the relaxation process. And as you exhale, Slowly allow the air to exit your nose or your mouth. You may sigh it out, You may make some noise, Do whatever feels right for you. Have a couple more of these deep belly breaths, Just waking up the muscles in the spine, In the stomach, In the back, In the chest. And when you can't take in any more air, Exhale all the breath out, Letting a wave of relaxation wash over you. One more time, Breathe in deeply and exhale completely. Notice how you're feeling emotionally today as your breath comes back to its natural rhythm. Remembering that mindfulness is paying attention on purpose to the present moment in a particular way without judgment. So just notice how you're feeling. Notice in your body where you're feeling it. If you're relaxed and comfortable, Maybe you feel ease in your back or your seat or your arms or your legs. If you're a little bit tense, Maybe you're noticing it in your throat or your forehead or your stomach. Just this simple awareness helps us stay in the present moment and become more comfortable with our ever-changing feelings and emotions. Set a small intention, Something you can cultivate for the next few minutes as I guide you on a visualization. And just breathe, Allowing the muscles in your face to soften, The back of the head, Breathing in and out and relaxing the neck, The chest. Allow your stomach to hang heavy and relax the muscles in your lower back, Your hips, Your upper legs, Lower legs. And lastly, Notice how your hands and your feet are displaying. If you're clenching them, Allow them to just soften and let go. And now I encourage you to go into your mind and visualize a mountain, Somewhere you visited, A favorite place or something you just create. Notice this mountain standing tall. Visualize the landscape around it. Let your body relax and soften, Picking a season. Is it spring or summer? Notice if there's any trees at the base of the mountain, Maybe a lake or a trail. What sounds do you hear? Any birds, Animals? Relaxing and feeling relaxed. Mountains are very powerful entities to visualize. They embody strength, Stability, Confidence. Remembering that mountains are here year after year, Century after century, They stand tall. They weather the storm. Even if it's spring or summer, A nice warm mountain escape. Various storms creeping in, Clouds rolling in, Thunder and lightning, Maybe even rain and wind. And through all this energy, All this shift in tides, The mountain stands strong, Stands tall and is able to handle anything that comes to it. After a moment, The storm recedes and we're back to the blue skies and the lofty peaks. And now I encourage you to visualize yourself in the form of this mountain. Your head is the tippy top peak. Your shoulders are the surrounding peaks. Allow yourself to see yourself rooted in the earth, Deep and connected. Breathing and relaxing. Feeling alert and upright, Ready to handle any storm that comes through. Feeling at ease during the spring and the summer and the fall. Feeling a time of rest during the winter. Helping yourself to visualize yourself as this mountain, Going through all the elements, All the seasons and still remaining strong, Confident and able to handle any changing emotion, Any event that happens in your life, Big or small. Unwavering. If your mind has wandered, Come back to the breath, Still seeing in your mind's eye, Yourself as this beautiful majestic mountain. Feel this in your heart space. Allow gratitude to wash over you, Knowing that you have the strength within you to handle anything that comes your way. Feel the softness that comes over you, Knowing that you're going to be okay. Knowing that emotion shifts, Events shift, Everything changes and that's okay. Let us sit for just a moment, Slowly watching the breath go in and out of the nose and the mouth, Feeling relaxed, Confident, Just breathing here for a moment. And now let go of that visualization, Come back to your body. Take note how you feel now compared to when we started just a few moments ago. Remembering that these feelings too will change and that's okay. Let's end our time together with just a few breaths. Inhaling through the nose, Sitting upright and tall, Feeling your chest and your stomach expand, The energy flowing upwards and then as you exhale, Feel the energy pulling you down and rooting you through the back body, Relaxing all the muscles. A couple of more inhale and exhale. One more time inhale and exhale. And when you feel ready, Open your eyes, Take a moment to gather yourself, Orient yourself in time and space, Look around, Wiggle your hands and fingers, Maybe stretch up really tall and just know you can come back to this mountain meditation, This visualization anytime during your day to help boost confidence, Feel strong and rooted and to know that you can handle anything that comes in your way. Thank you for allowing me the precious gift of your time. Until next time.