This meditation is called the Mountain Meditation.
In this meditation,
We're using the image of the mountain to come more in touch with our own sense of groundedness and stability by becoming more aware of the qualities of a mountain within ourselves.
So,
A supportive way to practice this meditation is to take a stable,
Upright posture,
Kneeling or sitting,
Hands resting comfortably,
Perhaps on your legs,
And taking some time to settle in,
Finding a posture of comfort in this uprightness.
Noticing how the bottom half of your body forms a stable base that rests with gravity on the earth,
And how the upper half of the body rises with a relatively straight back,
But not stiff.
The head is held upright on the neck and shoulders in a relaxed way,
Allowing the shoulders to be relaxed.
And if you'd like to,
You could close your eyes gently or just rest your gaze,
And becoming aware of your breathing without trying to change it or control it in any way.
Simply being aware of the in-breath and the out-breath as you allow your body to come to stillness.
Sitting with a sense of dignity and resolve,
A sense of completeness and wholeness in this very moment.
Your posture reflecting the sense of wholeness,
Stillness,
And dignity.
And beginning to imagine,
To picture the most beautiful mountain that you know.
It could be a mountain that you visited,
That you've seen a picture of,
Or something that just comes to you in your mind's eye.
Noticing the image and the feeling of the mountain gradually coming into greater and greater focus.
Its overall shape,
Its peak,
Its large base rooted in the earth's crust.
With steep or gently sloping sides,
Noticing how massive it is,
How solid,
How unmoving,
How beautiful.
Both the appearance from up close and far away.
There may be snow at the top of the mountain and upper slopes.
Noticing if there's a prominent peak or a series of peaks or a high plateau.
Whatever its shape or appearance,
Sitting and breathing with the image of this beautiful mountain and noticing all of its qualities.
And as you continue to sit here,
Imagining more and more a sense of becoming the mountain,
The massiveness of the mountain,
The solidity,
The stillness,
The majesty of it.
Your head forming the peak,
Supported by the body,
Offering a panoramic view.
Your shoulders and arms,
The sloping sides of the mountain.
Your pelvis and legs forming the solid base.
The sense of uplift from deep within your pelvis and spine.
With each breath becoming a little bit more a living,
Breathing mountain.
Unwavering in your stillness.
Completely what you are.
Beyond words and thought.
A centered,
Rooted,
Unmoving presence.
And as the mountain sits here,
Noticing the sun moving across the sky.
The light falling on the mountain.
Colors changing moment by moment.
Stillness.
Day turns to night.
The stars.
The moon.
And the following day,
The sun.
And through it all,
The mountain just sits.
Seeing change in each moment.
Constantly changing.
Yet always just being itself.
Seasons flow one into another.
And as the weather changes moment by moment,
Day by day.
Change and abides.
All change.
Summer.
Fall.
Winter.
Clouds.
Fog.
Freezing rain.
No matter what the weather,
The mountain remains its essential self.
Clouds come and go.
Presence and beauty are not changed one bit by people's opinions or the weather.
Whether the mountain is seen or unseen.
In sun or clouds.
Hot.
Cold.
Day,
Night.
The mountain just sits,
Being itself.
Storms come.
Snow and rain.
Ferocious winds.
And in the springtime,
Birds sing.
Flowers bloom.
Streams overflow with melting ice and snow.
The mountain just continues to sit.
Unmoved by the weather.
Unmoved by what happens on the surface.
And the world of appearances.
And as we sit with the breath,
With thoughts,
Feelings,
Memories,
Sensations,
Coming and going.
We're learning to sit with whatever our experience is.
Like the mountain,
We can embody the same unwavering stillness and rootedness.
In the face of everything that changes in our own lives.
Over seconds,
Hours,
Years,
In our lives and in this practice.
We experience the constantly changing nature of our mind and body.
And of the outer world.
We have our own periods of light and darkness.
Of colors.
And of different shades of gray.
Emotional storms.
Periods of darkness and pain.
As well as elements of joy and uplift.
Our appearance changes constantly,
Like a weather of its own.
So just taking a moment now,
Noticing all of the ways that you embody a mountain in yourself.
The strength.
The stillness.
The stability.
Becoming a mountain in this way,
We can connect with these qualities.
Encountering each moment with mindfulness and equanimity and clarity.
Seeing our thoughts,
Feelings,
Preoccupations,
Emotional storms and crises.
Even the things that happen to us are very much like the weather on the mountain.
The weather of our own lives is not to be ignored or denied.
It is to be encountered,
Honored,
Felt.
Known for what it is.
And held in a kind awareness.
Holding it in this way,
We can come to know a deeper silence and stillness and wisdom.
Mountains have this to teach us and more.
If we can listen.
Taking these last moments of this practice to connect with the sense of this breathing,
Solid,
Rooted body.
The whole body sitting in stillness with the breath.
And just when you're ready to,
Preparing to open your eyes,
Taking in the light.
And perhaps setting some intention as you move out of stillness to touch into this quality as you encounter difficulties in your day.
