Okay,
So settling into a stable dignified posture,
Whether we're sitting whether we're lying down,
Maybe closing the eyes or lowering the gaze and kind of getting a sense of the body as a whole in her posture and doing whatever we need to,
To feel a little bit more stable,
A little bit more comfortable and alert.
And for this meditation,
I'll invite you to use the image of a mountain.
So maybe recalling a mountain that you visited at some point,
A mountain that you know well,
Or maybe just a mountain that you can imagine.
And see if you can see it in front of you as though you were looking at it from a distance.
And see if you can notice certain kind of attributes that the mountain that you have in your mind's eye has.
Like how big or small it is.
If it's massive.
If it's tall,
Erect.
And see for you what this mountain symbolizes,
Whether it's kind of a sense of dignity,
Power,
Strength.
And then slowly as you're sitting in front of this mountain and being inspired by its qualities,
See if you can adopt some of these qualities yourself in your posture.
As though you are becoming the mountain.
So might be making slight changes to feel a little bit more grounded.
Feeling the weight of your body,
Feeling the contact with the earth.
If you're sitting,
It might be a sense of elevation,
Of openness.
Might be a commitment to be still,
Unshakable.
So finding your way to become this mountain.
So see yourself as this mountain.
See if you can feel yourself as this mountain.
And then notice that this mountain is a living,
Breathing mountain.
So no mountain is completely fixed.
A mountain is continuously shifting,
Evolving with the tectonic plates that are continuously moving very slowly.
So from the inside,
The mountain is changing.
And in the same way,
See if you can notice the tectonic plates of your breathing.
Its kind of inner movement of the air,
Of the abdomen.
So just sitting here or lying here as a living,
Breathing,
Stable mountain.
Not going anywhere.
And as you sit here,
See if you can slowly become aware of the weather patterns surrounding this mountain.
So as you check in with the world of thoughts and emotions and body sensations,
Seeing what the weather is like in the mind,
In the body.
Other dark clouds,
Is it foggy,
Rainy,
Stormy?
Is the mountain covered in ice?
Flowers?
Animals?
Tourists?
Having a general sense of the environment surrounding your mountain.
And holding this metaphor lightly so as to not be lost in thought about a mountain.
But being really aware of this body sitting here,
Breathing.
Coming and goings of thoughts,
Emotions,
Body sensations,
Right here,
Right now.
Seeing if you can stay in touch with this stable body sitting here or lying here in the presence of ever-changing cognitive sensations,
Physical sensations,
Emotional sensations.
So none of the weather changes.
Change the essence of the mountain.
And in the same way,
See if you can notice that none of these passing thoughts,
Emotions and sensations change the essence of this awareness.
And in the same way,
See if you can notice that none of these passing thoughts,
Emotions,
Emotions,
And sensations change the essence of this awareness.
And perhaps now kind of calling to mind some changes that are happening in your life,
Kind of throw you off balance.
Doesn't have to be a big change,
Can be small changes.
And as you call this to mind,
See if you can keep a sense of this living,
Breathing,
Solid mountain that's sitting here right now.
And just notice how the weather changes when you call these things to mind.
What thoughts show up?
What emotions show up?
How does that show up in your body?
And from the perspective of this stable mountain here,
Notice all the experiences that are changing from moment to moment.
Whether it's a heart racing,
Tensions forming,
Catastrophic thoughts passing in the mind,
Fear,
Anxiety.
Noticing the passing nature of these experiences from the point of view of the stable mountain.
Who deep down stays her mountain self independent of the weather system.
Very simple connecting all these her numbers.
If you notice getting lost in the changing weather patterns coming back to this mountain whether it's the contact with the floor the sense of the body as a whole sitting or lying or the subtle changes of breathing from this point of view this stable point of view observing the changing weather patterns once again.
As you do this also you can notice the relationship that you have to the weather.
Is this mountain kind of averse to the weather that's present?
Is it attached to the weather that's pleasant?
Or is it neither averse or attached?
Or just like welcoming?
Just letting whatever the weather is be what it is.
Knowing that deep down doesn't change its essential mountain self.
So spending the last few moments of this meditation getting familiar with the mountain in you.
So that you can return to this inner mountain from time to time in difficult moments of change.
Knowing that this inner mountain is always available.
So that you can return to this inner mountain from time to time in difficult moments of change.
So spending the last few moments of this meditation getting familiar with the mountain in you.
