Welcome to the Daily Insight.
My name is Kevin Griffin.
Today I'd like to offer a practice I call Sitting Like a Mountain,
Melting Like Snow.
With this practice we work with absolute stillness of body in order to support the arising of stillness of mind.
As we work with this stillness,
It's helpful to have a contrasting view where we feel the energy of the body as a release so that the effort to maintain physical stillness doesn't create tension or resistance.
These two then,
The stillness and the energy,
Become the mountain and the melting snow.
It's best to do this practice sitting upright so that you will feel the stillness in the body.
However,
If you have physical limitations,
It's fine to do lying down.
It can also be done standing.
If sitting,
Begin by establishing a balanced and stable posture.
You might find it helpful to rock forward and backward,
Side to side,
Until you find alignment and balance,
The stable center point of the body and the posture.
Once you find that balance and alignment,
Bring the body to rest,
Not moving hands or feet,
Not moving head or torso,
Everything in stillness.
Notice how it feels to be completely still.
Notice what arises,
Whether thoughts or feelings.
Notice if you find this pleasant or unpleasant.
Try to bring a quality of ease to the stillness.
Soon,
You'll notice that the mountain breathes.
Even with the complete stillness that we hold the body,
The breath continues to move through the body.
Notice how the mind becomes still with the stillness of body.
Now,
Notice the energy flowing through the body.
This is the snow that melts from the side of the mountain.
The mountain is solid,
Unmovable.
The snow flows downward into the earth.
Hold these contrasting experiences in the mind,
The sense of stillness,
Solidness of the mountain along with the flow of energy of the snow melting.
The mind is vast and still like the mountain.
The mind is dynamic and flowing like the melting snow.
Rest in these contrasts.
The energy of the body,
Like snow melting from the mountainside,
Flows into the earth.
Again,
Grounding,
Stabilizing.
All tension,
All stress is released,
Absorbed by the earth.
The mind is dynamic and flowing like the melting snow.
Rest in these contrasts.
If resistance to the stillness arises,
Let that flow off just like the snow melt.
Do not struggle to be still.
Just allow the body to be still.
Beneath the busyness of the mind,
The mind is still.
The mind is a vast stillness like a mountain.
Vast,
Open and spacious,
Quiet,
Still.
Beneath the flow of the snow melting off the mountain,
There is always this vast stillness.
Tune into that stillness,
Letting the busyness fall away.
Continue to breathe with the mind.
Continue to breathe with the mountain.
Breathe into any tension,
Any resistance and soften.
Let the melting snow drain off any tension or resistance,
Any discomfort.
Sitting like a mountain,
Melting like snow.
Unmovable,
Unshakable.
Flowing with ease.
Our lives seem to be filled with busyness,
With activity.
But there is always stillness behind that activity.
There are always moments of quiet and stillness if we look for them.
Begin to awaken to the stillness in your life.
Carry this inner stillness with you and bring awareness to the stillness around you.
When the bell rings,
Enjoy the release back into movement.
Be gentle with the body,
Perhaps stretching,
Releasing.
Notice again the contrast between stillness and movement.
Be gentle with the body,
Perhaps stretching,
Releasing.
