Mountain Meditation In this meditation we will use an image from nature to help us to support our mindfulness practice.
Nature has much to teach us about the art of being present to the moments of our lives.
We will use this image to help us to be more present rather than to distract us away from the moment.
So make sure that you are comfortable and that you will not be disturbed for the next half hour or so.
Make this time yours to nourish and attend to yourself.
It's preferable to do this meditation sitting in an upright position either on a chair or cross-legged on the floor.
But of course you can adjust to a posture that is more suitable for you if needs be.
As you sit take time to notice the feeling of being supported by the chair or the floor beneath you.
Notice any sensations of pressure,
Heaviness,
Solidity or temperature.
Stay open to feeling and embracing the whole of your body sitting here.
Allow your awareness to be light,
Gentle.
You don't have to force yourself to notice.
Instead just allowing,
Sensing and feeling the body sitting here breathing.
And now moving your attention more closely to your breathing.
Feeling the motion of the in-breath,
Feeling the breath as it leaves your body.
Notice the texture,
Quality,
Rhythm of your own breathing.
Receiving each breath as you might receive or feel a precious gift.
Notice the feeling of letting go on each out-breath.
Just allowing your breath to be as it is.
There is no need to change or adjust what you are already doing perfectly.
If you find that your mind wanders into the future or pulls you into the past,
Notice and gently bring your attention back to the sensation of breathing.
I use this bread belongs to all of them.
Present and alert to each breath.
And now,
When you are ready,
In whichever way feels right for you,
Invite into your mind's eye an image of a mountain.
It might be a mountain you are familiar with,
That perhaps you have visited before.
It might be a mountain that you've seen in photographs or a postcard.
Or it might be a mountain of your own imagination.
Notice how your mountain presents itself to you.
How large is your mountain?
How many peaks are there on the mountain top?
What colours are there?
Notice the base of the mountain and where it connects to the earth.
And the slopes of the mountain.
Are they gentle?
Are they steep?
As best you can,
Allow that image to settle in your mind.
If at times you find it hard to see the mountain,
You might just have a sense of its qualities.
Just breathing now with the qualities of your mountain.
Mountains have much to teach us about staying solid and centred in the moments of our lives.
So when you're ready on your next in-breath,
You might like to breathe the qualities of your mountain into you.
Noticing and sensing the base upon which you are sitting.
Noticing and sensing the slopes of your shoulders and arms.
Feeling the position of your head.
Make any adjustments in your posture now to remind yourself to feel within you the dignity,
Solidity and centeredness that the mountain offers you.
Becoming a living,
Breathing mountain.
In summer,
The baking heat might hit the mountain.
The earth might become parched.
Sometimes there might even be forest fires.
But through this all,
The mountain has the capacity to just sit and be.
Noticing and sensing the base upon which you are sitting.
Summer turns to autumn and the face of the mountain is just as beautiful as the sun.
The face of the mountain will change.
The trees lose their leaves.
The coolness in the air can be felt.
And through that,
The mountain just sits solid,
Dignified.
Winter might bring snow,
Rain,
Ice,
Storms.
Flowers might go into hibernation and all is quiet.
And through that,
The mountain just sits.
And as the cycles of nature move into spring,
The foliage on the trees emerges once again.
The flowers blossom.
The air becomes warm.
And still,
The mountain sits.
Day turns into night and back into day.
Through the cycles of light and dark,
The mountain remains solid,
Sainted.
Even if people come and comment on the mountain,
The mountain remains itself.
Its essence is unaltered.
In the territory of our minds and bodies,
So too can we experience shifting states.
Pleasant,
Unpleasant,
Neutral.
Sitting now and allowing yourself to notice and experience what comes up for you.
Sensations,
Thoughts,
Emotions.
Pleasant,
Unpleasant,
Neutral.
We are cultivating our capacity to remain anchored,
Solid,
Centered in the changing landscape of moment-to-moment experience.
Staying alert and curious.
Bringing acceptance to whatever comes up for you.
And using the qualities of the mountain within you to retain a sense of equanimity.
Boredom,
Fear,
Restlessness,
Anxiety,
Tension,
Peacefulness,
Joy.
Just staying present to the landscape of your own experience.
When you find that your attention gets pulled or swept out of the present moment,
This is not cause for concern.
Use the time of noticing as an opportunity to reconnect with the mountain within you.
Notice your own capacity to become centered and aware,
No matter how unaware you may have been.
Your There is no need to avoid or edit out any experience that might come up for you.
Cultivating your capacity to just be,
To explore and notice with curiosity,
To embrace each moment as it is.
Difficulty changes and the cycles of life are unavoidable.
The mountain reminds us of our innate capacity to stand firm in the face of life so that we can feel and know the nuances with a sense of strength and stillness.
For the last few minutes of this meditation,
Continue to explore your mountain energy.
Become more familiar with the territory of your mind-body and your capacity to sit with things as they are.
You can also be more familiar with the nature of your mind-body and your capacity to feel and know the nuances with a sense of strength and stillness.
You can also be more familiar with the nature of your mind-body and your capacity to feel and know the nuances with a sense of strength and stillness.
If your attention wanders and you notice it,
It's just another opportunity to reconnect with being here now.
You can also be more familiar with the nature of your mind-body and your capacity to feel and know the nuances with a sense of strength and stillness.
As you end off this sitting today,
You might like to notice how you're feeling.
How do those feelings or sensations compare with when you started this practice?
You might like to acknowledge yourself for the qualities you possess.
Strength,
Dignity,
Solidity,
Centeredness are always there as we cultivate our capacity to be with things as they are.
You can remind yourself of these gifts within you at any time during the day and particularly at times of stress when you find you might be pulled away from your centeredness.
The mountain is always there within you to remind you of your essential self.
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