AM_SA_Be-the-Mountain-Meditation [00:00:00] Begin by sitting in a posture that is upright, balanced, and still, without straining your back. If that's not possible, any posture that feels comfortable for you will be fine. Allow your eyes to close gently, or softly cast your eyes downwards. Take some deep, full in and out breaths. Feeling each breath as you do so.

[00:01:00] And then when you're ready to do so, let your breath find its own natural rhythm. Spend a few moments just feeling your breathing. Watching your body do the breathing for you. And when you're ready, bring to mind the image of a beautiful and majestic mountain. [00:02:00] It may be one that you've seen before or, one that you make up in your imagination, or maybe even a combination of the two.

Take your time to imagine this picture. Allow the image of the mountain to come slowly into focus. Don't worry if you think you're not a visual person, just do the best you can. Whatever image you manage to conjure up will work. Stay aware of the image of this mountain.

What [00:03:00] color is it? Does it have snow on its peak? What is the shape of the mountain with its peak high up in the sky, perhaps above the clouds? Notice how the base of the mountain is firmly fixed on the earth's surface. Are there any trees growing on the sides of the slopes? What sort of natural vegetation do you notice? As you see this mountain as best you can, be aware of its stability. How grounded the mountain is. Really fee; its presence, as if [00:04:00] the mountains right here in front of you. Now, I invite you to allow yourself to merge into the mountain.

So in a sense, you are the mountain. Your head is the lofty peak of the mountain. The sides of your body are the slopes of this beautiful mountain. And the seat you're sitting on is where the mountain becomes a one with the rest of Mother Earth. You share the immense size, stillness and majesty of this mountain.

And you, as the mountain, view the [00:05:00] panoramic vista around you. Right now, feel your body rooted to the earth, just like the mountain. Feel a gentle uplift in your posture. Again, just like that mountains stands tall. You sit right now as if you're a breathing mountain, still, serene, centered and majestic.

Presence has qualities beyond thought and [00:06:00] words. As you sit here as the mountain, you notice the sun moving across the sky, continuing changing areas of color, light and shade. And eventually day turns into night. Overhead is a roof made of stars and wispy clouds and the bright pale moon casting its silver light in its own delicate way. And night eventually gives away to dawn and a new day with new possibilities and subtle, different experiences.

With different days comes different weather. Some [00:07:00] days cloudy, other days clear. Sometimes it rains, and you see the most beautiful rainbow. Other days, bright sunlight. And through all this change that surrounds you, you remain the same, dignified, solid and fully centered in the present.

As the days pass, the seasons change. In summer, the sun may melt most of the snow. Any trees on the slope, filling up with leaves and nature are full of activity. In autumn or the fall, the temperatures cool and the leaves may turn into a rich orange. And then with the winter, may come snow, cool winds and more clouds.

This is a time for [00:08:00] rest and hibernation for much of nature. And as winter gradually blends into spring, the activity of nature begins again. All this change makes no difference to you, in your being as the mountain. You're familiar with change and accept this to be just the way things are. You also know your inner being to be still calm, solid, beyond thought and one with the earth itself.

You just sit, even when hit by the most violent of storms with its wind and rain. Just as the mountain experiences changes in each day and season, [00:09:00] so you have different experiences with each day and season too. Sometimes you face with violent storms in your body and mind. Tuning into the essence of the mountain can remind you that there's a place with any that remains centered and still, despite the seemingly huge changes that surround you. The way through life's challenges is opening up with awareness.

There is no experience that awareness cannot hold .In your courage to feel the cold wind and violent storms, you open awareness to the possibility that the storm will pass. [00:10:00] Moment by moment, change will occur and there will be another spring after winter. Your internal weather may include draining thoughts and difficult emotions like anxiety, but the mountain doesn't take the weather personally. The mountain doesn't hold any grudge. The weather is simply weathering.

Perhaps your internal weather is impersonal too and part and parcel of the nature of things. A resistance to those experiences is just adding to the suffering, which takes time to see. The weather of your life is also not to be ignored. Instead, you can begin to honor the weather and see that the awareness [00:11:00] that holds it is also in some mysterious way, peaceful and free of it. If you found some value in reflecting on the qualities of a mountain to bring you to an inner stillness, vitality and stability, you can bring this image to mind in your meditations and in your daily life.

Continue to practice sitting, being with your breathing and your bodily sensations until it is time for you to stop.