Become aware of the present moment by deliberately adopting an erect and dignified posture, whether sitting or standing, as though you are a mountain. A mountain is completely natural and at ease with itself, however strong the winds that batter it, however thick the dark clouds that swirl around its peak. So like a mountain, let your mind be steady, knowing that all things pass.
Mountain meditation mp3
Allowing your eyes to close if that is possible or appropriate in this moment, otherwise keeping them open and in either case resting in an awareness of our inner experience. Sensing the body: the spine in a natural curve, the head lifted as though suspended by a golden cord, without any tension.
Opening to your experience and asking: “What is my experience just now?” As though before you is a vast ocean, open and limitless.
What thoughts are going through the mind? As best you can, note these thoughts as mental events, perhaps even becoming aware of their content and words. What feelings are here? Turning towards them and opening to any sense of emotional discomfort or unpleasant feelings.
What body sensations are here right now? Perhaps quickly scanning the body to pick up any signs of tightness or bracing.
And now gathering and redirecting your attention to focus on the physical sensations of the breath just breathing itself. Moving in close to the sense of the breath in the belly. Feeling the sensations of breath in the abdominal space, as it expands with each in breath and falls back with each out-breath. With full awareness following the breath all the way in and all the way out, using the breath itself to anchor you in the present moment. Practice this for a moment.
And now expanding the field of awareness around your breathing so that in addition to the sensations of the breath, it includes a sense of the body as a whole, your posture, and your facial expression. How do they feel from the inside? If you become aware of any feelings of discomfort, tension, or resistance, experimenting gently with breathing into them on the in-breath and breathing out from them on the out-breath. Perhaps feeling a softening and releasing with each out-breath. If you care to, perhaps saying to yourself with the outbreath: softening, releasing, accepting. “It is as it is. I feel it.”
And now, as best you can, bringing this expanded, more spacious and accepting awareness to the next moments of your day, whatever circumstances you find yourself in, as it continues to unfold.
Please feel free to download the MP3 for your own personal use.
Exercise 11: Mountain meditation
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36 kb]
Other mindfulness exercises
- 1. Introduction to mindfulness
- 2. Mindfulness of the external world
- 3. Eating mindfulness
- 4. Walking mindfulness
- 5. Breathing mindfulness
- 6. Body scan
- 7. External world and breath
- 8. Mindfulness of thoughts
- 9. Thoughts sensations and emotions
- 10. Self compassion mindfulness
- 11. Mountain meditation
- 12. Alternate nostril breathing
- 13. Mindfulness of physical discomfort
- 14. Mindfulness of difficult thoughts
- 15. Empty bowl meditation
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The mindfulness exercises are one of the features available in the free Living Well App for iPhone and Android. Be mindful anywhere, anytime.
1 comment
Comment by theartistpgkimble.com
theartistpgkimble.com June 20, 2014 at 3:59 pm
I narrowly survived my beloved late wife’s suicide and in doing so acquired a brain injury.
I have studied and incorporated mindfulness in the world spiritual traditions, but still found information useful. Negative self image of helplessness can be a problem that is overcome with imagination and belief that we are an intrinsic loved part of the whole universe and it would be lacking without us. So imagine now that we are whole and healed. It is more likely to become so than imagining you are always going to be a victim. Forgiveness for self and others is also essential. Art or music therapy can help.
I am theartistpgkimble.com
Blessings and love to all beings.