Today’s meditation is called “I am the mountain” and I specifically wanted to find a poem about a mountain to share with you. And WOW! I found “The Mountain Poem” by Laura Ding-Edwards.
While the poem doesn’t exactly reflect the nature of today’s meditation, I do feel that it reflects almost everything I stand for.
We live in a world where the idea of “growth” has been perverted into something completely unnatural. We see this truth in the fear or disgust from shareholders when a listed company’s earnings don’t keep growing quarter after quarter after quarter… and we apply the same unrealistic idea of unlimited growth to the humans around us and to ourselves.
We are not machines, we ebb and flow. We grow and we contract. We take steps forward and we also take steps back, because growth is a dance and not the flick of a light switch.
The Mountain Poem
If the mountain seems too big today, then climb a hill instead.
If the morning brings you sadness, it’s okay to stay in bed.
If the day ahead weighs heavy and your plans feel like a curse,
there’s no shame in re-arranging, don’t make yourself feel worse.
If a shower stings like needles and a bath feels like you’ll drown,
if you haven’t washed your hair for days, don’t throw away your crown.
A day is not a lifetime, and rest is not defeat,
don’t think of it as failure, just a quiet kind retreat.
It’s okay to take a moment from an anxious fractured mind,
the world will not stop turning while you get realigned.
The mountain will still be there when you want to try again,
so climb it in your own time, and love yourself till then.
– Poem by Laura Ding-Edwards
Please remember that you are not a machine. While there ARE those days when you do need to push yourself, there are also many moments in which you have to put everything down and just rest, without feeling guilty about it.
It seems we often struggle with finding a balance between when to push and when to put things down. Join us for today’s meditation journey to practice finding your calm centre in the middle of any storm. From this calm space it’s much easier to see when to go hard and when to go home.
A few thoughts to help you find the mountain in you:
- Centering Yourself: Take a moment to breathe, to find your calm center even amidst the chaos. This calm space allows you to see the bigger picture and determine whether it’s a day to push on or a day to rest.
- Self-Compassion: Remember, you are not a machine. Cut yourself some slack when you need it. If a shower feels overwhelming, a bath feels suffocating, and your hair hasn’t seen shampoo in days – don’t “throw away your crown” (as the poem says). A day of rest doesn’t diminish your worth.
- Reframing Growth: Growth isn’t a constant upward climb; it’s a dance. There will be steps forward and steps back, days of progress and days of stillness. Embrace this dance, and trust that even on those quiet days, you’re still moving in the right direction.
By finding balance we can cultivate a life that is both fulfilling and sustainable. There can be harmony between action and rest, between ambition and acceptance. By honoring our humanness and practicing self-compassion, we can navigate life’s challenges with grace and emerge stronger than ever.
– pierre –
Today’s LIVE meditation is: I am the mountain.