Monkey Mind?

It happens to most people – we start our meditation practice and just as we have come through the breathing process, started to relax each area of the body and go into that super feeling of total letting go… the grocery list comes to mind, or that we forgot to pay the electricity bill, or that little Timmy needs to be picked up early from school to take him to his orthodontic appointment.
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The list goes on…and on and on.

Does this sound familiar?
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Don’t feel bad to answer yes, because most people experience this. In fact, not only in our space of meditation can this creep in, but in our everyday lives when we are going about our daily business.

It is said that Buddha described the human mind as being filled with drunken monkeys, jumping around, screeching, chattering, carrying on endlessly. He said that everyone has these monkeys who are clamouring for attention, but the key to tame the monkeys is with the same mind that is pushing us to do just the opposite of what we want it to do.

He taught his students that over time, the monkeys will be tamed. The concept of a ‘monkey mind’ has been in existence for centuries.

So, the question is - how do we stop it?

The answer is – to know that those monkeys can and will be trained  - so we need to train ourselves FIRST to deal with the thoughts in a way that will benefit us, and then the ‘monkeys’ will then be trained. By altering how we react it gives us power to win the battle of the monkey mind!

Here are THREE ideas to try out…

1. Start your meditation practice with a notepad and pen at hand. When a thought enters your mind, write it down. This brings the thought into the physical, releasing it from your mind (which thinks you will forget to do/say/action it). You can attend to whatever it is after.
2. Make up your own mantra technique PRIOR to meditation, for when the monkey mind strikes. For example: ‘When I find my mind wandering, I will repeat my mantra 7 times’. Examples could be: ‘I AM present’ or ‘Peace’.
3. Of course the breath is SO important! By bringing your focus to the end of your nose, where the breath begins, you start an internal focus. You may even picture the air that you breathe in to be a colour. When you focus on this air entering your nose and then entering your body, you are effectively diverting your stray thoughts away.

 
Whatever is your preference, stick to it. Your mind will eventually get the idea it can’t rule you all the time. Then in time, it will become second nature to you, to step into your preferred method.
 
Taming your monkey mind will do all of the following for you:

• It will allow you to practise meditation without the worry that you will be distracted.
• It will give you clarity of mind.
• It will allow you to focus on the present moment.
• It will support you to be calm.
• It will improve the quality of your meditation and encourage a healthier mind in general.

 
The ideas detailed above will not only help you in your meditation practice, but in your every day life when one thought leads to another. By finding your preference in how you react, you can empower yourself to be ready at any time!
 
What is your preferred method for an active monkey mind?
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