Redirect the Drunken Monkey

In meditation practice, I've heard our minds called "the drunken monkey." Our minds leap from branch to branch, frantically from one limb to the next, swinging and jumping from here to there, all over the place. What's next, what's now, pain from the past, anxiety about the future, what's in the freezer that I can pull together quickly for dinner, don't forget to pack lunch for tomorrow's camp and oh, it's water-play day too, so don't forget the swim suit and the goggles and the Crocs, and do they put his sunscreen on and should I pack him a hat, and oh yeah, we need dog food and I have a print job that's been waiting to be picked up for a week, and what's up with my healthcare and will I even be covered next year and why is there so much bad news and all of a sudden I realize I'm not even IN CLASS. I'm somewhere else. In a jungle on a tree, swinging wildly from place to place. That's the drunken monkey of the mind.

So Todd said in class on Wednesday, "Redirect the drunken monkey. Observe your thoughts. And place them aside. You are NOT your thoughts."

What a relief that I AM NOT MY THOUGHTS.

To find ME, I have to go deeper and I have to quiet that damn drunk monkey making me feel crazy. Meditation helps in the process. I especially love a combined class with some flow to help prepare, followed by some meditation.

I heard a student say to Todd after class, "But it's so hard." and he said "Good." and she said, "But my mind keeps drifting and I just can't concentrate on the breath." and he said "Good. It's supposed to be hard. That's why it's called the meditation PRACTICE."

It takes SO much practice to be able to redirect the drunken monkey of our minds. But it's such a huge payoff, even if out of 20 minutes you find only 5 truly quiet ones, where you're SO present in the room, but only thinking of INHALE, EXHALE, INHALE, EXHALE, or the Mantra I use, SO-HUM. SO (on my inhale), HUM (on my exhale). The translation is simple: "SO (I am) HUM (That)." I am that. So Hum. I am That. So Hum.

Because what are we if we are not our breath. That constant flow of air we rarely notice, but that sustains us. Maybe that's where the Holy Spirit resides. In the breath and in the heart center. Who knows. Not me. I'm just a yogi wanna-be, a meditation rookie. But I know it helps to sit down, even for 5 minutes a day, and try to tame that drunken monkey and redirect all those thoughts away.

Because we are not our thoughts. We're so much more.

#meditation #exhale #peace #breathe #yogiwisdom #yoga