Calming The Monkey Mind With Meditation: How? [Explained]

What is the monkey mind? How can we calm him down and make friends with it? For example with meditation? Read on to find out…

We all have a monkey mind – What does this analogy mean?

Having a monkey mind … What does this striking and humorous analogy mean?

Remember, we have about 50,000 different thoughts every day. You could imagine that every thought is a branch, and that you, or at least the attention of your conscious mind, are a monkey swinging from think branch to think branch all day long.

This may sound fun and cheerful, but our thoughts are often filled with anxiety and fuss: “What happens if I lose my job? Is my partner still happy in our relationship? What if I don’t have enough money when I retire ? “

And that analogy of that monkey is of course beautiful and poetic, but it’s pretty annoying when this monkey rules our thoughts when we should be in charge.

Yet the monkey is there for a reason …

We need the monkey mind: the mind is a fantastic tool

Look at him, there the monkey is worried about your date next Tuesday, oh, and now he’s in that tree and criticizing your performance at work last week, and look: now he’s reminding you that the car is servicing need.

The point, however, is that we need the monkey on our side. It is useful because it keeps an eye on everything in our busy lives. The problem arises when, like all little monkeys, he gets too busy and takes control.

But the monkey mind that is not trained enough wears us out

It is not without reason that The Buddha already taught this metaphor 2,500 to the people: the result of a monkey mind that is not sufficiently trained, mainly leads to mental and physical fatigue.

We have all had days when it feels like we have achieved nothing while tomorrow we feel there is another mountain to climb. And yet we cannot relax.

How can you tame your monkey?

The problem is, you cannot fight or force the monkey into submission. But you can tame and understand him so that you can live in harmony with your furry companion.

How? Meditation in silence.  By viewing and understanding the monkey mind , the monkey feels as if it is being listened to and understood.

You can also give the monkey mind a task: watch the breathing. Now that the monkey has calmed down with this task, it turns out that the terrible thoughts – for example, of not being enough – are actually not that bad.

Other techniques that can be used to harmonize yourself with your monkey include moving meditations such as Qigong, Yoga and Tai Chi. After all, sitting still and not thinking is difficult for us in the beginning. Therefore, shifting the focus to the body is always a good idea.

So: become friends with the monkey

The monkey lives in us, but it does not control us if we are aware of its presence.

By testing these 86+ mindfulness exercises , you have taken the first step towards becoming friends with the fun and useful little monkey.