Check in with the body,
Whether you're standing,
Sitting,
Or lying down.
The breath is relaxed and natural and you're just noticing how the body is in this present moment.
In this session you will be training the monkey mind by mentally noting when your mind has wandered.
You will be writing the sensations of the breath and making a mental note when you've noticed the monkey mind running around.
When you've caught the monkey running amok,
You'll be making a specific or general mental note.
You may want to label your distraction as body sensation or thought or even more specifically like future or past.
You can simply label it wandered or make a sound hmm,
Then gently come back to the breath and the present moment.
There's no need to judge yourself when the monkey mind has been disruptive.
Noticing when the mind has wandered is the practice here.
These are the mental muscles that we are flexing here.
Returning to the breath is all you need to do after the monkey mind has been caught.
I will occasionally produce a sound like this.
This sound should act as a reminder of whether you're in the present moment or if the monkey mind has taken over.
Taming the mind is essentially collecting scattered energy and raining it in so you may experience a deeper sense of freedom.
So this should be a gentle practice where we cultivate compassion for ourselves and the part of us that isn't working towards our greater purpose.
The monkey mind doesn't realize it's doing us harm and it wants to be obedient.
We can realize our potential once we've organized our energy to work in our favor.
Begin by following your breath from beginning to end.
Just watch your breath.
Just observe your breathing.
Focusing all your attention on the breath.
Breathing in through the nose and out through the nose.
In through the nose and out through the nose.
Disengage from the mind and put all your attention on the breath.
As you follow your breath from beginning to end,
Notice how it's flowing in through your nostrils creating a cool sensation on the upper lip.
Perhaps a little bit of a tingle in the back of your throat.
As it moves through your passages,
Down your airways and into your lungs and abdomen.
Feel your lungs absorb your breath.
Connect with the body.
Gently tune into each breath.
One breath at a time.
Gently breathing in through the nose and releasing any tension out through the nose.
Life is happening all around you.
You don't need to do anything.
Your breath is happening within you.
You don't need to do anything.
Allow your natural rhythmic breath to anchor you into the present moment.
If distractions arise,
Acknowledge them.
There's no need to try to push them into the background and there's no need to fret about them being there.
You are here.
You are now.
These distractions only serve to be your teacher,
To show you where you need to be.
Any distraction is just a sensation,
Tempting to draw you away from the present moment.
It's just there to show you where you need to be.
Be the space.
There's no need to chase after the monkey.
You are not sleeping.
You are not working.
You are just here and now.
By sitting here,
You are becoming the witness of your monkey mind,
Taming it with each time that you notice it has been destructive and come back to the breath.
In this space,
You are simply present.
Okay,
Congratulations for gathering your energies,
Exerting yourself,
And taking the time to directly investigate what it is like to be mindfully alive.
I hope that this practice has brought you some peace,
Calmness,
Clarity,
And that you will continue to use it to tame the monkey mind whenever you need.
Namaste.
