Monkey mind

Do you need to stop your thoughts — or give them another task?

You want to settle, but your mind keeps up its commentary. This short text about the ‘monkey mind’ puts that experience at its centre and suggests bringing attention back to a simple task instead of battling every thought.

The image of a talking monkey makes the idea tangible. The aim is to notice your own breath while allowing thoughts to continue appearing, rather than to achieve a completely empty mind.

We can meditate anywhere and at any time, even for three seconds or two seconds, while walking or drinking coffee or tea, even while meeting people. Many people begin with a misunderstanding of meditation. You may think it means “thinking of nothing, just concentrating”. You cannot block thoughts and emotions. In fact, we need them.

Whether you listen to your monkey mind is the big question. What I call the monkey mind is your talking mind. It forms opinions, but whether you listen to them is up to you. In meditation, we need to befriend the monkey mind. How? Simply giving it bananas will not work. The right method is to give it a job.

How do you give your monkey mind a job? The simplest meditation training is to be aware of your breath. You ask it, “Hey, look, pay attention to the breath,” and it replies, “Oh yes, good idea.” Simply breathe in, then out, then in again. Many thoughts move into the background, and that is not a problem. As long as you do not forget your breathing, everything is fine. You do not need intense concentration. Just be aware of your breath, breathing in and out.

Two even breaths, one breath — we can meditate anywhere and at any time.