Have you ever observed your mind when you are feeling stressed? Do you notice how your thoughts get tangled, loop, and grasp desperately to anything that will stir it further? The Yogis call this the Monkey Mind. The Monkey Mind is regarded as our unmastered mind that we allow to go wild and emotionally reactionary.

Imagine a monkey swinging from tree to tree across the canopy in a tropical forest. Our mind is similar, according to the ancient sages who observed in their meditation practices the nature of the mind. The monkey swings from one branch to the next, heaving its body fluidly with speed and agility. The mind is similar when we allow the thoughts to master the mind. When we allow our mind to oscillate from thought to thought with a gaining momentum, we are left feeling mentally drained and stressed.

According to the Yoga Sutras, written by Patanjali in 400 B.C.E., “Yoga is experienced in that mind which has ceased to identify itself with its vacillating waves of perception.” My interpretation, which is perhaps less poetic and more simplified, is “Yoga is a calming of the fluctuations of the mind.”

Mastery of the Mind happens through these three simple steps:

• Observation: Take some time in the morning before you start your day to close your eyes and check in with yourself. Take several deep breaths and observe your thoughts. Watch where your mind goes without becoming attached to those thoughts. Just watch your inner landscape, and let your thoughts go until they disappear like clouds that move, change and fade in the sky.
• Make the Connection: Pull back from your Monkey Mind in the moment and observe your breath. How are your stressful thoughts affecting your breathing and posture? How are you feeling stress in your body and where? Stop what you’re doing or about to say, so that you can regain control of your body. Relax through Deep Mindful Breaths. Check in and notice how your thoughts have changed after mindful breathing to a more calm and quiet state of mind. Slow down so you can master your mind.
• Action: Now you are able to wrangle in your mind when it begins to stir by feeling the reactions in your body and observing when your mental tempo shifts to a frenzied cadence. You are able to remain present in your conscious breathing and approach your interactions with more focus in the moment.

The mind is tricky, and when you’re upset, your mind will intentionally rustle up old memories to emotionally stir you. It’s easy to get caught in the Monkey Mind. Mind mastery is a practice. The more observant you become, the more progress you will see. The connection within yourself will be revealed through self-awareness. When we are less reactive within ourselves and with our loved ones, we will move from fear towards compassion. When you do the Inner Work the world around you will change.

Learn Meditation techniques with Tracy with your Radiant membership. Click HERE to be redirected to that page.

Radiant Centre owner Tracy Aleksic is a master yoga and meditation teacher, who is studying yoga therapy.