Meet the Mind Where It Is

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a good weekend. Last week my mind felt very crowded and busy and I was finding it hard to shut it off. It even took longer in my meditation practice to quiet the “monkey in my mind”. When that happens, I start with ALLOWING the monkey. I visualize the monkey jumping from branch to branch to branch. I try to create as detailed a monkey as I can in my mind. I look at his eyes (not sure why he is a he but he is :)) and his body, and even his feet as he leaps from one branch to the next. There are many goals of meditation but one of them is training the mind to focus on one thing at a time; even if it’s your “monkey hopping from branch to branch”. That actually is the practice. When my monkey is in clear focus in my mind and I focus on him jumping, I am not focused on all of the “whirring thoughts”. 

Speaking of the “whirring thoughts”, I shared this poem below with my students last week. I used two phrases to help guide us both on the mat and off. The first, “your mind spinning like fan blades at high speed” is a powerful visual that we can also use to slow the mind. I offered that to students during practice several times, to slow the fan to medium and then low by visualizing it in their minds. In order to meet the mind where it is, we sometimes need soften into the resistance of the monkey jumping or the fan spinning. 

DEAR YOU; by Kaveri Patel

Dear you,

You who always have

so many things to do

so many places to be

your mind spinning like

fan blades at high speed

each moment always a blur

because you’re never still.

I know you’re tired.

I also know it’s not your fault.

The constant brain-buzz is like

a swarm of bees threatening

to sting if you close your eyes.

You’ve forgotten something again.

You need to prepare for that or else.

You should have done that differently.

What if you closed your eyes?

Would the world fall

apart without you?

Or would your mind

become the open sky

flock of thoughts

flying across the sunrise

as you just watched and smiled.

At the end of the poem is my other favorite line; “Or would your mind become the open sky, flock of thoughts, flying across the sunrise as you just watched and smiled.”  This represents the opportunity to transition the mind; by softening, to a bit more peaceful place.  When we accept that this is a practice and that we can meet the mind where it is, we often find the opportunity we are looking for. I am practicing right along with you.