Do you have a monkey mind?
Is your mind is full of constant chatter and often unsettled or overwhelmed?
The buddha called this the monkey mind.It’s like having a troupe of clamouring monkeys (thoughts and emotions), all demanding attention at once.
The buddha suggested using meditation to quiet our monkey mind.
How I tame those monkeys.
I’m quite a thinker myself and my mind gets really busy, sometimes in fun ways, sometimes in stressful ways.
Over the years I’ve tried many things to calm it when it’s over busy and my favourite technique for this is Emotional Freedom Techniques, also known as EFT tapping (it’s one of my treasured mindset &energy tools).
The round of tapping that I share in today’s video is slightly different from the usual tapping that I do.
There is more of a focus on deep and calm breathing and I use Silvia Hartmann’s heart and soul protocol, which adds in the heart dimension, so it’s really like a meditation with the bonus of tapping.
If you’d like to quiet your monkey mind, which I highly recommend, watch the video and tap along with me.
What are the benefits of having a quiet mind?
In case you need any convincing of the advantages of having a quiet and peaceful mind, here are some of my favourite reasons to calm those monkeys.
It takes a lot of energy to listen to that noise.
I don’t know many people who enjoy being in the middle of the mayhem of their monkey minds.
It’s hard work being constantly bombarded with a multitude of thoughts all clamouring for attention.
You can’t think clearly with that racket going on.
Can you gather your thoughts when your mind is busy?
It’s not easy. It’s also very hard to take in new information if your mind is chattering.
Think of it as clearing your mental palette.
I don’t know about you, but I like to have a clear head before switching from one part of my day to another, or one project to another.
Lingering thoughts or emotions can taint the new energy of the next phase of your day.
A busy mind has no room for inspiration.
A quiet mind has space, space with invites inspiration to bubble forth and insights to arise to your conscious mind.
Then, all you have to do is listen (and then act … but that’s another story for another day).
Over to you.
If you tried the tapping, let me know how you got on.
Did it help quiet your mind?
What other tricks do you use to stay calm and clear headed?
Let me know in the comments below.
If you need a bit more help to quiet your unruly inner thoughts and emotions, get in touch by email or book a free 15 minute phone or skype consultation with me, to see how I can help you.
All the best,
Ferris.
CALMING TECHNIQUES, PARTICULARLY FOR MEDITATION
Hello, Ferris:
Thank you very much for your video on quieting the mind using EFT tapping.
I am a long-time meditator who recently became interested in energy medicine and EFT tapping. My mind was already quite quiet during meditations, and your video helped make it somewhat quieter.
Here are some of the other things I do to help quiet the mind prior to and during meditation:
.Prior to meditating, I do Donna Eden’s 5 minute Daily Exercise Routine. Part of this routine is about grounding, and part of it is about getting the energies in our body moving in their natural, spontaneous patterns. I don’t look upon meditation as some sort of mind control; in fact I look upon our whirling thoughts as the result of the mind run amuck from its overuse as a defensive control mechanism of the ego.
.Prior to meditating, I Scan my body, saying “now relax the scalp, now relax the eyebrows”, etc., etc.
.During meditation, I become aware of gravity pushing me into the earth. I think this leads to a sense of groundedness and connection, which helps me get out of my mind and into a state of direct awareness. I recently read Francesca McCartney’s book “Body of Health”, which has a long chapter on grounding, and I came up with this simple method of trying to be aware of gravity pushing me into an connecting me with the earth. I’m trying to make this a habit at all times, as she recommends.
Best Wishes,
Dave Schauweker
Hello David,
Thank you for your wonderful tips.
Donna Eden’s Daily Energy Routine is excellent and I regularly suggest it to clients.
Your grounding practices sound very helpful for you too.
I’m glad that my video was also helpful to help you quiet your mind during meditation.
Wishing you happy meditating,
Ferris.