ERES #

🐒 The “Monkey Mind” in Yoga

The term “monkey mind” (in Sanskrit often linked to citta vṛtti, the restless fluctuations of the mind) describes a mental state where thoughts jump around uncontrollably — like a monkey leaping from branch to branch, touching nothing for long.

It comes originally from Buddhist teachings, but has been fully adopted into Yoga, especially in traditions that emphasize meditation.

It refers to:

  • Constant distraction

  • Internal chatter

  • Imagined fears

  • Emotional turbulence

  • Memory loops

  • Future fantasies

  • Impulses and cravings

👳‍♂️ **A Guru to anchor it:

Swami Sivananda Saraswati (1887–1963)

He used the analogy often, and described the mind as:

“A monkey, drunk, bitten by a scorpion, and haunted by a ghost.”
— Swami Sivananda

In other words:
restless + intoxicated + irritated + anxious = the untamed mind.

He taught that unless the mind is trained, it simply reacts, jumps, and pulls you out of the present moment.

🧘 How the Mind Is Tamed (according to classical yoga)

1. Breath as the leash

The monkey mind jumps when breath is irregular.
Slow, intentional breathing calms the nervous system → thoughts quiet down.

Techniques:

  • Pranayama

  • Ujjayi breath

  • Nadi Shodhana (alternate nostril breathing)

Sivananda called breath “the remote control of the mind.”

2. One-pointed focus (Dharana)

You give the monkey one branch to hold onto — a mantra, a candle flame, the breath.

The rule is not “don’t think,”
but “return to the chosen point every time.”

This repetition trains the mind like training a puppy.

3. Awareness of the chatter

Instead of fighting thoughts, you watch them.

This is like sitting under the tree and letting the monkey jump above you rather than on you.

This is the beginning of:

  • Witnessing

  • Detachment

  • Clear thinking

  • Emotional balance

4. Discipline (Tapas)

Small daily practices — posture, breath, meditation — gradually domesticate the monkey.

The mind becomes:

  • less impulsive

  • less chaotic

  • more stable

  • more obedient

Sivananda says:

“The mind becomes your servant, not your master.”

🌿 In simple terms

Yoga teaches that the mind is naturally wild, noisy, and unruly.
But with breath, focus, and steady practice, you don’t kill the monkey —
you teach it to sit calmly beside you.