Taming the Monkey Mind: How to Meditate When Your Mind Won’t Sit Still

Words by Tanya Fevzi

During my 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training in Bali, Indonesia, meditation was a daily ritual. Every evening before dinner, I gathered with my fellow students to meditate under the wonderful wisdom of Saurav Rathore, who guided us through different forms of breathwork and mindfulness. Often, we huddled on the floor of the shala, sweaty from the previous class of Ashtanga or Alignment, cross-legged and hungry for dinner, and simply breathed. If we weren’t cross-legged, we were on our backs in savasana, or sitting opposite another student, hand-in-hand, attuning to each other’s breaths. Beyond the shala, we meditated outside: on the grass or by the pool or on the rocks of the nearby black sand beach. One time, we even meditated in the sea, the only instruction being no talking. Saurav practically ingrained in our minds: observe your thoughts without judgement. This advice has stuck with me long after leaving Bali and returning to a life where meditation isn’t a part of my daily routine. To observe your thoughts without judgement means to avoid repressing thoughts that come up during meditation, and instead to allow them to pass by without giving them the attention they crave.

I enjoyed Saurav’s classes because he never put pressure on us to achieve the desired meditative state. The time we spent together during the last scheduled hour of each day felt playful and welcoming of imperfection. I appreciated this because I found meditation very difficult, and never really felt like I was doing it right. In fact, many people find the act of slowing down and confronting the mind to be challenging. In my case, my thoughts always seemed to persist whether I was counting my breaths, chanting ‘om’ 108 times, or watching the sea roll to the shore. I welcomed these thoughts as they sprang up in clusters somewhere inside my mind, but refusing to give in to them was more difficult. One thought turned into another, which turned into another, and so on, and while sharing intentional silence with my classmates gave me a deep sense of calm, I was never so distracted by my breath as to forget to think. I’m sure this partly stemmed from an unwillingness to fully shut down and allow myself to disconnect from my surroundings – an act of self-preservation or a lack of discipline, perhaps. My hands fidgeted, and my eyes fought to open, often meeting the watchful gaze of Saurav, who’d quickly flap his hands, gesturing for me to soften my gaze once more. I began to understand that I needed to approach meditation with greater patience and better understand the significance of the practice.

According to Patanjali, author of yogic philosophy’s foundational text Yoga Sutra, yoga is defined as ‘chitta vritti nirodha.’ In translation, this means that yoga is the process of removing the fluctuations of the mind. The breadth of yoga makes this achievable in various ways, not just through meditation. For example, through asanas (poses), pranayama (breathing techniques), or Karma Yoga (selfless service), to name a few. In the West, yoga is often narrowed down to asanas, and students are encouraged to achieve a shape or imitate advanced postures for their physical benefits. This doesn’t align with the traditional intention of practising yoga as set out in Patanjali’s work. Meditation, however, is a very powerful tool in the journey to experiencing the stillness of full consciousness. It is a practice that, when done correctly, unites the body and mind, the physical and mental, and grounds you in the present moment. Achieving the meditative state trains the mind to be less reactive to thoughts and emotions. In other words, it is a practice that tames the ‘monkey mind,’ a term rooted in Buddhism that is often referenced in contemporary yoga classes. Like a monkey jumping from branch to branch, the mind swings from thought to thought, rarely settling. These fluctuations are targeted during meditation, and stillness is practised by focusing on the steady flow of breath. Placing one hand on the heart and one on the navel can help draw attention to the physical body and ground you within your surroundings. With the correct intentions and a commitment to patience, your mind has the capacity to clear itself of all thoughts.

During Saurav’s meditation classes, I often felt like my mind was failing me. I’m familiar with the drifting nature of my thoughts and often find comfort in retreating into my imagination. This comfort was unhelpful when I was supposed to empty my mind and draw my attention to the present: my breath, my physical body, and the Earth around me. My time in Bali was a constant reminder to be where my body was, and not where my mind was. Meditation is difficult, no doubt, but training yourself to shift into a state of intentional stillness is one of the most powerful acts of self-awareness and inner discipline you can cultivate.

I know that I’m capable of reaching the meditative state, because I experienced it in one of Saurav’s early classes, though not by intention, but by accident, or perhaps by naivety. I was sitting cross-legged on the shala floor when Saurav asked us to count our breaths until he told us to stop. He said he’d then ask each of us to recall the number we reached. More concerned with reporting back with an honest and accurate answer, I concentrated deeply on my breath, and everything else began to fade away amongst the intensity of my focus. It might sound simple, because counting breaths is the most common form of meditation, but outside of Saurav’s instructions, I failed to understand that I was, in fact, meditating. When Saurav ended the class by revealing that the numbers we reported back to him were irrelevant, I finally recognised his intention to steer us away from the pressure of being told to meditate, and task us with an activity that could equally achieve the desired effect. I felt a deep sense of stillness and satisfaction from quieting my mind, if only briefly.

I’m well acquainted with the undeniable power of meditation. Taming the monkey mind can feel impossible, but I know that it is achievable. With patience, focus, and commitment, you can remove the fluctuations of the mind and achieve stillness. A good place to start is to bring your attention to the rise and fall of your chest and observe your thoughts without judgement.