What's furry, swings from branch to branch and doesn't rest?

If you said monkey, good guess but not quite the cigar! Monkeys are furry, jump around, and seem to have endless energy, and that's why they are a perfect descriptor for the right answer to the question.

Which is.... the phenomenon called the "monkey mind".

​

Originating from the Sino-Japanese shin'en, or Chinese xīnyuán, it literally means "heart-mind monkey", or "monkey mind" in Buddhist philosophy. It (so perfectly!) describes the restlessness you get from negative processing or ruminating of the past and worrying/imagining about the future. The result?

Chaotic thoughts and emotions plus prompt disruption of what you're doing in the NOW! What a perfect metaphor for the mind's natural tendency to be restless— jumping from one thought or feeling to another, as a monkey swings from limb.

A couple of examples of this happening: In your lesson, you start to play, only to suddenly feel like you're a different person who's never seen the music before. Or you get to rehearsal having prepared the music, but it all goes out the window? The constant mental chatter can be one of the biggest obstacles keeping musicians from being fully present and playing their best.

Ughhhh frustrating!!

​

The good news? There's a powerful antidote to the emotional and physical tension that the "monkey mind" evokes.

It's mindfulness.

​

By training our minds to remain calmly focused on the present moment, we can overcome the distracting thoughts and nervousness that diminish our performances.

Here are some key mindfulness techniques for musicians to try:

Body Scan
Before you take the stage, spend a few minutes doing a body scan meditation. Breathe deeply and visualize relaxation spreading through each part of your body, releasing any physical tension. This grounds you in your physical experience rather than your spinning thoughts.

Breathing Exercises
The breath is an anchor available to us at all times to stay present. Practices like 'box breathing' (inhaling for 4 counts, holding for 4, exhaling 4, holding 4 and repeating) can instantly calm the mind and body when you feel anxiety rising.

Meditation
As musicians, we have a wonderful opportunity - try meditating on the sound itself during practice sessions and performance. Put your entire awareness on really listening to the music and your part within it. If your mind wanders, gently refocus on the sound.

Panoramic Vision​
Another grounding technique is to engage your panoramic vision. Rather than narrowly focusing ahead, soften your gaze and take in your peripheral vision. This opens up your awareness to your surroundings in a relaxed, spacious way that discourages anxiety and rumination.

​
It turns out that practicing awareness builds the "monk mind", a focused, clear and non-judgemental lens that cuts through and calms the "monkey" business!

​​

The monkey mind will always return - that's its nature. But through mindfulness, we can develop the skill to recognize it, avoid getting trapped in its chatter, and stay anchored in the transcendent experience of making music in the present moment.

Here's to more of the "monk" and less of the "monkey"!

​

❤️

Ixi

​