Have you ever heard the phrase, "live in the moment"? How about, "be present" or even, "pay attention"?
Have you ever spent time, before, during and/or after an event, in fear of, or worrying over things that are outside of your control?
Truly being present is about mindfulness, or, being aware and attentive.
While many of us may think that we are living in the moment in many cases the truth is that we are not. When the mind races forward or takes us through irrational fears, or just simply fails to concentrate on the task at hand, it is labeled by my Sensei (affectionately I am sure) as, monkey mind.
Those who have studied meditation may have heard of this label, but most Westerner's have only heard of monkey mind, or certain forms of it, absurdly referred to as a disease called ADD or ADHD.
In reality, monkey mind is simply the truth of who we are, an uncontrollable force of physical, emotional and mental reactions.
Monkey mind, in many cases, is the leading cause for struggle or even failure of a submissive or slave in completing a task to the best of her/his ability.
The good news is, that when one realizes that she/he does not have control over themselves, then she can begin the correction process and start to become better in her/his service.
How to detect a monkey mind:
Monkey mind is the inability to control ones constant random thought process. With even a small amount of self observation, one can see that breath/breathing is the key to managing a wandering mind.
In my case, I did not breath deeply, with my diaphragm, nor did I let out ALL of my air. In other words, I would inadvertently hold my breath or at the very least, breathe very shallowly. This leads to a sense of urgency and stress, and lack of smooth deep breathing can lead to low oxygenation and low energy.
Something as simple (yet complex) as a person's breathing pattern can alert others or themselves to the possible issue of a racing mind and could be considered an extremely useful observation tool in submissive training.
How to Manage Monkey Mind
Did you know that awareness of ones breathing, is a main component, not only in one ones ability to focus, but to our overall health and vitality?
Breathing, I was surprised to find out, is the moderator of our entire being, setting the stage for how we will function physically, mentally and spiritually, in each moment of our lives.
Think about when you were trained to exercise, do yoga, dance, martial arts, meditate or sing, what was the first thing that the teacher focused on? Your breathing.
How do you breathe? Are you in control of your breathing or do you just leave it to nature? Do you breathe differently in different situations?
Step 1: The Importance of Becoming Aware
A quote from my Sensei: One who can not control their breathing, can not control themselves and thus can not serve fully. Awareness of the breath creates presence. In presence, one can offer the self completely.
Breathing is something that most of us take for granted, however, if a submissive struggles with attention issues, her mind wanders or she finds it difficult at times to be "present", this is the first place that one can look to for a remedy.
According to Buddhist author H. Gunaratana Mahathera
Breathing, which seems so mundane and uninteresting at first glance, is actually an enormously complex and fascinating procedure. It is full of delicate variations, if you look. There is inhalation and exhalation, long breath and short breath, deep breath, shallow breath, smooth breath and ragged breath. These categories combine with one another in subtle and intricate ways. Observe the breath closely. Really study it. You find enormous variations and a constant cycle of repeated patterns. It is like a symphony. Don't observe just the bare outline of the breath. There is more to see here than just an in-breath and an out-breath. Every breath has a beginning, middle, and end. Every inhalation goes through a process of birth, growth, and death; and every exhalation does the same. The depth and speed of your breathing changes according to your emotional state, the thought that flows through your mind and the sounds you hear. Study these phenomena. You will find them fascinating.
(Excerpted from Mindfulness in Plain English at http://www.enabling.org/ia/vipassana/Archive/G/Gunaratana/MindfulnessIPE/chapter7.html)
For myself, learning to breathe correctly has been challenging, but I know that when I master this, I will be that much closer to serving with my full (meaning empty) mind, body and soul, allowing me to just "be"... simply and in the moment.
Peace & Happiness
-kyuuri
