Hey, Remember Me?
Yeah, I do…
But we’re friends now, right?
I went through a period of time I called “dismissing my monkeys”. It started when I became very dedicated in my yoga practice. Little by little things in my life that no longer served me began to naturally fall away. I became much more aware of my body, my feelings, and what I needed to be happy and content.
None of these monkeys left by force. I simply shined a light on them and said “good-bye”. They seemed to just smile and wave when they left. Away with the jealousy! Away with the greed! Away with the toxic foods! Away with the alcohol! Away with the cigarettes! Away with low self- esteem! Away with negativity! ….. you get the point.
Amazing… the little bastards never put up a fight! ~~~OK, wait a minute- the little smoker monkey was a little (a lot) pissed- and he’s the one pictured in the above photo. I’d still smoke if it didn’t kill me, make me look older, and stink, and was still cool like in the old movies. I loved smoking… it was just so rock and roll cool.
How I finally got rid of the little smoker monkey was becoming a yoga teacher. A teacher… I could never truly consider myself a teacher of yoga and still sneak cancer sticks. It made NO sense to me. I had fallen in love with all that is yoga, and that’s why I did it. Yoga is bigger than myself, so it was sort of like handing it over to a higher power. That’s the only reason I think I was able to do it. I smoked for 22 years- a pack a day of Marlboro REDS! (Oh, did I mention Keith Richards is one of my heros?).
So, now with the little crazy monkeys all gone, (for the most part)- I find myself very happy and content in my own skin… (geographically is for another post)…. and honestly?
Pretty empty headed.
I’ve been in deep yogic/ Buddhist studies for a solid amount of time now, and find myself wondering if I’m headed for true enlightenment or true laziness.
All this meditation… stilling the mind…
Well- it works for me. I find that I can come to a place of empty pretty easily. I’m lucky- I know… but here’s my edge-
I’m single, and I have no kids. That’s a HUGE advantage when it comes to stilling the mind and not worrying/ stressing/ list-making/crazy monkey- mind!
…that’s all for now…
January 30th, 2009 at 7:26 pm
I love this post…my monkeys are pretty persistent though most are gone…a couple reared their ugly monkey heads this summer though I think they are getting the idea and heading back to monkey land again! namsaste, Lisa
February 5th, 2009 at 10:38 am
I’ve noticed that, while most of the yogis I know eat some kinds of meat, and almost all eat dairy products, as well as at least small amounts of junk food, and drink alcohol, and a solid handful, including one friend who teaches yoga, smoke pot sometimes, and one told me she dropped acid recently (though it was the first time in years), and none refrain from sex (at least not intenionally), I don’t know even one yogi who smokes cigarettes. Tobacco seems to be the one big taboo held up by American yogis….(fortunately, having grown up in a house with a father who was a doctor, and was struggling to quit smoking during much of my childhood, I always saw it as something I never wanted to get involved in…unlike most other vices…). Namaste.
February 7th, 2009 at 5:24 am
Am very excited as my office just announced yoga classes at the office every Tuesday from 4:30 to 6pm. this is awesome as yoga classes are expensive here and it’s FREE!Hell yeah I signed up. Now i just have to learn “downward dog” and other terms in Norwegian.
April 21st, 2010 at 5:06 pm
Я извиняюсь, но, по-моему, Вы ошибаетесь. Давайте обсудим. Пишите мне в PM, поговорим….
Аниматор Yeah, I do… But we’re friends now, right? I went through a period of time I called “dismissing my monkeys”…..