I have a friend who is passionate about yoga. The yoga philosophy weaves freely into her spirituality. She introduced me to the wonderful phrase, `monkey mind.` This is when your brain lacks focus, and thoughts are jumping from branch to branch with never a moment to stop and ponder.
We were sitting at the lake this weekend with some of our kids. My future son-in-law reached over to pull something from my hair. “It looks like a cob-web.” I chuckled, “you know it`s time to get up and move when the spiders start spinning a home around you!”
Cob-webs are stubborn little buggers. They laugh in the face of pressure washers aimed at cabin logs and window screens. Wrapped around a side mirror, they merely flutter in the breeze while barrelling down the highway.
A tired, lazy body is leaving me without inspiration today. There are no monkeys jumping around my mind, just cob-webs weaving their strands through stagnant thoughts. Hopefully they will catch a tasty morsel to chew on for tomorrow. 😉
What do you do to shake the cob-webs and regain your focus?
catholic dialogue 
I sit on the dock at the lake, walk on the beach at the ocean (I live in New Jersey). I use Centering Prayer, praying with the 19th Notation of Ignatius is also helpful to me because it engages the imagination.. Reading poetry, listening to music, and in general, “wasting time” is necessary for me in awakening creativity and bringing focus.
Thanks so much, Ray. It`s true that `wasting time` can be very productive. Pushing away from the computer desk and intentionally seeking time to be…
I believe cob-webs are God’s gift. I allow the web to weave it’s creative powers, for as long as I have a need. When ready, my mind returns to a low simmer. As I feel the need to simmer a bit more, I sit and take deep belly-breaths…inhaling and exhaling slowy through the nose…creating a rolling wave sound at the back of the throat. It took me a year of practice to develop this practice…ten cycles like this truly clears my webs and refreshes my entire body. It is a meditation in its self.
Holy breathing…Chris
`I allow the web to weave its creative powers`….I like this! Your words and presence are so inspiring, Chris. Off to try some holy breathing. Namaste!
That’s my problem…”monkey mind.” I’m totally stealing that. 🙂
It`s easy to have a monkey mind with the wee monkeys running around your house…and such funny ones at that! Your blog always leaves me chuckling! 🙂