Like a troop of monkeys jumping from branch to branch, a Monkey Mind has thoughts jumping around in the head.
The term Monkey Mind comes from Buddhism and illustrates what we call jumping thoughts or skipping thinking.
This happens especially in times of heavy stress or when one pursues a goal with great perfectionism. Often it is especially difficult to structure and channel the thoughts. One is unable to concentrate, loses focus on the essentials and tires quickly.
From the point of view of the Tibetan constitutional doctrines, a short-term excess of moving wind energy (tib. Lung) in the mind is responsible for this. This does not only refer to the mechanical movement in the body but also the mental activity in the mind. We are colloquially also “moved”. If the normal mental movement becomes too much, then the thoughts jump back and forth. One can easily be distracted and tend to skip actions.
It is not so easy to calm this troop of monkeys in your head. Breathing and meditation techniques can be helpful. Foods, such as bananas or trail mix, are also known to us as so-called brain foods, and have grounding properties due to their sweet taste and can thus calm the troop of monkeys.
Tibetan herbalism and spice lore mainly uses nutmeg in such cases. It is considered one of the most important components in recipes that serve to keep the wind energy of the mind in balance. This also keeps the thoughts calmer and more structured.
PADMA COGNIBEN uses the stabilizing properties of Nutmeg and combines them with the grounding properties of Caraway, the clarifying pungency of Ginger, and a specially prepared, highly usable iron compound that contributes to normal cognitive function.
