Taming the Monkey Mind: A Rock ‘n’ Roll Guide to Breath and Presence

By Leslii Stevens ERYT500, YACEP

The present moment? That’s the only stage you truly own.

If you’ve ever sat down at the start or end of a yoga class, when the lights are low, the music’s just right, and you’re trying to “relax” you know exactly what I’m talking about. Your mind? Oh, it’s not relaxing. Nope. That little beast is doing backflips, swinging from branch to branch like it’s got a personal vendetta against your chill vibe. This is what we call the monkey mind.

And let me tell you: you cannot ride that monkey. You can’t chase it. You can’t wrestle it into submission. The moment you try, it just swings harder, faster, more chaotic. That monkey has two favorite playgrounds: the past and the future.

The past—a dusty, worn-out record, full of mistakes, regrets, and “if onlys.” You take a peek, thinking maybe it’ll teach you something, and suddenly you’re carrying around heavy stones of old stories that don’t even belong to you anymore. They’re done. Finished. Over. Let them go.

The future, that slippery little devil. You peek ahead, trying to predict, plan, prepare. But here’s the kicker: you can’t see it. You can’t control it. You’re wasting your precious energy swinging along on imaginary vines that don’t exist.

Your mind swings like a monkey—past regrets, future fears—but your breath is the stage. Anchor yourself.

So what do you do? You come back. You anchor yourself. And what’s the anchor? Your breath.

Breath in. Breath out.

Yes, that’s it. Preferably, inhale through the nose, exhale through the mouth—but hey, you’re welcome to experiment with in-and-out through the nose and feel the subtle temperature on your upper lip. That tiny, simple act of paying attention, of really noticing your breath, is like flipping a switch in your nervous system. Suddenly, the chaos calms. The monkey slows. The world is still for just a moment, and you can actually exist in your body, not your mind.

Here’s the thing: this isn’t just “yoga stuff.” This is life stuff. Every day, your mind is trying to drag you down into old fights, old pain, or anxieties about tomorrow. Every day, you get to decide: do you swing along with the monkey? Or do you come back to your breath, your body, your moment?

The breath is rock ‘n’ roll. It’s gritty, raw, alive. And it’s yours. No one can steal it. It doesn’t judge. It just is.

So next time the monkey mind shows up, swinging wildly, let it. Watch it. But don’t go with it. Anchor yourself in the rhythm of breath. And just for a second, or a minute, or ten, be here. Right here. Right now.

Because the present moment? That’s the only stage you truly own.