What is Monkey Mindfulness?
The ancient yogi’s thought we had monkey minds, with our thoughts randomly jumping from branch to branch. But they also recognized that even the wildest little monkeys can be mindful too. Monkey Mindfulness allows children to act like monkeys and then use the calming power of their breath slow down.
What are the benefits?
Monkey bites are a healthy, fun snack for children. Bananas are full of potassium. Peanut butter has protein and healthy fats, making this a great snack for little growing bodies. Introducing a little chaos and then using the breath to calm the mind teaches children to self-regulate.
What to say.
- We are going to pretend to be monkeys. Monkeys jump from branch to branch just like our thoughts sometimes do.
- Stand up and jump across the room just like monkeys. Let’s hop on one foot, now the other foot. Wow, you were fantastic monkeys.
- How can we calm our monkey minds? Right, with our breath! Sit in Easy Seated Pose and take ten big balloon breaths.
- Mindfully eat some monkey bites. Look carefully at your banana. What do you see? Smell? What do you taste?
- Now we are going to add something to dip our bananas in. I’m going to put a little powered peanut butter on your plate.
- Using your mindfulness skills, be a food detective and notice how the peanut butter changed your banana.
- Take a bite dipped in peanut butter. What do you see, smell, and taste?
- How did it taste different from the first bite without the peanut butter?
Want your child to learn more ways to be mindful? Sign up for a camp or class!
