PLAY MONKEY-AWAY
Sometimes after I say feel-good words, it still feels like a monkey’s in my mind, jumping all over the place. That’s when I play what I like to call, “Monkey Away.”[1] Try it, it’s fun! Play it often. (Feel free to skip the footnotes. They are there for those who want to understand the benefits of each instruction.)
[It would be wonderful if we could put a button that plays a recording of these directions on the page. (Similar to the buttons that play songs.)]
[* = “Do this three times, if it feels good.”]
[Footnotes may be presented in a graphically-appealing format or endnotes.]
Part 1 – Warm Up (About 1 Minute)
1. Stretch and stand up straight, but not at attention.[2] Bend your knees slightly.[3]
2. Put your right hand on your tummy. Close your eyes. Breathe normally. Put your left hand on top of your right hand and rub your belly nine times in one direction. Then rub it nine times in the other direction.[4]
3. Put a smile on your face.[5] Pretend your arms are ropes and swing them from left to right, and then from right to left.[6] Go slow, medium, or fast. Slow down if you have trouble.
4. Swing your body from side-to-side so that your right arm taps your left shoulder, and your left arm taps your right shoulder.[7]
[Show the location of the kidneys in an illustration.]
5. Swing your body from side-to-side so that your right arm taps your kidney, and then your left arm taps your kidney.[8] Be gentle.
Part 2 Push Stress Away (About 2 Minutes)
6. Take a deep breath.[9] Reach both of your arms straight up, so your palms reach straight up. (Your back will stretch. That’s okay.) Whoosh your breath out and say, “I’m pushing away all of the things that are coming down at me.”[10] *
7. Take a deep breath. Reach both of your arms out, so your palms are facing the sides of the room. (Your chest will stretch. That’s okay.) Whoosh your breath out and say[11], “I’m pushing away all of the things that are rushing at me.”[12]*
8. Put your hands at your waist, about 6 inches in front of your tummy. Palms facing toward the floor. Bend your knees. Take a deep breath. Push your hands down while you whoosh your breath out and say, “I’m pushing away all the things that are pushing up at me.”[13]*
9. Move your hands in front of you. Flip them, so your thumbs point to the ceiling and your fingers face you. Bend your knees. Take a deep breath. Pull the palm of your left hand toward your left shoulder while you pull the palm of your right hand toward your right shoulder while you whoosh your breath out and say, “I’m pushing out all the bad things inside me.”[14]*
10. Stretch, stand up straight, but not at attention. Put a smile on your face.[15]
Part 3 – Create Long-Lasting Effects (About 1-1/2 minutes)
11. Put your right hand on your tummy. Close your eyes. Breathe normally. Put your left hand on top of your right hand and rub your belly nine times in one direction. Then rub it nine times in the other direction.[16]
12. Put the palms of your hands together in front of your heart.[17] Close your eyes. Feel the calm and beauty of the Universe.[18]
13. Open your eyes when you are ready. If you want, recite a favorite affirmation.[19]
14. Enjoy the way you feel.[20]
[1] Monkey Away is my name for a series of Qi Gong and Yoga techniques that I have adapted, integrated and use.
[2] Stretching and straightening your back lengthens your spine, allowing it to tone up and strengthen. It also tells your body that you’re going to do it will enjoy.
[3] Bending your knees slightly is a way of making sure that you’re not locking your joints and stressing your body.
[4] Rubbing your tummy helps you to get in touch with your inner needs.
[5] Placing your tongue under the roof of your mouth helps you to smile and smiling helps you to relax.
[6] Swinging your arms back-and-forth like a rope helps to relax your body and breathe more fully.
[7] Touching your shoulders wakes your body up and raises your energy level.
[8] Tapping the kidneys stimulates the secretions of the adrenal glands, promotes the blood and energy circulation to the kidneys, and warms up and energizes your body.
[9] Deep breathing brings more oxygen in your system, helps to clear out carbon dioxide, and strengthens the heart and the lungs.
[10] I choose not to react negatively to many of the things that are pressing down on me.
[11] Whooshing your breath out removes carbon dioxide from your body and prepares you to take in more oxygen when you breathe.
[12] Sometimes life gets frantic. When I push away the things that are coming at me, I feel more in control of my life.
[13] There are only so many ways that external things can assault you, by pushing away the things that are coming up at you, you’ve eliminated most of them.
[14] I use affirmations to fortify myself from negative self-talk, and this technique makes me feel better because I’m pushing away the residue of the negative things I tell myself. No one taught me this technique in any of my Yoga or Qi Gong classes. I’m sharing it with you because I find it helpful.
[15] I find stretching and standing straight, and smiling again brings me full circle and helps me to relax.
[16] Many diseases can be prevented by having a healthy digestive system and meditatively rubbing the stomach promotes a healthy gut.
[17] Placing my hands in front of my heart after a spiritual practice evokes feelings of gratitude. I find it difficult to be nervous or tense when I am feeling grateful.
[18] I personally feel that I am a part of the Universe and that when I connect to it, I feel healthier and relaxed. You may not feel that way, but you probably have admired a beautiful night sky, a sunrise or sunset. Recall those pleasant memories.
[19] I find that my body is receptive to feel-good words when it is relaxed.
[20] The final pose in any Yoga class that I have taken is one of deep restoration. It’s called Final Relaxation, Corpse pose, or Savasana, a Sanskrit name that’s pronounced sha-VAH-suh-nuh. The point of this Yoga pose is to allow one’s body and mind to integrate and circulate the benefits of the practice. (That’s why you lie flat on the ground, eyes closed, your palms turned toward the sky. The open palms are a gesture of receptivity.) Instructing your body to enjoy the way that you feel circulates and integrates the sense of internal peace that you’ve created.
