A meditation on patience.
The true value of practicing patience is our ability to not allow outside people or circumstances to dictate our state of being and it also helps us surrender to what is instead of fighting to make things how we want them to be.
But being patient can be easier said than done especially when your child is having a tantrum or a work situation is inconvenient or stressful or money or health is causing anxiety.
So I hope today's meditation will help you practice more patience within the safe space provided here so you can take it and infuse it into those tough situations more often.
So let's begin.
Let's begin by bringing your attention onto your breath,
Bringing you away from the thoughts and emotions swirling around and finding comfort in the simple movement of your inhale and your exhale.
Breathe in,
Breathe out.
Now let your breath expand,
Breathing in just a bit deeper and breathing out just a bit longer,
Letting it slow you down and bring you here.
Your body may be asking for your attention,
Perhaps your nose itches or your arm wants to move or maybe your leg wants to stretch.
Without responding to any of these requests see if you can simply notice what your body is asking for and sit with it,
Resisting the urge to scratch or stretch or move just for a moment and instead focus on your breath while you wait,
Breathing out any discomfort through your exhalation.
Now see if you can recognize any thoughts you may be having,
Thoughts telling you to do something or thoughts reminding you of the tasks for the day or evening ahead.
See if you can imagine these thoughts as clouds floating above you,
You here,
Separate from them,
Choosing in this moment not to engage but instead sitting here patiently,
Calmly in the space of presence and nothingness,
Just being.
Focusing instead on your breath,
Breathing in and breathing out and waiting,
Watching the clouds go by,
Let yourself feel the spaciousness,
The power of being still,
The beauty of not reacting,
The power of patience.
Now see if you can think of a recent moment when you were impatient,
Perhaps it was in a heated moment with a loved one or out in public with a stranger or in private with yourself.
Just bring that scene to mind,
Aware of and then letting any judgments or emotions that may accompany it float away like those clouds.
As you see this moment,
See if you can breathe that spaciousness into it with every breath out,
Infusing it with love,
Compassion and patience every time you exhale.
Forgive yourself for all those times when you have not been patient and hold on to this feeling right now,
This openness,
This lightness,
This calmness so you can call upon it the next time you want more patience.
Practicing patience reminds us that we don't have to fill up our moments with activity and with more thinking in order for them to be rich.
In fact,
It helps us to remember that quite the opposite is true.
To be patient is simply to be completely open to each moment,
Accepting it in its fullness,
Knowing that like the butterfly emerging from its chrysalis,
Things can only unfold in their own time.
