Embodying Patience To Soothe Your Nervous System

This meditation explores the calming influence of patience as a valuable tool to calm your nervous system. With intentional breathing and visualization, you'll learn to nurture a deep sense of patience, leaving you more centered and better equipped to handle life's challenges. By the end, you'll feel more resilient, ready to share a sense of calm with yourself and those around you.

Transcript

Welcome.

In this practice,

We're working on patience as a way to calm our nervous system and to find more peace in our daily lives.

Find a space where you can be comfortable,

Maybe close your eyes,

Sitting or lying down.

Just choose a spot that feels good and will allow you to fully engage in this practice.

Just doing your best to make it a space where you feel at ease.

Before we begin our meditation,

Let's reflect briefly on what patience means to our lives,

Relationships,

And our nervous system.

In our daily lives,

Patience is the antidote to the fast-paced life that surrounds us.

It gives us the ability to navigate challenges with response instead of reaction,

Leaving more space for calm and resilience when life challenges us.

In our relationships,

Patience acts as a boundary,

Allowing us to be more understanding and compassionate.

It's the space we create for others to move and communicate at their own pace,

As well as creating that same space for ourselves.

It's where we have the ability to recognize that all growth takes time.

Patience helps us to grow deeper connections,

Allowing us to listen actively and express ourselves more compassionately.

On a physiological level,

Patience plays a vital role in soothing our nervous system.

As we practice patience,

The sympathetic nervous system responsible for the fight or flight response yields to the parasympathetic nervous system,

Allowing for more calm and balance.

In this meditation,

We'll explore how cultivating patience within can have a profound effect on our minds and our nervous systems.

Let's use this time together to set an intention to make more space for patience within ourselves,

Knowing that this is a gift we are giving to ourselves,

As well as our relationships with those we care for.

Let's begin with the soothing rhythm of long,

Deep breathing.

Inhale slowly through the nose,

Inviting air to fill your lungs,

And exhaling through the nose or mouth with equal intention.

This intentional breathing signals your nervous system that it's safe to relax,

Activating the parasympathetic response.

We'll continue this breathing throughout the practice,

Using long,

Deep breathing to create a strong foundation for patience to grow.

Maintaining your slow,

Deep breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth or nose,

We'll begin our visualization.

Imagine finding yourself in a peaceful garden,

Surrounded by greenery.

You feel a gentle breeze brushing against your skin.

The air is clean and fresh.

Take a moment to connect with the softness of the earth beneath you,

Grounding yourself in the peaceful energy of this garden and in this moment.

This garden is your mental sanctuary.

It's where you will find your patience and where it will flourish.

As you're looking around your garden,

You notice in the center stands a majestic tree.

We'll take some time now to study your tree.

It's unique to you and standing in your own private garden sanctuary.

Picture its sturdy trunk.

Maybe it's a bit weathered.

Maybe the bark is rough to the touch.

Or maybe it's smooth and polished.

Your eyes move up now and you're casting them upward towards the sky,

Noticing the branches of your tree.

Do they spread wide,

Offering shade on a warm,

Sunny day?

Or do they reach up to the heavens with a sense of aspiration?

Picture its leaves vibrant and alive.

Are they green,

Swaying in the summer breeze?

Or maybe it's a time of rebirth and renewal with tiny buds waiting to burst open with color in the springtime?

Or do you see the warm hues of autumn and leaves gently falling to the ground?

Maybe you see bare branches resting for the wintertime.

Whatever you see is unique to you.

This tree,

In this time,

In this meditation,

Whatever is calling to you,

Is what you need right now in this moment to grow your patience.

Casting our eyes downward now,

We see the roots of the tree.

They anchor your tree into the ground.

The roots are mostly unseen but also essential.

Envision them spreading wide and far underneath the ground,

Interweaving beneath the surface,

Sustaining the tree,

Nourishing the tree,

And connecting it under the ground to other living things in your garden.

This is your tree and it's a simple representation of your journey to patience.

As you observe it,

Think about how its features connect with your own growth,

Strength,

And the changing seasons of your life.

Observe how your tree's presence is the perfection of patience,

A serene contrast to the hurried pace of the surrounding world outside your garden.

In the simplicity of its existence,

Your tree stands as a profound reminder of life's natural ebb and flow.

As you stand in the company of your tree,

Let it become a mirror reflecting your journey to being more patient with others,

With the world,

And with yourself.

Notice how your tree takes its time,

Not pressured to match any external time clock.

It doesn't rush for quick results or yield to the demands of urgency.

Instead,

It steadily grows,

Each branch reaching skyward with a calm determination,

A shining example of the natural unhurried pace of nature.

Your tree doesn't gauge itself against others or fall into the trap of competition.

It follows its own rhythm,

Gracefully navigating the passage of time.

Take a moment to absorb this important lesson the tree is teaching you.

Allow the tree's wisdom to shape your own story,

Embracing letting go of comparisons,

Freeing yourself from the demand for instant results,

And committing to your growth in your own time.

Inside this mental sanctuary you've created,

In your tree's presence,

See the potential within yourself to follow your own rhythm,

Navigating all of life's cycles with more patience.

As you continue your long deep breathing,

Inhaling and exhaling slowly,

Feel your body expanding.

This expansion mirrors your tree's steady patience.

Notice how your tree's journey can reflect the development of patience within you,

Each moment contributing to your ongoing journey and the trust you are building in the gradual process of becoming.

Just as your tree stands resilient in storms and basks in sunlight,

You too can face life's challenges with strength and more patience,

Growing one moment at a time.

Continuing with your expansive long deep breath,

Repeat this affirmation with me silently.

I am patient,

Like the expansive branches of a tree.

Each moment unfolds naturally and I trust in the process of my own growth.

Once more.

I am patient,

Like the expansive branches of a tree.

Each moment unfolds naturally and I trust in the process of my own growth.

Transitioning now from the peaceful imagery of our sanctuary garden and the patient presence of our tree,

Let's now shift our focus inward,

Into the deep soul of our being.

Maintaining your intentional long deep breaths,

Now envision a radiant light emanating from the center of your chest.

This warming glow,

Like sunshine,

Symbolizes your inner wellspring of patience and is a source that always lives within you.

With every breath,

Immerse yourself in the experience of this radiant light,

Its gentle waves of calm and patient energy moving through your entire being.

Picture this luminous glow not only in your mind's eye,

But see it vividly like a soft warm glow spreading through the darkness and illuminating every corner of your inner landscape.

Feel the expansion of your light,

Its soothing warmth as it wraps around you,

Creating a cocoon of peaceful calm.

Allow your radiant light to become a complete experience as it moves into every corner of your inner being.

See it,

Feel it,

Hear it,

And maybe you even smell it.

This is an exploration of your inner sanctuary where each of your senses contributes to what patience and calmness looks and feels like within you.

This is your unique journey and it will look different for you than it looks for anyone else.

This radiant light that exists within you is there to guide you through the difficult moments and help you grow in your own way and in your own time.

With a long deep breath,

We'll begin to close our meditation with one more affirmation.

Repeat with me silently.

As I embrace patience,

I navigate life with more calm.

I radiate peace to myself and those around me.

Once more.

As I embrace patience,

I navigate life with more calm.

I radiate peace to myself and those around me.

Allow these words to settle within you,

Acknowledging that you embody patience within you.

Slowly allow your natural breath pattern to return.

Notice the gentle rise and fall of your chest and your belly,

The ground beneath you,

And when you feel ready,

Slowly open your eyes if they've been closed and take a moment to orient yourself to your surroundings.

Until we meet again,

Take this lesson of patience with you as you re-enter your daily life.

Remember that just as a tree grows steadily,

Trust that your journey unfolds at its own pace.

Welcome the soothing embrace of calm that patience can bring,

Letting it guide your interactions and experiences with more compassion and understanding.

Feel free to return to this meditation anytime you need to cultivate more patience in your life.

Reviews

Absolutely amazing.. felt so calm.. thank you 🙏🏻✨💫🤍🤍

A beautiful and much needed reminder, thank you for this meditation 🙏🏻

Gentle, soothing breath practice, and nature imagery to anchor patience, peace, and calm in my life. I appreciate the beauty and simplicity of this offering so much. 🙏🩵

This took me to a place within myself that I needed to go ! Thank you 🙏 Om Shanti 💜

Very peaceful- very helpful. A good reminder of the gifts of patience.