Get Patience, Now!

Learning to Wait

The patience prayer goes something like this: GOD, GIVE ME PATIENCE NOW! The rational, youthful mind says, if not now, when, for heaven’s sake? But the seasoned mind says… well, who knows. All I know is that eventually, and I MEAN eventually, very eventually, patience comes sauntering down the road of our lives and suddenly, it’s there. Just there! That sense of urgency about having things work out and knowing the end result NOW, dissipates eventually. All that is right and good comes to pass… eventually!

So, in the meantime, waiting for patience, we might want to ask ourselves why we have to know NOW. Come on. Like I say to many of my clients: “What’s the rush? You’re going to be here anyway.” But anxiety often has its way with us and doesn’t really serve us or our relationships, but it is a great teacher. When the student is ready, the teacher appears.

Learning how to deal with anxiety opens up many doors to successful living. So, take off your hat, and have a seat while I share with you the gifts life has given to me in my pursuit of anxiety-free living.
I am a certified meditation teacher and, as such, have learned the value of the BREATH!

Step 1: BREATHE, for God’s sake, BREATHE. Sit down in a comfortable position, spine erect, and slowly inhale, and exhale, counting to ten—five on the inhale and five on the exhale. Now, don’t hyperventilate because then you’ll pass out and that you don’t want to do. So, do it slowly.

As you relax, you may feel some tension in your body, as you release and let go of the stresses in the muscles. Pain may accompany the release. This exercise will take approximately ten minutes. Keep your focus on counting: inhale to the count of five; exhale to the count of five. Aaaaahhh! Nice, huh?

Step 2: MEDITATE—you have readied yourself to meditate. Some people are afraid of meditation. But I say, Try it – You’ll like it! You are divine and when you connect on a deeper level with your divinity, you will experience the inner calmness that is the real you that your impatience is seeking—peace. You heard me right! The Real You! Everything the mind does, it does in order to quiet itself in order to experience peace, stillness, and impatience is one of those devices. Let me explain: Impatience tells us that if we know NOW, then we’ll be happy. So, the sooner I know, the sooner I’ll be happy. Think about that for a moment.

Back to our meditation. As you inhale and exhale, still counting, thoughts will arise. Watch those thoughts pass like clouds in the sky. Release and relax. In fact, often the mind appears to be more active than ever. It’s not; it’s just that we’re not used to watching our minds. Continue this practice for ten minutes in the morning and ten at night. Use a timer. It is said that 10 minutes of meditation is like 8 hours of deep sleep. You can do a quickie at work, once you get the hang of it.

Some people say “Om” and some people use the Jesus Prayer—“Lord, Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.” while meditating instead of counting. But, initially, count. Una, Dos, Tres, Quatro, Cinco etc., etc.
I invite questions about your meditation practice.

My next article will focus on parsing the anxiety and fear…peel away that sucker so that it no longer has a grip on you.

In the meantime, have fun with your practice. Keep a journal of any changes no matter how minute. Perhaps you can share some of what you find. Happy conscious living beloved ones!