Attitude of Patience

The world is moving faster than ever, and with next-day delivery, instant messaging, express service etc, we rarely get an opportunity to practice patience. Even when we do have to wait for something, we can use the time to play on our phones, plan tomorrow's dinner, or worry about that thing we said to our best friend last weekend.
Many of us have gotten out of the habit of being here right now in this moment, and when we consider that life is made up of moments, we have to wonder, how much of life do we miss?
Making the effort to cultivate patience will increase your sense of peace with the natural flow of time, and with your inner experience. The more you can be with your inner experience without having to distract or run from it, the more resilient you will become.

Here's an exercise to help practice patience:
• Pay attention today for times when you are waiting, or have nothing to do.
• Notice if you have an urge to fill the time by reaching for your phone, or some other way of distracting from the now. 
• Resist the urge for at least the next minute and:
• Observe what sensations arise in the body.
• Observe what thoughts arise in the mind.
​• If thoughts or sensations become uncomfortable, bring the attention to the breath, counting the breaths in and out of the body.
• Return to your observations when you can.

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"Patience is a form of wisdom. It demonstrates that we understand and accept the fact that sometimes things must unfold in their own time." - Jon Kabat-Zinn

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