Patience and presence.

I am patient when I am present.

Presence and patience go hand in hand. Being present means to live in each moment as it exists. Being present means opening my eyes to what is real and letting the painful products of my wandering imagination float away. When my mind begins to worry about the future, I manifest anxiety into my life. When my mind drifts off to the distant past, I manifest depression.

Living in the NOW requires me to look at what is presently happening and make peace with it. Patience requires acceptance and surrender.

A pain in the hip is a pain in the hip. It’s not comfortable, it’s not convenient, but it’s happening. Worrying about how I will feel at my yoga class on Friday night will not serve me or change the outcome. I will sit and breathe and tend to my hip as it is right now. I will love my body and give it the patience that it deserves.

Anchoring myself to the present moment cultivates a level of patience within my body that I don’t have when I am living in the future or the past.

I take deep breaths- inhale through the nose, exhale through the mouth. I bring awareness to my physical body by doing yoga, jumping jacks, or taking a walk. I release the need to control outcomes. I practice mindfulness by focusing on the current situation with my full attention. I use empathy for others to remind myself that we all want the same things in life.

I am patient when I breathe consciously.

I am patient when I allow my feelings to surface and feel them fully.

I am patient when I listen to my inner voice and trust my intuition.

I am patient when I focus on what is really true.

I am patient when I can witness my actions without judging myself.

Patience is presence, and presence is patience.

There is nothing so pressing in the moments ahead that should require me to become impatient. The only moment that matters is now.