Diva Yoga

Learn the subtle art of being patient, with yoga

S
Sarvesh Shashi
December 13, 2020
General
Learn the subtle art of being patient, with yoga

Patience is often held as a high virtue. A moral principle that is either very hard to come by or a natural temperament that people are born with. In all actuality, patience can be honed, just like any other skill.

Anger and frustration are results of a well-meaning battle that we lose with patience. Some of us are lesser equipped with this necessary virtue than others, short temper, frustration, and inappropriate behaviour is something we have all faced in face of stress.

Practising patience on and off the mat is a large part of the Yogic philosophy. Patience brings balance to the mind and body allowing the individual to wade through situations and challenges at ease.

Our ability to be patient is tied to our emotional and mental state of mind. Something which can be explored through the flow of your yoga practice. The transition from one asana to another is just as important as holding and striking a pose. The slow flow between asanas builds awareness for the moment and honours its existence. Learning to take life as it flows, minute to minute is the greatest takeaway from a yoga practice.

Breathing, while holding a pose determines resilience and hardiness applicable to incidents in life that require as much flexibility, twists and turns as that yoga pose, you grapple to hold. Stability, be it in life or on the mat comes with patience, something which the quaintest of poses can teach you.

Here are some poses that will help you explore and gain the technique to be patient:

  • The Tree Pose - This pose teaches you how to stay balanced (link to the article on balance) and grounded even in adverse situations, like a tree in the midst of a windstorm. Your breathing and determination to stay upright and not wobble, it teaches you patience like no other pose.
  • Half-moon pose - This pose is great for cultivating patience as it asks of the body a slow transition with extremely focused breathing. This movement gives you a great insight into how you would respond to new and challenging situations off the mat.
  • Warrior 1 - This pose demands strength of the body and mind, resilience and flexibility. A test for the senses, the stretch could burn, and expose you to face and overcome mental conflicts.
  • Warrior 2- This variation of the warrior pose, pushes your limits further, encourages you to lift barriers and be patient and understand your body.
  • Shavasana - The corpse pose is a few lectures worth- on patience. The slow breathwork putting your mind and body in silence and entering a state of Yoga Nidra requires you to be patient with every single aspect of your being. Only with great love and acceptance does a person enter a state of deep relaxation.

Your body is the reflection of nature itself, and being patient with yourself reflects in the brilliant resonance of all that is around you. A yoga practice earnestly instils this quality in you, on and off the mat.

Yoga is a great route to learn the art of patience, it will ground you, centre you a humble you in an effective way. Namaste!