The Art of Patience

5 steps to peaceful self-control

You know the feeling, you're in a rush for the doctor, work, yoga class or whatever… and the car ahead of you is going slow as molasses. Honking gets your anger out momentarily, but you're still stressed over the delay that this slow-mo elephant of an auto is causing you. You've got one eye on the road and the other on the dashboard clock, calculating just how late this delay is going to make you.
 
You want to scream - and maybe you do, within the safe confines of your car. But your stress level is going through the moonroof, raising your blood pressure, messing with your hormones and ripping at your nerves… and that's not good. So what should you do in a scenario like this to avoid road rage and the torturing of your well-being? 

Try these  five easy steps:

1. Reason with yourself
Run the idea through your mind that losing your patience will have absolutely no effect on the results - other than raising your blood pressure. You'll still be puttering along just as slowly in your car, but you may also end up with a raspy throat from all the screaming you've done. But if you can exercise patience (and deep breathing), your anger and frustration will evaporate and a peaceful feeling will shroud you instead.

2. Let go
Stop raging over being in your unfortunate situation. You can't undo what has already been done. You're stuck and you must accept this. Now try and think about the pleasant destination you are trying to reach. Be grateful that you have a job, yoga class or doctor to go to in the first place.

3. Unwind
Relax your body. Unclench your jaw muscles, release the tightened tendons in your back, your shoulders and your neck. If you can do some gentle stretching exercises, now's the time to do so.

4. De-frown
Apply the Kundalini yoga practice of observing the third eye. It's located, cyclops-like, slightly above the midpoint between your eyebrows. (Don't do this while driving! But if you're, say, stopped at a light, take 10 to 20 seconds and close your eyes, concentrating on your third eye. It relaxes the muscles in your eyes, your brows and forehead (and a fabulous side effect is the decreasing of that vertical frown line you wish you'd never inherited!).

5. Breathe-easy
So how is your body reacting so far? If you're breathing shallowly, consciously try practicing deep long breaths (like Ujaye yoga breathing). Unclench your fists. Imagine your body loosening up, like a knot that's been untied. Breathe into those spaces in your body that feel tight. It's hard to be impatient when you slow down your breathing

By the time you've completed these exercises, you'll find yourself a tad more reasonable and realize you can be proactive about the final effect of this delay: Simply call ahead on your cell phone (using hands-free mode, in most states) and advise your boss, doctor, lunch date or whomever that you're running late. By yielding to that which is out of your control, you'll have given your body permission to relax.

There will be no arriving breathless and stressed at your final destination. People will think of you as mellow (ha - you've got them fooled!) and admire your relaxed demeanor. If you apply this technique to any of life's stressful situations, you'll find yourself happier and much better able to let the day's numerous annoyances flow down your back.