Patience and Detaching from the Outcome
Patience is a virtue, they say.
This week in my online community we decided to focus on patience as a theme and immediately you could sense that for the majority, the practice of patience is a challenge.
This is not a quality many people embody. Most of us are caught in the pattern of wanting quick results. We want immediate gratification.
Yet, we know deep down that our impatience has zero impact on getting what we want faster. As we dove into this topic this week I was reminded how life is unfolding at it’s own speed. We have very little control and our best bet is to allow life to unfold.
This doesn't mean we stop participating. This is not to say we can’t take action. However, detaching from the outcome is where we can grow.
There is a concept in Yogic teachings about releasing our attachment to the outcome of our action. Vairagyam translates as dispassion, detachment, or renunciation, in particular renunciation from the pains and pleasures of the temporary material world.
When we experience an unpleasant moment we want it to be done; NOW! When desire arises we want the object of our desire NOW! If we consider how from moment to moment our experience is changing it makes sense to let go of chasing a fixed outcome.
The best we can do is take action in the direction of our dreams, but exactly how the path unfolds is truly not up to us. Much of our suffering is caused by our craving. As we observe reality, it is easy to see inner peace is attained when we can surrender to what is happening in the HERE and NOW.
No amount of yearning changes the outcome. Yes, we can take action. But it is the mental striving and emotional attachment to when and how events unfolds that causes strife.
How can we develop more patience, more detached awareness?
I believe this is where a practice comes in. When we slow down to observe ourselves in mindful movement we can see so much is going on without our help. We can set an intention towards getting into a pose, but the process and our awareness is really what counts. Striving causes tension. Witnessing allows us to see the opportunity for release.
When we stop striving, tension drops away and makes getting there easier. It is as though letting go opens the way.
Non- attachment releases frustration. Non- attachment allows for easeful action. We do our best and we let go of the outcome. We begin to trust that what is happening is meant to happen. We learn we can let go of control.
As we practice on our mats, our patience grows in our life as well. What happens on the mat is a reflection for what happens in our daily lives.
As we pay attention to our bodies we see striving and pushing causes tension and pain. Taking action and focusing on awareness we see there is another way of getting to where we want to go. Our practice is proof that we are getting where we want to go just by allowing breath in and out.
Another way we can connect to the unfolding of life is by getting out in nature. She has a way of allowing everything to unfold as it should. The seasons come and go. Plants grow at their own speed. A seed gets planted and in its own time blossoms.
I love the learning we do in our online community. Through our practice and connecting with each other we keep discovering the keys to balance, peace and harmony.
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