When I was younger, I had a talent for being impatient. I wanted everything instantly, and when life didn’t unfold the way I wanted, frustration quickly followed. I expected life to work like a fast-food drive-through: you ask, and you immediately receive. Looking back, I realize that this mindset is common among the young. Patience isn’t something we're typically born with; it's something we grow into, a skill we cultivate as we age. The rush to “arrive” somewhere begins to fade as we understand that life, like a tree, takes its time to mature, and sometimes, we simply need to wait for the right moment.
We often think of patience as passive—just sitting around and waiting. But patience is actually an active, dynamic process. There’s so much happening internally when we choose to be patient. First, we keep taking deliberate actions aligned with what we hope to achieve. Patience isn’t about sitting still and doing nothing. It’s about not rushing the outcome while continuing to nurture growth opportunities, knowing that each step forward is important, no matter how slow.
Patience also requires maintaining a positive mindset. It’s believing that things will unfold in the right way, trusting that life has its own rhythm, even when it’s hard to see the bigger picture. And perhaps most importantly, patience asks us to pay attention to how we behave in the waiting periods—how we hold ourselves together, how we treat ourselves, and how we manage our energy. Because in the end, you are responsible for the energy you bring into your own life and the energy you share with others.
In yoga, we create a space where the mind can rest and be useful, without interfering with our potential for happiness. This is not something we achieve overnight—it’s a gradual, step-by-step process with no shortcuts. And it’s far from linear. Some days feel like leaps forward, while others feel like standing still or even stepping back. But with patience and openness, the path becomes more clear. Each pose, each breath, each transition, is part of the journey towards mindfulness and self-awareness, and this journey requires patience not just with the world around us, but also with ourselves.
In the same way, life demands patience. We must take the time to think before we act, be kind to ourselves as we grow, and trust that the seeds we plant today will bloom when the time is right. Only then do we truly begin to master the art of patience—not as passive waiting, but as an active, thoughtful, and compassionate way of moving through life and the world.
