We live in such a fast-paced world, in many cases instant gratification is a real thing. We have become so used to getting things immediately. In many ways this is truly a blessing, but if we are not mindful, it costs us the gift of patience. Not everything is designed to happen right away, there are many lessons in cultivating patience. Patience teaches us to slow down, be present, and enjoy the ride.
Our minds go so crazy because we want everything right now and when things don’t happen in our expected time frame we start to ask: why isn't this happening right now, what am I doing wrong, I’m I not enough? In yoga these are all the vrittis (fluctuations) of the mind.
Here’s the ultimate truth my friends:
THINGS TAKE TIME.
When we come into a space of being ok with the process, releasing expectations of a timeline, it naturally allows us to have patience and enjoy the process so much more.
I’ve created a beautiful asana practice to help support you in cultivating more patience in your life. Join me on your mat and take time to open the body. Healing takes time and this gentle restorative practice offers space for that healing to happen.
Follow along with me in following video or keep reading to take the “Cultivating Patience – Oil + Restore” practice at your own pace.
For this practice we will be using Young Living’s blends
- Peace & Calming
- Grounding
- Release
- Surrender
I choose these oils to help us get into the energetic frequency of patience. If you do not have these oils on hand please still practice with me! Essential Oils are not necessary for the practice, but they do add another layer of healing to the work you are doing.
If you would like to learn more about essential oils and how to become a part of the Oily Love Team please click here.
Now, Let’s get into our practice…
Start by sitting in Sukasana;
either on the straight on the mat, blanket, or bolster.
Place 2-3 drops of Peace & Calming in the palm of your hand and take a couple of deep breaths. Then bring your hands to your feet and rub the stomach point, which is located just below the ball of your foot at the beginning of your arch.
Peace & Calming placed on the stomach point helps to calm the nervous system and settle digestion. So often when we are impatient we activate the stress sensors in the body, this in turn halts digestion. Everything in the body is a feedback loop.
While you’re giving the stomach point a little message say the mantra:
“I am content and blessed” at least 3 times.
Bringing more contentment into our lives helps us to slow down, appreciate what we do have, and cultivate more patience as we work towards what we want.
Slowly making your way to your back we will take Supta Baddha Konasana
Staying here for 10 breaths, allowing the hips to relax open. If you need some support place blacks under the knees.
Bring the hands to the Sacral Center, just below the belly button. This is the center where we hold the gift of patience. Tune in, feel the energy here.
After 10 breaths slowly bring the knees back up and take a gentle twist to each side. Again focusing on the sacral center and any sensations you feel. Have patience with the body and surrender to it opening in its own time. Allow 5-10 breaths on each side.
Take your time and make your way back to your seat, we will start some gentle bandha work to connect further with the sacral center.
Dropping 2-3 drops of Grounding Essential Oil to your hands and rub them together, take an inhale to breath in all those amazing conifer oils that help us to simultaneously feel the energy of grounding and upliftment.
Bring your focus to your breath and say the mantra
“I am in alignment”
When we are in alignment we know that everything will come and happen in right timing, giving us patience to see how it all unfolds.
Next, apply Release Essential Oil Blend to the bottom of the neck just above the color bone.
Using the mantra “I am in perfect timing” while applying the oil.
When we allow ourselves to be in “perfect timing” we release expectations on timelines. So often we try and force things to happen in a certain time frame, but all this does is cause frustration and cut off the natural universal flow. When we allow ourselves to be in flow and allow ourselves to truly trust in “perfect timing” we naturally cultivate more patience.
Repeat the mantra “I am in perfect timing” at least 3 times.
The last oil we will use for practice today is Surrender.
Taking 2-3 drops of Surrender Essential Oil Blend into the hand, rub them together and inhale.
Applying the oil to your forehead, say the mantra:
“I am open and welcome change” repeat at least 3 times, slow and steady.
Sometimes the thing that blocks our progress and takes away our patience is when we want things to be a certain way and we are not open to the change and flow in the process. When we truly surrender, are open to change, and have patience in the unfolding of the path so often things manifest so much better than our original vision.
Now that we have connected deeply on an energetic level, let’s move into the physical…
Coming forward and flow into some cat-cows, experience the body, feel the body. Notice where you want to move faster and slower. Can you feel the body’s natural rhythm and flow with it?
Finding Adho Mukha Savansana (down dog)
Feeling and allowing the backs of the legs to open. No destination here. Just breathing. This is a great pose to explore and have patience with if you have tight hamstrings, calves, low back, or cultivating patience in your strength and endurance in the arms/shoulders to hold this pose.
Stay 5-10 breaths.
Coming into Eka Pada Rajakapotasana (pigeon pose)
Working the hips tries almost everyone’s patience. We hold so much in our hips. Physically because we are sitting, standing, and walking all day. Our emotional center is also found in the hips so this is where many repressed emotions are held. Patience is the key to allowing the hips to open and energy to flow.
Hold this pose for 10-15 breaths on each side. Stay the course, tune into your breath, and cultivate patience in the process.
Take a seat, bring the legs wide to come into Upavishta Konasana (wide legged forward fold)
We worked on the outer hips in the previous pose, not we bring our attention to the inner part of the hips. Our hips are multifaceted and multilayered. Breath. This pose can be a huge lesson in cultivating patience in the body.
Hold for 10-15 breaths.
Bringing the legs together come into Baddha Konasana (cobblers pose)
Another pose to work the inner hips as well as moving into the low back. Allow your torso to drape over the legs. Breath into the back of the body, sacral center, and inner thighs. Accept where you are at, you are in perfect timing.
Stay 10-15 breaths.
Once you come out of the pose make your way onto your back to come into
Ananda Balasana (happy baby)
Allowing your knees to move towards the ground and taking any gentle movements you need. Staying 5-10 breaths.
Bring the knees into the chest and give yourself a little squeeze. Taking another twist to each side if that calls to you or coming right into
Savasana
Resting for at least 5 min. Our true test of patience. Can we be still and allow our body and mind to rest while awake. Be patient with yourself.
After your 5 minutes is up slowly make your way back to yourself and bring the palms into prayer. Honor yourself. You are amazing.
Namaste,
Mallory
Feeling constantly overwhelmed, like you can't get ahead, that there's never enough? I know exactly how you feel, for years I felt the same way. Fear was a big part of my life, like even when things were good I was always waiting for the other shoe to drop. What a shitty space to be in, overall life is good but you still have an underlying feeling of stress and worry.
The one practice that really helped to pull my mind out of that space and as I started practicing them my energy started to shift and I noticed more flow and ease in life. As the saying goes "Where focus goes, energy flows" When we are constantly focused on the negative that's where our energy goes, to the negative and we start to manifest all the negative shit we don't really want.
So what did I do?
Well it was pretty simple it fundamentally started with gratitude. Yep that simple, really cultivating a grateful heart. How can such a simple thing have such a big impact? Well it literally shifts your energy. Everything is made of energy, everything has a frequency which is why our thoughts and mindset have such a big impact on our lives. What gratitude does is it raises our vibration. It may sound a little woo-woo but its true. There have been many studies done to show what we think has a direct impact on the world around us and our lives. Dr. Masaru Emoto did an experiment where he wrote and spoke words over water and froze the water to see how it crystalized. The results were crazy and the water's crystallization was so different for each word. Here's a quick YouTube Video showing the impact of our words:
So yes words impact the vibration of the world. Living in gratitude is one of the fundamental ways you can shift your mind which will shift your life.
Where do you start? I started with a simple gratitude practice where every morning while I'm drinking my cup of coffee I write down 10 things I'm grateful for. These things range from very simple like being able to take a hot shower to the grand like expressing gratitude for the dream life that I am in the process of creating. I show gratitude to the things that have already manifested and to the things that I have not yet manifested on the physical plane but I know are coming to me.
In addition to my gratitude practice I also choose to send love to 3 people each day; a loved one, a neutral person, and someone who challenges me. This practice helps to open your heart and increase your receiving muscle. When we learn that the challenging people in our lives are still worthy of love we in turn learn that we are worthy of whatever it is that we want out of life.
If you need help starting your own gratitude practice download my free one page gratitude journal here
You can also purchase the full version where I walk you through 21 days of gratitude prompts and a Metta Meditation to practice while sending love to the 3 people in your life. Click on here to get both for only $5.55.
Practicing gratitude for 21 days will help instill this practice into your being and you will find yourself walking around throughout the day finding things to be grateful for, even the challenging stuff! When we show the universe that we are grateful for what we already have it bestows more amazing blessings into our lives.
In Gratitude,
Mallory
Your mindset has the biggest impact on how your life unfolds. Not sure if this is true... just watch the people around you, I bet you’ll notice those that are always complaining seem to always have crappy things happen to them, it’s like they’re a magnet for crap. I’ll let you on a little create they literally are, because what you put out into the universe you attract right back. Then on the flip side you have the people who are positive, and life just seems to flow a little better for them, again that’s because its what they are attracting.
Learning to cultivate a positive mindset will change your life and bring you so much more happiness.
Read on or watch at the end so you can start changing your life TODAY!
Here are 5 simple practices you can do to help create a more positive mindset.
1. Practice Gratitude…
every morning take the time to think of 10 things you are grateful for. It can be simple everyday things we often take for granted like running water and a hot shower or it can be something much deeper, like the ability to have hope in the mists of life’s challenges. Also, do this practice throughout the day. When you notice yourself slipping into negativity, stop and think of 3 things you are grateful for, this simple practice can literally be life changing, especially when we learn to have gratitude for the hard things and people in our lives. You can’t be negative when you’re in a place of gratitude
2. Acceptance….
Let me tell you a story, the transition into motherhood extremely difficult to me. I had a super high needs baby that never wanted to be put down and literally didn’t sleep, EVER! Negativity swelled up inside me as I started to get resentful and then of course the guilt and feeling like I was the worst mom on the planet shortly followed. It just sucked on all levels. What saved me was the practice of Acceptance and applying my acceptance oil over my heart. When I let go of my expectations and accepted my circumstances everything changed. I could feel the negativity slowly slipping away and actually started to enjoy being a mom, seriously the biggest gift.
3. Move Your Body…
movement is so healing and helps our body to release endorphins which is our happy hormone! Our bodies are meant to move, when we are sedentary it starts to clog up and block our prana (our life force energy) from flowing. By keeping your energy flowing we create endorphins and clear the mind. Find YOUR favorite way to move and do it everyday!
4. Eat Nutritious Food…
It’s simple fresh, whole foods have a higher vibration than processed food. Have you ever noticed when you eat at lot of processed food your mood tends to tank? This is because the gut and the brain are very connected and when we feed our bodies fresh whole, food we are feeding our brains what it needs to thrive and it makes it a little easier to have a positive mindset. Now, if your life me and love to indulge with food, I feel you! That’s why the 80/20 rule works well for me. 80% of my diet it high quality, whole foods and 20% is stuff I know isn’t great for me, but it just tastes sooo good. Can’t be living my life without chocolate chip cookies and brownies!
5. Be mindful of what you consume…
Now, I’m not talking about food here, we already went over that. One of the best things I ever did to help improve my mindset was to be super conscious of what I let into my mind. Ask yourself this, what do you usually watch? How does your Facebook page look? Instagram? What books to do you read? ALL of these matters. If you are reading and watching negativity then your mind will naturally be filled with negativity, its simple. The best thing you can do right now is TURN OFF THE NEWS!!! The media is pretty much all negativity and fear mongering. Believe me, if something BIG happens you’ll find out about it, you do not have to watch the news.
So that’s it the 5 practices you can start right NOW to create a more positive mindset.
If you loved this, then I know you will love creating a more positive home environment by ditching the chemicals that maybe hiding in your everyday products.
