Patience-upping technique

Whenever you forget who you are and what everything is (the Tao having fun on the material plane through you and everyone), you fall prone to impatience.

Impatience, though essentially illusory, affects the body by producing stress. It does so by interrupting the natural flow of breathing and by tensing the muscles and soft tissue especially around the upper belly and chest, leading to tensing at the back of the neck and into the shoulders, thence spreading to all parts. This constricts the vital organs and the flow of blood, fluids and chi, which then further exacerbates the stress and so causes the impatience to grow.

The trick is two-fold: subdue the fire of impatience by pressing down on the notch at the base of the throat in the centre of the upper ridge of the breastbone and intervene with the breathing while doing so, specifically, to stop holding the breath, slow it right down, equalize the duration of inhalation and exhalation and allow the belly to swell to accommodate the inhalation, then flattening it to exhale – for nine breaths.

After this your patience will be unshakable, even in the face of the worst timewasters.

I wish you the most beautiful day of breathing you’ve ever had.

Love, B