“Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

We can learn so much by observing the rhythm of our natural environment.  There is a time and a season for all things under the sun.  Flowers bloom, birds migrate, sea turtles lay eggs, and even the sun sets.

There are times when we feel more energized and productive, and other times when we are called to rest deeply.  Some days everything works out for us and others that we feel nothing is going right at all. 

While walking with my children on the beach one day, we saw about 10 sea turtle nests.  They were curious to know what the wooden stakes and orange tape triangles they saw all over the beach were. I told them they were sea turtle nests, and there are workers who mark them in order to protect them, and immediately they began asking questions.

My five year old asked, “Why weren’t they here last time we came to the beach?”  And I explained to him how the sea turtles come once a year, when it is time for them to lay their eggs.

Of course they had many more questions for me, as they wanted to know when they would hatch, how the sea turtles find Florida each year, and which type of eggs were in each nest.

I shared with them the magic of the workings of the universe, and how nature knows everything, including when it’s time to wait. They weren’t thrilled with that response, as they wanted to see the baby sea turtles that very second, but they accepted what I said and we moved on.

Like this situation of being asked numerous questions, there are many experiences in our lives that afford us plenty of opportunities to cultivate more patience.  People cut us off driving on our way to work.  The coffee shop gets our order incorrect. And sometimes, things don’t go as planned and we need to come up with a way to accept it.

The good news is, we can become more conscious of how we respond under stress, and the more we practice releasing it in this way the easier it will become to keep our calm in stressful situations. 

When you feel yourself reaching a breaking point, take time to practice this mudra, hand gesture, to aid you in releasing frustration and coming back to center.

Release Frustration

Sit in a comfortable seated position with a straight back.  Make circles with the tips of your thumbs and middle fingers, keeping the other fingers straight. Upper arms are parallel to the floor, arms out like goal posts.  Your hands are at ear level, palms facing front, and fingers pointing toward the sky.

Breathe deeply and release from the posture when you feel yourself noticeably calmer.