Over a conversation with family on the holiday, I was asked, "What is the greatest thing you've taken from this whole yoga teacher thing?" The answer in my head was, 'so many things, many of which I couldn't even begin to put in to words.' But simply answered, I responded with a few, somewhat explainable things.
One - (simple) I've learned so much more applicable knowledge about the human body and physically, what yoga can do to positively impact how our bodies function, move and sustain.
Two - (a little less tangible) not to say I've ever considered myself a 'bad' person but this practice has taught me how much better of a person I can be, even in little ways, and how this contributes to the bettering of society as a whole.
And three, (again, of many lessons learned) how practicing greater patience impacts every situation I experience, in a good way.
To this third point, my uncle - the question poser - wanted more ... 'how?' I explained that the things that may have once triggered an angry response now no longer do. [DISCLAIMER: practicing patience doesn't mean that I don't sometimes still get frustrated/irritated/upset, rather, that I work to remember to take pause before reacting to any situation that initiates those emotions.]
*Full disclosure here too is that I used to embrace my characteristics of stereotype: Aries, Irish-heritage, fire sign... I smirked when explaining the trio made for not-to-be-messed-with occasional, explosive tendencies. I realize now though that this was simply justification for my impulsive reactions. And maybe a little bit of not yet being in tune with who I really was and adding fire for flare. But what's great about that? I like life lived in a positive temperament.
Back to the conversation with my uncle. Another family member interjected the argument that not reacting angrily is only a person feeling angry but deciding to bottle that anger up inside. I disagreed. Isn't there a difference between actually feeling angry and responding as such or not, and recognizing that we can simply take a different approach to reacting to any situation? And perhaps that comes with taking something for what it is and choosing not to attach to our own expectations for any circumstance.
So perhaps the most common cause for anger is due to this attachment to control. Think back over the last few times you've gotten angry. Where does that anger come from? Could you say that the root of what causes that anger is a result of not having control over the situation? In practicing patience, we can also choose to practice detaching from our need to control a situation.
Here's the question then, are there times when anger is the necessary response? Maybe it's up to you.
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