“The sage knows without traveling, sees without looking, and accomplishes all without striving”. Tao Te Ching Verse 47

I love the phrase “accomplish without striving”. It reminds me of watching the tiny seeds I’ve planted miraculously sprout under the grow light. That’s a lot of qi! And it happens so naturally, so effortlessly. Nature teaches us effortless patience. We can’t tug on a flower to make it grow; it takes its own, sweet time.

Patience is an energy worth cultivating, although maintaining patience as we live our lives is often quite a challenge.  Whether confronting big issues like political upheaval and pandemics, or simply dealing with life’s small annoyances, maintaining patience can be a powerful and useful tool.

In Qigong we practice learning to slow down and sense the ever-changing moment, rather than rushing ahead to the “next” thing. The present is the only place we are alive, after all. It’s where the qi resides. This ancient wisdom aligns with contemporary science, as it has been shown that we learn better when we are relaxed, breathing, and comfortably in the present. Distraction is nobody’s friend. When we catch ourselves getting frustrated, self-judgmental, or impatient we learn to gently change the emotional temperature by adjusting our breathing. It’s amazing—and really fun—to see how well this works, whether learning to balance on one foot, or conquering a tricky exercise like “Teacups”. Think of those little seeds: all in good time.