Containment
"I mastered the ability to contain the inner agitation."1
This is a Sufi speaking in a story related by Idries Shah. Even for ordinary people, like myself, this seems a very useful ability to develop. Who does not waste energy in large or small agitations connected with the various challenges that inevitably appear in life? It would be far better to contain the energy of such agitation, so that one is able to direct its use in an efficient and beneficial way.
Passing by, for the time being, ways to avoid being unnecessarily agitated in the first place, when one notices the appearance of an inner agitation, what can one do? The practice of being able to minutely notice the first subtle appearance of agitation, perhaps in the form of certain muscle tensions, or a change in the flow of blood, connected with a particular emotion, makes it easier to deal with, compared to when it has escalated and taken over the whole body, and …
