8 Limbs: Niyama 2: Santosha

“When we let go of the constant need to become, we can more easily just be.” ~Law of Positivism

Santosha is the state of underlying contentment with what life is offering you. We are human and as a side effect of that state of being, we sometimes say, “I will be happier if/when…” or “If I just had a little more time, I could totally accomplish X, Y, Z and people would love me more…” You get the idea. Instead of wasting energy on trying to fulfill conditions we place on our lives, try to see what happens when we meet all parts of ourselves with love and acceptance, including our shortcomings, our doubts, fears, moodiness, aches and pains, etc. and look for the sweet spots that radiate through all the “stuff” regardless of life’s conditions.

Our yoga and meditation practices teach us to meet ourselves right where we are and let go of any other moment, any other thought in the monkey brain and anything else that takes away from the experience of each moment. In our practice we tune into our breath, and find contentment in every moment. We notice sensations in the body and adjust our posture or soften our mind around what we are feeling so we can situate ourselves as needed so we are not in pain or moving beyond what our body is telling us. Deeper listening or even just mindfulness in general, is what brings us into a receptive state to be more open and aware, finding the sweetness in what life is offering and gratitude for what is.

Life is a gift. We may not like everything all the time, but these things are all part of the experience of our own unique life. Finding the essence of underlying contentment is what santosha is all about.