Santosha

Reading from Tuesday and Wednesday, March 10 and 11, 2015 yoga class

The second niyama, Santosha, contentment

There is a Chinese proverb which states:  "People in the West are always getting ready to live."

When we are little we can't wait to get big, when we are big, we can't wait to get out of the house, then we can't wait to get through college and a get a job, then we can't wait until our vacations, and finally, we can't wait until retirement.

When we look over the fence at what we don't have, we move ourselves into what is lacking in our lives, instead of what is wonderfully right about our lives.

A friend tells the story about how envious one of her sisters was of her during a time when she led wilderness adventure trips.  One day, the sister decided to go on one of these trips.  On a particularly hard day she found herself sitting miserably on the beach.  A cold wind blowing through her and not feeling well.  She looked at my friend and calmly said, "I'm not jealous of you anymore."

As long as we think satisfaction comes from an external source, we will NEVER be content.

We tend to think of contentment as the fulfillment of desires, but the yogis tell us that this kind of happiness is short-lived.  Once you decide that what you have is all you need, contentment will always find a place in your heart.  Santosha requires a sense of inner acceptance, which begins when you stop comparing yourself with others.  As long as there is comparison accompanied by judgment, there cannot be contentment.

The purpose of contentment is to help us see that we are exactly where we're supposed to be right now.  Know that there is something to learn from everything, everyone, and every experience.  Find time to experience and enjoy the things that give you a happy feeling.  Ask yourself how contentment shows up in your life.  Do you find it while taking a walk in the woods, reading a good book, sipping a cup of coffee with a friend, or holding hands with someone you love?  Practice Santosha each day by remembering the blessings you have in your life.  There a thousands of extraordinary things around you if you choose to look at them that way.

Practice GRATITUDE.