Yoga: The art of Contentment (Santosha)

The Practice of Contentment: Santosha

For me Santosha at its deepest levels of the soul is agreeing to be fully alive, riding the ebb and flows of life’s daily challenges with acceptance and gratitude. Simply stated it is a learning to meet life. Most days this level of contentment can be hard to find. Santosha is one the niyamas or inner observances of the Ashtanga or 8 limb path of Yoga as taught in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. Niyamas act as a code for living soulfully and what standards do we live up to when left alone. On the mat, we learn to cultivate Santosha in the sense of acceptance. Being able to be present with the obstacles of the body and mind with compassion and acceptance. Being content with where things are and yet still have the willingness to accept more when it comes.

Lately on the mat as a student and as a teacher, I have been moving my practice through levels, the 3 A’s… Awareness, Acceptance, Adjustment. Looking at this levels from a physical standpoint we first come into a posture, let’s say child’s pose, taking in the breath and being aware of the body, what areas of the body are at peace, what areas of the body are in suffering. Observe these conditions with total acceptance, not trying to change anything at this point, just honoring and taking in the present state of the body. Then from a deeply compassionate and accepting place ask yourself what can I change or adjust in my posture to bring more peace, more openness, more contentment. If there is something that can be done, make the adjustment, if not breathe and wait. What you may find is just in the act of acceptance something will shift. The body will respond to acceptance and may adjust itself, letting go through acceptance brings a level of contentment on the deeper levels of our beings that can be seen in the outer physical body. Just trusting/knowing that the posture is simply as good as it can be today. When we see image of the yoga masters or advanced yogis in posture you will notice a sense of calmness and peace on there faces, there is not overexertion shown in their faces or bodies, when deeply connected to Santosha, our spirits respond with joy and openness.

In this fast paced society there seems to be little contentment. We are told from a young age through the media that we need the next thing, the better thing to be happy. Every year there is a bigger tv, a faster computer, a better version of a toy we love, more money to be made. As a parent I struggle with how to be happy that we can provide the children with material things they want and balancing that with teaching contentment and gratitude from what we have. Where is the balance? For me as I learn to cultivate Santosha in my life and my practice I am able to be a better role model for this practice in my family. Every year of practice brings a deeper knowing that the material things come and go and that my spirit does not long for these things. My spirit longs for Awareness, longs for Acceptance, longs for Growth.

When I moved from Florida leaving my friends and community to Biloxi I found myself very discontentment. In trying to find my way I was moving from one thing to another, one person to another searching for contentment outside of myself. I began to take notice and realized that the contentment that I was seeking needed to come from within. I planted seeds of contentment(I believe they were petunias) in my garden. Each time I watered these seeds my intention was to water the inner seed of contentment. As these flowers began to grow and sprout I realized that the seed of contentment within myself also began to grow. There became a sense of peace about where I lived and what I was doing. Accepting my life and reveling in it. Realizing that all that is needed lies within the content of the moment, even if that moment seems difficult. This kind of realization allows us to stand in the center of life and remain ourselves, our True Divine Self even in the midst of chaos or challenge we make the agreement with our Spirit through the practice of Santosha to be fully alive.