c o n t e n t m e n t

When I was completing my yoga teacher training and learning about the niyamas, Santosha was the one that resonated the most with me.

Santosha means contentment. To me that means to "want" less and appreciate more. I feel like it's so easy to get sucked into the trap of wanting - a bigger house, a fancy car, a new job, a shopping spree at TJMaxx 😆

It's a little hard for my to sit still, to stay in one place (er, moved ten times in 15 years lol), to not always be thinking "what's next"... I've gotten a little better in recent years but I still have some work to do. There is definitely a balance between enjoying where you are while working toward the future.

So I'm making a conscious effort to "Live in the present moment without regretting the past or anticipating the future."

From www.dailydownwarddog.com: How to Practice Santosha:

❤ Releasing control over what you think your life should look like, and accepting every facet for what it is at the present moment.
❤ Cultivating an inner peace and joy that is not dependent on what is happening in our lives.
❤ If something comes, let it come. If not, it doesn’t matter.
❤ Practice remaining calm in success and failure.
❤ Cut back on energy wasted in thoughts of liking or disliking what is.
❤ Practice living mindfully.
❤ Ask yourself if you really need that new [fill in the blank] to be content. Seriously, do you really need more “stuff” in your life?

“Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.” – Lao Tzu

Happiness is not found in people, things, or places. Not striving for what you don't have but accepting with joy what you do. A peace inside that remains regardless of circumstances.

I often think "If nothing changes - my living arrangements, my job, my daily routine, my finances, my relationships - could I still be content?" Although on a regular basis I dream about a new home, having an event space, etc. If I stop and think about it, I believe I could enjoy this life, just as it is, for the foreseeable future... and I am so grateful for that.

I hate to see those that are constantly in want, seemingly feeling unrest because of their dissatisfaction with life, miserable because they are not who/where/with who they want to or thought they would be by now, because I can only imagine how uncomfortable that must be!

So what can you do to start enjoying life now you ask?

1. Get mindful: The practice of conscious attention on the present without judgment. Not projecting into the future about what we want to happen, what we want to do or have, when we are not dwelling in the past on what we should have done differently, we find contentment with what is right now.
   
2. Meditate: Clearing your brain for just a few minutes helps bring the mind into the now and find contentment in the present, gives you a fresh start to move forward, creates space to think more clearly and calmly.
   
3. Get grateful: Stop and focus on something you have in your life that you are grateful for. It’s impossible to be discontent when you are truly grateful. Anything as seemingly insignificant like your morning coffee (or v8 😆), or the things you forget to be grateful for such as roof over your head, food on the table. Something unexpected like finding $5 in the washing machine haha! And of course the big things like your health, your family, your job.

I hope you love your life today ❤

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