Santosha…
Happy Thanksgiving Friends!
Although some may disagree (Halloween Lovers!), today starts the holiday season. I had the loveliest opportunity to practice Santosha in yoga class yesterday. Within the eight limbs of yoga, Santosha is a Sanskrit word and the second Niyama, or observance, which means Contentment.
A lovely message for Thanksgiving, right?
Deborah Adele writes in her book, The Yamas & Niyamas, that contentment is about remaining calm and knowing exactly what to do.
This state of calm is a neighbor of neutrality which is similar to the Tao, the Way. In this philosophy nothing is forced and we flow with life like we would flow with water.
As a human being who moves through joys and sorrows, ups and downs, it is normal to want to master our world so we can find our joy and contentment. The trap in this is that we may find ourselves in a pattern of looking externally for our satisfaction. Practicing Santosha means to find contentment within.
This is real mastery and something I work on practicing every day, sometimes I’m successful, sometimes not. I will say, sometimes I forget and I’m always so grateful for the reminder.
What does contentment look like?
When we think of the word “content” we think of a calm peace and fullfillment. However, life doesn’t always offer this. Sometimes we are moving through challenges that are downright, may I say it, hell.
Does this mean we must accept this unbelievable challenging life moment and find contentment or peace?
Well, maybe if you’re the Buddha, but maybe the Buddha felt this too.
What we can do is ride the wave. What if we can accept our anger, rage, grief, loneliness and say to ourselves,
“I see that you are feeling ___. I understand and I allow this to move through me as often as necessary.”
This is a practice of unconditional self love. I write practice because it can be an activity that we repeatedly move through to become a bit more self-proficient in as we go through our days and years on this Earth.
Patanjali writes in his Yoga Sutras in Book Two, Chapter 42,
“As a result of contentment, one gains supreme joy. Here we should understand the difference between contentment and satisfaction. Contentment means just to be as we are without going to outside things for our happiness. If something comes, we let it come. If not, it doesn’t matter. Contentment means neither to like nor dislike.”
So friends,
Whether your turkey today is burnt (cancel, clear delete! Ha!) or your turkey is perfect. It matters not.
Whether your family is in harmony or dysfunction, it matters not.
Whether you long for loved ones not present or are enjoying your favorite people, it matters not.
Finding contentment during challenge is the deepest mastery.
Finding gratitude, in the small and large, is the perfect accompaniment to contentment. It literally strengthens and elevates to allow for the ease of contentment to be more embodied.
Thank you to each of you, known and unknown, who have taken your time to follow my journey through each of these Soul Notes. I’m deeply grateful.
Namaste and Happy Thanksgiving,
Ellen x
