03/28/2022
Santosha means to be content.
Contentment is a paradox. If we seek it, it evades us. If we give up on it, it evades us. It is like a shy cat that hides under the bed. If we try to catch it, we never will. But if we sit still and wait in patience, the cat will come to us.
Yoga is about creating space in our bodies and minds so contentment can find a place to live within us. If we practice with humility and trust, then we create a container that attracts contentment.
Mind you, contentment is not the same as happiness. Contentment is being willing to accept both your happiness and your lack of it at any given moment.
Sometimes we are asked to actively remain present with our discontent—to see it as simply what is arising within us, and to look at it with a sense of nonjudgment. This is not a practice for cowards. Santosha is a fierce practice that calls upon our dedication and surrender, in each moment of our lives—not just on the yoga mat. Can we be radically present with ourselves, whether
we get what we want or not? When we practice this, we not only change ourselves, but we also affect the people and situations around us in ways that makes the world a better place.
~ Judith Lasater
