Santosha: Joy from within

Santosha - Contentment

Santosha is the second of the five niyamas, translated as contentment. Through the practice of contentment, we are met with an unshakable joy from within & sense of inner peace.

We might tend to think of contentment as a state of being rather than a practice, within our culture we have glorified the thrill of the chase & the climb to success by all means necessary. Within this, resides the assumption that where we are right now, is not enough. Instead, success lies at the end of the journey.

But how do we really measure success? Should it be measured by the accumulation of wealth & status, or is it measured by an individual's peace of mind & ability to completely accept themselves & the present moment? Is success defined by external or internal measures?

Contentment does not mean we stop moving forwards, it means we know we are already whole. Instead we begin to move forwards knowing that where we are, we are already enough, rather than chasing forwards trying to find something that will let us know we are good enough. 

So how might we practice contentment? The easiest way would likely be to start a gratefulness practice, acknowledging & appreciating all that we already have. This would likely start out as a mental practice before it becomes fully embodied into our state.

We might find gratefulness for our family & friends, our health, a comfy bed, work we enjoy, our own sense of strength & resilience, amongst many other things.

Contentment comes through looking inwards, through finding a place of stability within ourselves where we know we already have everything we need. From this place, whatever may come to us, is a gift & whatever may leave, we know we are still whole. From this place of contentment we do not form dependent attachments to things around us as we do not rely on them for our happiness.