On the value of contentment as a daily practice in our lives..

This month in classes we've been working with the theme of santosha which relates to cultivating an intentional mindset and inner feeling of contentment in our lives.

The practice of developing this inner state is presented by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutra-s as an essential underpinning for our journey towards peace. So much so that he tells us it is necessary to begin practicing this before we even start the practices of asana (yogic movement) or pranayama (breath and subtle focus practices).

Throughout this month I have found myself noticing how many times during the day a felt sense of inner resistance arises within me. This tends to be a resistance born of holding some idea or expectation around how a particular event or circumstance should or shouldn’t unfold.

For instance, I plan in my mind to have a relaxing evening with my wife but then our daughter's bedtime ends up taking 3 hours. By the time she is finally settled and sleeping we’re both too tired for anything but sleep too.

Or, maybe it’s something longer term. We have a hope or aspiration to meet a particular goal in our lives. This might be to obtain a particular position at work or even an expectation that we should wake up healthy each day.

These are all ideas that may run in contradiction to the way life is actually unfolding for us in that moment. Yoga tells us that attachment to these ideas is the very cause of our discontent.

The practice of santosha is a reframing of a mindset that is overly attentive to what might make us content in the future and that has a pejorative rather than a balanced relationship with what we apparently don’t have.

The reframing is to practice seeing the present moment as the only place where contentment can arise. To settle in to the feeling that ‘this is enough’, ‘this moment and everything it contains is enough for me.’ Essentially the opposite of feeling that everything we need is somewhere in the future, to be chased and that somehow the present is not adequate.

Similarly there is a reframing around what we perceive we might lack in any given moment of time. Contentment is therefore also the practice of being content with what we don’t have. Being comfortable with the idea that not all of our desired outcomes or requirements may manifest. Essentially practicing feeling in to the fullness of what we do have, and seeing our lives as complete as they are.

Contentment, as a practice therefore, is also the ability to watch over and understand our web of desires. We end up living a life focussed on fulfilling our wants rather than our essential needs. Having the discriminative insight to know the difference between a want and a need is an essential ingredient in this practice too. Often we confuse a want for a need which impacts significantly our ability to practice contentment.

To bring this practice in to our daily lives we can:

1.     Integrate an intention into the start of our days – ‘may I cultivate a movement towards contentment in each and every moment of this day.’

2.     When we notice resistance arising to a particular event or circumstance we step back internally and reframe. ‘This moment is as it is meant to be, may I find fullness in this moment even if it doesn’t meet my expectations’.

3.     Practice on the mat. Let each moment of your practice be an exploration of cultivating contentment with what you are doing and experiencing in that moment. Notice how your expectations can come between you and a feeling of contentment.

I find these practices to be powerful tools that help to create a more beneficial inner relationship with the unfolding of life that we experience each day.

According to the yoga tradition contentment isn’t something that just arises naturally, it has to be intentionally cultivated, tended to and nourished.

Let me know whether you feel some of these practices might be of support to you or how our classes this month may have supported your personal journey towards peace.

With love.