Ahhh....contentment.

The second niyama I'd like to chat about is samtosha or contentment. I am always reminding myself of this one. Since moving across the country this summer, I have been a struggling to adjust to a new pace of life and figure out what in the world I am meant to be doing. I’ve felt a bit lost at times. I’ve been unsure what my reality really is and obsessed with figuring it out. I’ve been anything other than content with where I am. I needed to discover how to find my feet – how to ground back down and be okay with where I am instead of constantly searching for where I “should” be. There is nowhere else to be that where we are now. Through all the meditation, mindfulness, and awareness I seek to find one piece of the puzzle that alluded me involved my emotions and I think this is where samtosha comes in to my life. It used to be if I was worried about something it took over my day or if I needed to make a decision I agonized and over-weighed all of my options. I literally had an afternoon two weeks ago where I couldn’t let these swirling thoughts and emotions define me. And so I shifted. I truly felt as if I walked through an invisible wall to the other side and embraced contentment. I embraced the mantra that accompanies my life: I am at peace. And I metaphorically walked to the other side. And it feels good. And I am in a different place now. I found my feet and I feel more grounded that ever. I don’t know what happened, but I know samtosha had a lot to do with it. It’s finding that amazing feeling you have at the end of an asana practice throughout your day – long after the time on the mat is done. I know that the heart of me is contentment and peace; truly believing (not simply saying it) has given me to freedom to chill out and savor all aspects of my life. How amazing is that? Letting go and knowing that peace is my true nature has set me free and made me feel a whole lot better. So, in discovering samtosha, I am finding my reality and that reality is peace. And it is good…really good.

As teachers, I think the best way of sharing samtosha is encouraging our students to be where they are. I often invite students to set the intention of honoring their body during their practice. I ask them to truly listen to the messages their body is sending them and allow those messages to guide and support their choices during their asana practice. My heart always warms when I see someone choose not to advance a pose because I know they are listening…not only to me, but to themselves. We can teach samtosha in those moments when we see someone struggling to take their pose a bit further...we can encourage them to find the positions where they can embrace contentment and peace. And that is what yoga is about: connecting to who you are, where your body is and loving it. Finding contentment and savoring you – exactly where you are!