Santosha - Contentment

Santosha - Contentment

"When you are discontent, you always want more, more, more. Your desire can never be satisfied. But whe you practice contentment, you can say to yourself, 'oh yes - I already have everything that I need.'" Daliai Lama

Santosha means contentment. When we are content, we are happy and fulfilled with what we have and not constantly seeking more. Our tendency is to sometimes say ' I will be happy when....' or 'I would be happy if I had.....' We are constantly trying to seek contentment from external sources when contentment resides within us. Trying to bring our awareness internally when we feel discontent and realizing that the external "stuff' (material posessions, relying on others for our happiness etc.) only brings us only temporary happiness. Contentment is an inside job!

Everyone desires happiness. When our life is going well, contentment is easy. The challenge comes during difficult times. The internal state in which we are living in will determine how we deal with the challenges life throws at us. We are never in control of our circumstances, but always in control of our reaction to them. We are striving for peace - peace of mind.

Just for today try not to daydream about what could be in the future, nor regret the past, but rather practcie contentment with where you are, right here, right now. Be content not with the happiness from the temporaral things, but from your inner attitude and state of mind.

The practices of hte Yamas and Niyamas are not easy, but we practice them in order to find freedom and peace in our lives.