Santosha

I want to start sharing with you the Yamas and Niyamas. They are two of the eight the limbs of yoga. Think of them as guidelines as to how to live your life and treat others.

The Yamas guide us in how to interact with the world and others, while the Niyamas relate to our inner world and how we treat ourself. Today I want to share with you Santosha. Santosha means contentment. Contentment is something I've always struggled with. No matter what I've achieved, where I am, who I'm with, I struggle to be content. Not with the other people, or with things, but with myself. I'm always questioning, am I doing what I should be doing in life, is there more out there that I should be experiencing, is there something different that will make me happy. I struggle to sit down and simply be, and be content with it. Yoga has helped me dramatically in this regard. I can now stand in a line and be content, I'll get there when I get there. I can sit in traffic, eventually it will move again, I'm content being present and signing along with the radio. I can enjoy time alone with myself (sometimes) and just enjoy being.

Contentment doesn't mean you don't desire, rather it means that in the here and now, in the present, you are content with yourself. You can still work towards your goals, but be content with the strides that get you there and be content with yourself as you work to get there.

Today I am going to get a permanent reminder of Santosha. A daily reminder to be content. I'm getting a tattoo of Santosha, done in Sanskrit. I'm content with my decision and am looking forward to being reminded daily, as I need to be. -Desk Dwelling Yogi