In regards to my life and spiritual path I tend to be fairly open minded and accepting of the diverse array of traditions, perspectives and practices. I have been influenced by everything from the Bhadavad Gita to The Bible, and if I feel there is truth in something and won’t get caught up on the packaging.
With this said, there are a few texts, traditions and practices that have resonated most potently for me and at the top of that list would be The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, one of the original scriptures regarding yoga written about 2500 years ago. We don’t necessarily know who Patanjali was, if it was an individual or a collective, but we have about 200 sutras regarding life, self, truth, energy, awareness and consciousness, and that have stood the test of time.
Within these sutras, yoga is defined and elaborated upon. Patanjali paints a detailed landscape of the spiritual path and the nature of our consciousness which includes a systemization of the yogic path known as ‘Ashtanga Yoga’ or ‘8 Limbed Yoga’. The limbs of Ashtanga Yoga include everything that comes to mind when we think of as yoga, the philosophy, physical postures, breathing practices, meditations and mantras, however, the first two limbs are often overlooked, without which the others become quite irrelevant.
The first limb is Yama, which can be translated as “restraints” and the second limb is Niyama, which can be translated as “observances”. The Yamas and Niyamas are principles to explore and live by, and though they may seem quite simple they can require intense discipline and dedication. The Yamas include: Ahimsa (Non-Harming), Satya (Truthfulness), Asteya (Non-Stealing), Brahmacharya (Moderation/Wise Use of Energy), and Aparigraha (Non-Possessiveness). The Niyamas include: Saucha (Purity/Cleanliness), Santosha (Contentment), Tapas (Discipline), Swadhyaya (Study of Self/Scripture), and Ishvara Pranidhana (Orientation Towards Pure Awareness).
We could look deeply into the nature and interpretations of each principle, and lifetimes could be spent integrating them into our lives, but in this post we will focus on our namesake and inspiration: Santosha.
Our culture often treats contentment as something with certain prerequisites, we are very achievement oriented and tend to believe that we would be content if only we had more money, a good job, a relationship, a house, etcetera. We get overly fixated on the conditions of our contentment, allowing very little room for contentment to exist in our lives in their current state. Santosha is not a contentment requiring any external stimulus, it is a perspective, a dimension in which through presence and awareness we allow everything to be enough just as it is. There is always plenty of room for ambition and improvement, but there is also no reason to deny the fullness and beauty of life as it is.
Available in each moment, Santosha is not something we achieve, but something we actively practice. When we truly look into the nature of contentment, we can see that it actually doesn’t need to depend upon the fulfillment of our desires. The Yoga Sutra regarding Santosha translates as “Contentment is a source of unsurpassed joy”. No prerequisites or conditions to contentment are listed, just the simple notion that everything we need for satisfaction is available in this very moment.
It is fundamental that we examine the patterns and perspectives that define our lives and work with the quality of our minds through meditative practices, but we must also learn to allow and appreciate this life regardless of the form it is taking. Perhaps it can begin now, breathing, coming fully into the present moment, recognizing that you are alive, and not only is that enough, it is truly miraculous.