Living Yoga: Yoga and raw foods for radiant health and energy

Yoga for the Raw Lifestyle Part II: Santosha
by Ellen Livingston

In my last newsletter I began an exploration of the Yamas and Niyamas, a series of 10 disciplines or steps, presented thousands of years ago by the great sage Patanjali, which purify the body and mind and help lead the yogi to enlightenment. I wrote to you about "tapas", or self-discipline, and offered a way of making this practice be about self love and self respect. Today I'd like to look at another one of the Niyamas, "santosha", or contentment. In anticipation of Thanksgiving, I am especially inspired to speak about the practice of expressing gratitude for what is, and contentment with yourself and your life.

Patanjali knew that contentment is a requirement for peace of mind, and that contentment is our natural state. Today's culture, however, mostly fosters discontent. When you listen to our society's mainstream messages, you probably feel inadequate, and find yourself grasping for material wealth and accomplishment, and superficial gratification. When you allow this external grasping to control you, the seemingly insatiable desire for sensual stimulation has devastating consequences, both for the self and for the planet we call home. Think about what you just read in the above article about cravings, which are really just strong desires for sensual excitement. Indulging in these cravings leads a person to ill health, and when practiced by humans on a large scale, it leads our planet toward destruction.

It is easy to find yourself believing that somehow happiness can come from satisfying your cravings, be they for stimulating foods, or for other material things or accomplishments, or even for love. In truth, egoism, attachment, clinging to the sensual, and ignorance are obstacles to the contentment you seek. Contentment is your natural state. It exists within, independent of any stimulation of any kind from outside of yourself.

You must make a conscious decision, a moral choice, to allow this natural state of contentment to shine forth. Only then can creativity and love emerge, and the state of happiness you seek become established. When you act upon a decision to foster contentment, you will spend less time in agitation, dramatic mood swings will subside, and "crises" will diminish in their power over you. You will be on your way to experiencing lasting peace of mind and emotional equanimity.

Contentment has been described as being full and not needing any more, or, like being empty and not needing anything. So perhaps contentment is being full and being empty at the same time. How does contentment feel to you?

Contentment is about serenity, but not complacency, comfort, but not submission. It's about opening up to a bigger picture, full of expansive possibilities, not about apathy or playing small.

There are many ways to cultivate santosha, or contentment. Observing and experiencing the awesome beauty of nature can be a very direct route. Keeping a simple daily journal of what you are grateful for is also highly effective. Make a point of pausing to observe beautiful moments throughout each day. Yoga postures, pranayama (breathing techniques), and meditation are all wonderfully useful tools for encouraging santosha.

How does santosha show up in your life? What does contentment mean to you? Sometimes, it may require that you intelligently do nothing, while at other times it will guide you to courageous action. Sometimes, it may require spending time alone, while at other times it will move you deeper into community. Always, true contentment inspires a greater love of Self, and of all sentient beings. No matter how your external life circumstances appear, you can decide today to experience contentment. Start by making a conscious effort to simply be present in each and every moment. Now is all you have, and love is all there is.

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