Santosha - Cultivating contentment in the present moment

"Contentment is never the outcome of fulfillment, of achievement, or of the possession of things; it is not born of action or inaction. It comes with the fullness of what is, not in the alteration of it." - Jiddu Krishnamurti

In this weeks post, we are exploring the concept of santosha, the second of the Niyamas, or personal observances, within the yoga tradition. The niyamas are observances the practitioner applies to themselves to build a strong foundation with which to practice yoga and interpret their practice of yoga.

Santosha translates most commonly to contentment. Contentment is not an emotion, nor is it a passing fancy. Contentment is a state of mind. A way of being where what is is accepted and enough. In this way, the practice of observing santosha is one where the practitioner cultivates happiness and satisfaction with all things because it is the practitioner’s way of being. This sense of happiness is a positive outlook that doesn’t become weighed down by negative outcomes, nor overly exerted by striving. Instead, it is a way of seeing the world that focuses on the present moment, clearly sees what is there, who is there, and what you are, and is grateful and satisfied.

Santosha and the Present Moment

As the yoga practitioner progresses, it is easy to become stuck in a habit or a rut. We set our intention, and practice but rather than practicing contentment, we find our mind shifting towards comparison, judgement, doubt, anxiety, fear, planning, or storytime. In this way, we find ourselves stuck in striving for something you may or may not become in the future or stuck in a dream, story or memory of the past.

Let’s start with the future. While setting our awareness towards a direction is not a bad thing—as yoga practitioners, we do set intentions—dwelling on a goal in the future sets up expectations, and leads to misunderstanding and disappointment. Whether our expectations are met or not, we ascribe meaning and value to the outcome and misattribute that meaning to ourselves. Our sense of self becomes wrapped up in outcome rather than the journey. It is no longer enough to exist and be the Self. The Self becomes dependent on achieving an outcome. In this way, we end up blurring our sense of self, and contentment is lost. If the expectation was not met, we often become angry, resentful, or frustrated, feeling like all effort was a lost cause.

Alternately, perhaps we get caught up as practitioners in thinking about the past, reliving key moments - good or bad. We attach to the stories we tell or the experiences we have, and live in the impression of memory. But the memory is not real, it is an impression of a time that may or may not be real, and is definitely not contentment. It is a projection of a moment based on our mind set at the time, the ways in which our sense organs perceived the external environment, and the application of meaning our mind gave to the moment at the time. It may have even adjusted based on our retelling of the story and reapplications of meaning over time. Thus reliving the past becomes a work of fiction. We give it space and time and forget that it may rekindle an emotion, but it draws us away from the present moment. If applied with intention, thinking about the past may help us let go, but habitual remembering serves no benefit.

Yet, if we were to apply contentment, we would cultivate the mindset that no matter what happens, we are grateful for the opportunity to experience it, to observe the lesson in the experience, and be present now. The state of contentment is grateful for what has been, but does not need to dwell on it. It is a state that exists only in the present moment as it is a state of being that is not one of striving, nor one of remembering. It simply acknowledges the state of existence and is satisfied with it. In this way, santosha is not a sexy or flashy state of being. It does not shy away from boredom nor mundane things. Rather one who is truly content, revels in boredom and mundane things and finds an easy relationship with what is.

Santosha and Complacency

It can be easy to begin to practice contentment but fall into the habit of becoming complacent. We can easily fall into the trap of using the idea of contentment with the present moment as an excuse not to push ourselves into continuing to evolve. In doing so, we fail to acknowledge the path of yoga - the journey of our own evolution to higher consciousness. Complacency is a common pitfall because we become absorbed in habit, setting an intention, but not applying it. Our daily practice becomes habituated and we never push ourselves further. We end up using santosha as an excuse to allow bad habits and perspectives (the kleshas) of ignorance or avoidance and attachment to guide your actions.

Like all things, stagnation leads to decay and death. Even within the observance of santosha, staying safe or grasping to what makes you feel at ease is not santosha but avoidance. Similarly, giving up your dreams or allowing them to be sidelined is not santosha. Santosha is not afraid of change. It observes the constant state of change around us, and acknowledges that change with open arms.

"We can easily fall into the trap of using the idea of contentment with the present moment as an excuse not to push ourselves into continuing to evolve."

Santosha and Mindset Shifting

To maintain that sense of contentment in the face of constant change is difficult. To not fall into the habits of avoidance or attachment, we have to shift our mindset where the state of santosha isn’t compromised but sustained. How do we do that? The most sustainable method is by cultivating a habit of gratitude. When we start to see every experience as an opportunity to learn, to grow, to evolve, we begin to be grateful for every moment of existence. When we stop seeing each moment with expectation for our future, or as a means of escape from boredom, we see the value of the full spectrum of life. All experiences become imbued with meaning as we evolve into a higher state of consciousness.

But at the end of the day, this is really a choice. A constant choosing and re choosing of gratitude over other emotions. This is a choice to cultivate awareness of how certain things trigger us into projection or memory. Stay aware. Stay present. Stay with sensation and choose to let each moment bring you contentment.

"When we start to see every experience as an opportunity to learn, to grow, to evolve, we begin to be grateful for every moment of existence."

Santosha and Tapas

One small note on santosha in the sequence of the niyamas. Santosha is the second niyama and comes after saucha - purity or cleanliness. This is beautiful as messiness is very distracting. How often do we find ourselves procrastinating by cleaning?! Saucha or clearing the internal and external landscapes is a prerequisite to focus. Once we have the capacity to be aware, we observe santosha. Only then do we apply Tapas - self- discipline. If we observe tapas before we are content with the self, we end up thinking our contentment arises out of our effort. The self-discipline becomes a tool to achieve contentment rather than contentment being an observance in its own right. Self-discipline without contentment leads to striving and attachment to an outcome. When will be enough? However, tapas with contentment, is acknowledging your own evolution while not attached to the destination. In this way, as the Bhagavad Gita reminds us, the outcome does not determine your worth. You evolve on a journey. Keep evolving.

"Self-discipline without contentment leads to striving and attachment to an outcome."

Tips to Practice Santosha

1. Start by practicing gratitude each day in a simple 5 or 10 minute gratitude meditation. Check out my meditation below or the internet library as a beautiful resource.

2. End each day by recalling 3 good things to place your brain in a state of gratitude before falling asleep.

3. Journal on how a current challenging situation is beneficial for you - no matter what it is! Challenge yourself to see the lesson.

Gratitude Meditation