This week we're exploring the Niyama of Santosha, or contentment.
I often find contentment to be misunderstood. We hear the word and think it means we should stop trying, or wanting more and if we're content, we've somehow become complacent.
Contentment, at least in yoga, doesn't ask us to stop growing or challenging ourselves. It simply asks us to stop measuring every moment against some imaginary version of what it should be.
We're really good at 'grading' our lives.
This workout could've been better.
The weather could've cooperated.
I should be __________ by now.
Summer is going too fast.
I wish I had more time.
And before we know it, we're giving today a lower grade than it deserved because it doesn't match the picture we had in our minds.
Santosha invites us to put the scorecard down.
Not because this moment is perfect, but because it's real!
On the mat, maybe that means your balance is a little wobbly today, your hamstrings feel tighter than they did last week, or your mind wanders more than you'd like. Instead of seeing those things as something to fix, what if you simply let them be information?
You can still grow. You can still challenge yourself. You can always reach for more. But growth rooted in gratitude, presence and appreciation feels very different than growth rooted in dissatisfaction, frustration, or disappointment.
As you practice today, notice where you're tempted to evaluate instead of simply experience.
Sometimes contentment isn't found by changing our circumstances, it's just changing the way we meet them.
Meet yourself where you are today. That's all. That's contentment.