“May God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.”
Taken from Serenity prayer
- The picture above gives a good understanding about the 8 different limbs of yoga. The asanas or the physical practice that we are all familiar with is just one part of yoga. The yamas and niyamas form the observances that we practice in our daily lives.
- The second “Niyama” is “Santosha”. It is derived from the Sanskrit root word ‘tush’ which means “to be satisfied, pleased, or delighted, as well as become quiet or calm.
- Modesty and the feeling of being content with what we have; to be at peace within and content with one’s lifestyle even while experiencing life’s difficulties becomes a process of growth through all kinds of circumstances.
- We should accept that there is a reason for everything – yoga calls it karma – and we cultivate contentment ‘to accept what happens’.
- A common thought that everyone has in their minds, ‘I’d be happier if….’? Whether it is losing weight, getting a different job, meeting someone new, or being able to get ourselves into that yoga posture we’ve been working towards. There’s probably one or two things you feel could make you happier or more content. Now, having the urge to grow and expand our minds and push ourselves just a little towards a goal isn’t a bad thing at all – it just becomes bad when we base our entire sense of peace and happiness upon this.
- If you introspect, you will realize we are in a vicious cycle and our happiness today is dependent on external sources, satisfying our ego. All these are temporary joy to be replaced by another quest to find happiness.
- Santosha or ‘contentment’ doesn’t mean idly sitting back and relinquishing the need to do anything. It simply means accepting and appreciating what we have and what we are already, and moving forwards from there.
- You can use Jnana Mudra and Shanti Mantra (OM Shanthi, Shanthi, Shanthi) to feel the contentment within.
- Some tips:
- – Don’t be judgmental
- – Be mindful (thoughts, actions, words etc)
- – Live in the present,
- – Be grateful
- Written by:
- Ajit Laxman
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