niyama #2:  Santosha

Niyama #2 Santosha: The Journey of Contentment

By Lisa Longton 

   Santosha is the second Niyama, translated as contentment in the Yoga Sutras. This is the advice: Practice contentment. It is not: Pretend you are contented, or perfect your life in all ways so that you will finally achieve contentment.

   Practicing contentment sounds pretty simple and it is, but the effects of such a practice are anything but simple. The effects are impressive and the practice of this Niyama is incredibly life-changing. One can find many quotes about contentment from Mother Teresa, the Bible, Socrates, and Lao Tzu. The subject is a popular one, because it is so powerful, accessible, and attainable for all of us.

   The reason it is so life-changing is the effect it has on your outlook. When practicing contentment, you recognize all the blessings you have in your life, in whatever circumstances you find yourself. Santosha is a conscious choice to appreciate what you have, not focus on what you think you don’t have. It isn’t just giving up or “accepting your fate”. It isn’t complacency. It isn’t settling or even satisfaction when you’ve achieved a goal. It is actively remembering the benevolence that surrounds your every breath.

   “Santosha brings about a state of cheerfulness and benevolence”. –B.K.S. Iyengar, Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.

   “As a result of contentment, one gains supreme joy. Here we should understand the difference between contentment and satisfaction. Contentment means just to be as we are without going to outside things for our happiness. If something comes, we let it come. If not, it doesn’t matter. Contentment means neither to like nor dislike”. –Swami Satchidananda, Translation of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, 2:42.

   “The cultivation of contentment is to make the mind a fit instrument for meditation as contentment is the seed of the meditative state”. “… contentment can only come from the ability to harmonize with our immediate environment”. –B.K.S. Iyengar, Light on Life

   Think of the people you enjoy being around the most: perhaps their presence is so delightful because of their simple ability to be content. Practice contentment, in every breath, in every moment. The reason to do this is for equanimity of mind, allowing us to live so that even during stressful moments, we are able to maintain an evenness of mind, to remain aware of the state of Being from which we can make the most clarified decisions, and have complete understanding.

  The trouble is, practicing contentment isn’t second nature to our minds. Our minds thrive on problems and discontent, but it doesn’t have to be this way. We can reprogram our minds by practicing contentment, but stressful situations come up constantly, and it isn’t easy to figure out how to be content in all situations. This is the journey of contentment, and it is every step you take. It is a constant practice, a spiritual discipline.

   There are two different tools available to help us practice contentment; gratitude and acceptance. First, gratitude in every moment can change your outlook in any stressful situation. True gratitude, not sarcasm, or “thankfulness” seasoned with resentment, but true gratitude.

   The second tool at your disposal is acceptance. The sages said, “The fastest way to happiness is acceptance”. But listen, acceptance can be misunderstood to be passive, non-responsive, or even apathetic. Instead, think of it this way; in every situation you have three choices: to change it, leave it, or accept it. The situation exists no matter how you interpret it. The toast is burnt, matter of fact. This fact you must accept before you can think clearly to make a decision on your next course of action. Can you change it? Maybe you could do the scrape-scrape thing, and still eat it. Can you leave it? Maybe it’s not worth saving, and you should just throw it out. If you cannot change it or leave it, your only option remaining is to accept it.

   Watching yourself throughout your day, notice how contented you feel. During the times you are not feeling content, try to apply the practice. Employ gratitude and acceptance to aid in your practice of contentment, in every moment, with every step.