• 8 Limbs of Yoga
  • Yoga Themes
    • Ahimsa
    • Abundance
    • Authenticity
    • Balance
    • Contentment
    • Courage
    • Discipline
    • Find Your Passion
    • Forgiveness
    • Gratitude
    • Guru
    • Intention
    • Om
    • Service
    • Shadow Work
    • Simplicity
    • Sthira & Sukha: Steadiness & Ease
    • Truth
    • Understanding Samskaras
  • Yoga Chat
  • About
  • Contact Us
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

Share Yoga

You are here: Home / yoga / The Journey to Contentment

The Journey to Contentment

in yoga on 07/14/15

IMG_4230

For most of us, when we think of contentment, we picture something like a beach, a cozy cabin, a warm fire, being surrounded by loved ones, or completely alone, but the idea is the same. We have our feet up, no worries, everything is peaceful and perfect. It is then we finally find contentment. Is this even realistic?  Is that even what contentment is?

In the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali defines contentment (Santosha) as: “the ability to be comfortable with what we have and what we do not have.”

This suggests that we need to try and find contentment when things AREN’T peaceful, perfect, and exactly how we want them to be.  Does that mean we can’t have goals?  Does it mean we don’t have work to make changes in our lives and in the rest of the world? Absolutely NOT.

Have you found yourself in a situation that you didn’t like?  A job (or no job), a marriage (or no marriage), or any other situation that did not fulfill the dreams you had for your life?  It could be anything at all that wasn’t quite right. Maybe you would like to make more money, meet a nice guy/gal, go back to school or even have a better wardrobe.  Or it could be something big such as dealing with an abusive relationship, the war in the Middle East, starving children… you get the picture.  All of these are reasons for action, for CHANGE.  The desire to change comes from not being satisfied with the status quo, but that doesn’t mean you have to forgo contentment.

“Contentment is the ability to be comfortable with what we have and what we do not have – Patanjali”

Click To Tweet

The real key to contentment is in the attachment to the outcome.  When we decide to take action, most of the time we also have expectations of how things will turn out but in reality, that is out of our control. We can desire the change, do the work and have NOTHING happen.  So the real work is letting go of the outcome and to try being content with what is.

I say try because I’m no expert.  I am writing this as someone who struggles daily, no hourly, even minute by minute some days with this idea of contentment.  If my house is a mess, I don’t have enough money for vacation, or I can’t quite master that damn handstand without a wall, I find myself reacting with strong emotions, usually anger and frustration. I find myself stuck in those emotions when I am reacting to something that is only a fleeting experience.  I can hear the voice in my head say things like, “When this house is cleaned up, then I’ll be happy.”  “When we can take a vacation, then we’ll be content.”  “When I master my handstand, then I’ll be satisfied and complete.”  Are any of these true?  No, of course not.  My house will get messy again, we will come home from vacation and I will find another pose I want to master. The cycle will continue.

Instead of reacting to things when I’m not happy with my life, what if I could stay present in my body and just enjoy the moment?  My house is messy because my kids are home with me and they are happy and playing.  It will get clean or not.  I don’t have to be angry about it, I can accept it, clean it, and move on.  If/when the vacation comes, I can enjoy the new experience, the time with my family and the change of scenery.  If it doesn’t come, I can continue to enjoy each minute, hour, and day of my life.  Or I can choose to think so much about a vacation I don’t have that I’m miserable even when everything at my home is absolutely divine.

What if I could stay present in my body and just enjoy the moment? @parttimegypsies

Click To Tweet

There are two things that come to mind when I think about cultivating contentment.  One is staying present.  When we stay firmly in the present moment, connected to our body and the Divine, the things going on around us have less power over us. The other is gratitude.  Staying in gratitude helps us to look at each situation as a potential for learning and growth, so even when it is something unpleasant that we wish to change, we can still see that there is something there for us.

WomenRain2

Although, what about those life situations when the s#!t really hits the fan?  What about when you go through bankruptcy, divorce, or even death of a loved one?  How do you find contentment in those times?  Is it even possible?

I’m going to stick my neck out and say that yes, I think it is.  Have I experienced it? Only in the briefest of glimpses.  I haven’t been through any of the examples above but I have had my own fair share of  money worries, marriage issues, minor illnesses and injuries.  In those times, I have had varying periods of contentment and a complete lack thereof.  When there was a lack of contentment, the misery, sadness, anger and depression would creep in and take over. This would leave me feeling beaten and emotionally hung-over.  When I was able to stay present in the journey and remember that this too would pass, it was then that I could see the silver lining in the cloud.  I could be upset at a situation, desire and work for change while at the same time staying content with my life and my place in it.  Or as Elizabeth Gilbert put it in “Eat, Pray, Love” :

“At some point, you gotta let go, and sit still, and allow contentment to come to you”

Click To Tweet

Ultimately, life is a journey and journeys sometimes take us through rough seas, over blazing empty deserts, and through rocky canyons.  Yet sometimes we DO end up on the top of a mountain with our dearest ones, listening to the birds, watching the clouds roll by an endless blue sky, with our feet propped up and not a care in the world.

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Avatar
Dena Stoltz
Dena has studied yoga for 18 years and has been teaching for thirteen. Her style brings the attention inside; not looking for the perfect pose, but aligning with the spirit within and allowing that to shine. Through teaching she has found a deep connection with her students and this brings her great joy. She introduced yoga to several small Kansas towns in early 2002 as one of the first teachers in the area. She relocated to Boise in 2010 because her husband had an opportunity to learn to fly helicopters. There she and her family enjoy spending time outdoors, hiking, biking, skiing, and camping. She's an archery fanatic and loves how it complements the teachings of yoga and vice versa. She is currently working on her 500 RYT through Shanti Yoga School.
Avatar
Latest posts by Dena Stoltz (see all)
  • Finding your way hOMe - February 8, 2016
  • Forgiveness Begins Within - September 26, 2015
  • The Journey to Contentment - July 14, 2015
« Five Steps to Living Your Truth
Santosha: Root to Rise with the Five B’s »

Comments

  1. AvatarEvelyn says

    July 14, 2015 at 5:29 pm

    This is so true, and I find that since I have had a few months that seemed less than content…I can honestly say that it is possible to find contentment in those turbulent moments also.

  2. Darla BrownDarla Brown says

    August 6, 2015 at 5:04 pm

    Great article, Dena. Staying present to whatever the moment brings is such an important part of my daily practice — in life and on the mat. Thank you!

Yoga Inspiration

The Guru Within: The Turtle Power of Self-Trust

Yoga, An Inner Guru and You

Get Your Hands Dirty! – A Yogi’s Take on Selfless Service

Why You’re Not Practicing Yoga Consistently (And What You Can Do About It)

How a Yoga Practice Can Take Your Health Up a Notch

Samskaras, emotional eating & choosing your destiny

On the Daily: Creating Space for your Yoga and Meditation Everyday

The Dark Side of the Yoga Mat

Yoga for back and joint pain, and a few food quips

Finding your way hOMe

Recent Posts

  • Origin of the Asanas
  • Why I don’t take my yoga hot and sweaty
  • 10 Proven Ways to Boost Your Happiness
  • A Deeper Look at the 8 Limbs of Yoga
  • Spring Detox: Daily Routines to Optimize Health

Share Yoga Contributors

avatar for
avatar for
avatar for
Kosta Miachin
avatar for
Kimberlyn Brown
avatar for
avatar for
avatar for
avatar for
avatar for
avatar for
avatar for
avatar for

Yoga Resources

Share Yoga Book Club: Now Reading
Yoga Resources We Like: Kirtans, Websites, Events & More
Yoga Teachers We Like
Ayurveda Resources We Like
Yoga Books We Like
Body Workers We Like

Recent Comments

  • Darla Brown on Your Future Self: Setting Intentions
  • Darla Brown on Om: A Poem about Mindfulness
  • Natalia Robb on Om: A Poem about Mindfulness
  • Caitlin on Om: A Poem about Mindfulness
  • Heather-Joan Warner on Om: A Poem about Mindfulness

Instagram

shareyoga

Share the Om. #wellbeing #yoga #meditation #shareyoga

Share Yoga
A human being is part of the whole, called by us “Universe,” a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest – a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole [of] nature in its beauty” — Albert Einstein, 1950  See  https://www.shareyoga.com/meditation/spirit/are-you-practicing-the-law-of-love/ #yoga #compassion #love #alberteinstein #consciousness
Been there! #Repost @arrowheartyoga with @get_rep Been there! 
#Repost @arrowheartyoga with @get_repost
・・・
❤️💛💚💙💜💘🌱
#peace #love #yoga #arrowheartyoga #arrowheartfamily #ojaivalley #ojai #practice #meditation #stretch #strengthen
The only relevant yoga is “your yoga”. #sharey The only relevant yoga is “your yoga”. #shareyoga #yoga #sharetheom
❄️ Happy Winter Solstice ❄️ #wintersolstic ❄️ Happy Winter Solstice ❄️ #wintersolstice #shareyoga #sharetheom
Raise your words, not your voice. It is rain that Raise your words, not your voice. It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder.⠀
~Rumi⠀
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~⠀
#summerofyoga⠀
#throatchakra⠀
#shareyoga⠀
#yogalove⠀
#yogalife ⠀
#yogachallenge⠀
⠀
⠀
⠀
http://buff.ly/2tpRnWJ
Do practice while you can. You'll need it when you Do practice while you can. You'll need it when you can't. ~Krishna Das⠀
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~⠀
#summerofyoga⠀
#shareyoga⠀
#yogalove⠀
#yogalife ⠀
#yogachallenge⠀
#yoga⠀
#krishnadas⠀
⠀
⠀
http://buff.ly/2t1Tehc
Follow on Instagram

Popular Posts

Origin of the Asanas

Why I don’t take my yoga hot and sweaty

Boost Your Happiness

10 Proven Ways to Boost Your Happiness

Copyright © 2021 ShareYoga - Share the om