Sometimes, being happy is hard. We live in a busy world, and let's face it: life is complicated (that's why I do yoga--because it is easy). We've created a world where we have a zillion things to do, zero time and not much energy. So how can we be happy in this state? It's all in the mind.
The second part of Niyama is contentment (santosha). Instead of looking around and imagining what we need to be happy, we should find enjoyment with where we are in life and what we have. Western culture has trained us to “get ready to live,” as a famous Chinese proverb states. We are always looking to what is next rather than enjoying our current state of being. It is not the world around us and others in it that meet our needs. Contentment needs to come from inner peace within. One way to find contentment is to be grateful for what we have and appreciate it by slowing down. Nowadays, technology has taken much of our time and we are in constant communication with others but not with ourselves. Finding contentment can be as simple as finding calmness and peace in a busy world by meditating, stopping to appreciate the small things in life, etc.
We often think that the grass is greener on the other side: if only we had ____ (fill in the blank), we would be happy or feel like we've "made it". It reminds me of some lyrics by the Vandals in the song, "Let the Bad Times Roll:"
"The grass is never greener on the other side...I'll stay right here and frolic in the dirt and gravel."
No matter what it is that you think will make you happy, if it something you think you can put your finger on, you've probably got it all wrong. Santosha teaches that happiness comes from within, so rather than feeling "jealous" of what others have or thinking "so-and-so" has it all together and if only you could have his/her life, think again (they are likely thinking the same about you).
We play this unhealthy game in our minds with countless things: if only we had x amount of money, a certain job, a certain body, etc. It is disturbing that women in particular play this game by wishing we looked like the girl on the cover of the magazine. Well, honestly, she may have a photo shopped six-pack, but she also probably thinks she is fat (because they had to photo shop her and put make up on her body for two hours). Sadly, it's all relative, and just as the saying goes, we always want what we don't got.
If you'd like to make it a routine to find gratitude and be one step closer to contentment each day, consider downloading the app "Gratitude 365." It takes about a minute a day and encourages you to think of ONE thing each day that you are grateful for. I try to do it each night so that I can go to bed with a positive attitude and have sweet dreams.
If you have trouble thinking of things you are thankful for, consider your basic human needs that are met daily that you may overlook: clean air, clean water, a home, food, etc. For my yoga certification class, I had to write a list of 20 things I am grateful for. It was hard at first, but then I suddenly was on a roll! If you need some ideas, check out this website:
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