Welcome to your meditation today.
This is Gil Elhart.
I'd like to lead you through a guided meditation on contentment.
First,
A little bit of context on contentment as you get set up.
Contentment from the yoga lineage is part of the Niyamas,
Which is an aspect of our eight limbs of yoga.
The Niyamas are observances.
They're attitudes that we cultivate towards ourselves that we can expand outward.
And Santoshya,
Which is the Sanskrit for contentment,
Is the second of these Niyamas.
So developing your posture,
Elongate your spine,
Relax the shoulders and start to center yourself on your breath.
And no matter how you're coming into this moment,
Whatever the previous energy of your day has been,
Will gradually start to shift towards a place of peace,
Of contentedness.
This is truly our most natural state.
The mind and the body are in a natural place of contentment.
However,
Like clouds in the sky blocking out the sun,
We often block out this natural state of joy and ease by filling it with other thoughts,
Feelings,
Emotions,
Carry us further away from our most natural place.
So as you allow your breath to flow,
Allow these things that gather up and cause confusion,
Allow suffering in you to dispel,
Gently sending them out with your exhales.
Begin to think of things that you are grateful for in your life.
You're grateful for this opportunity to slow down,
To welcome in things that you are feeling positive about in your life on the pathway towards greater serenity,
Greater calm and ease.
In many ways in our life,
We move away from satisfaction,
Whether that be in our jobs or in our relationships.
And how can we begin to focus on how these things can be more satisfying,
More pleasurable,
More fulfilling?
Maybe you already are noticing that there is pleasure,
There is fulfillment in the work that you do in your relationship,
In your purpose and how you're manifesting that purpose in your life.
Contentment is a joyful experience.
It brings feelings of warmth,
Gratitude,
Sense of peace,
Sense of joy.
And in this moment,
You have everything that you need.
And that is perhaps the most direct path towards contentment,
Is understanding that each moment is a gift.
You need not worry about the future or have anxiety.
You need not have stress or concern about your past.
But in this moment,
You have everything you need.
Your breath,
Clear mind,
Cultivating health and well-being physically and mentally.
Take a few moments now on your own,
Just to build the feelings of contentment,
Peacefulness,
And contentment,
And open stand.
Stay with your breath as you continue to build these feelings of contentment.
As you build this understanding that you are in a good place,
Both in this meditation and moving forward,
It will gradually expand and it will fill your life with greater joy.
You'll be able to move through life with a little bit more grace.
And it's okay from time to time or even during this experience now if you start to experience the feelings of discontent.
You can come back and shift towards understanding that you are doing well,
Living your purpose,
And make the shifts in your life that help feel that this is in alignment.
We all experience from time to time a sense of resistance to what may be happening.
And this leads to discontent and it leads to suffering.
And I believe that contentment,
The practice of santosha,
Is more than just being okay with what is.
It's more of a thriving in your life.
So you learn to let go of things that you cannot control and you learn to foster and develop the things that you want to attract more in your life.
But all through the process,
Not becoming attached.
That's where that restriction and constriction starts to show up physically and energetically as we push against what may be present for us.
Any hardship that you experience,
Try to appreciate it as a learning opportunity.
That can be difficult maybe in the intensity of the moment,
But over time with a little bit of perspective,
You can see this is true.
So when you do experience a little bit of that resistance or a difficult time,
Come back to gratitude.
See if you can take a moment and use your meditation practice,
Use your breath to gain some perspective and see with a bigger picture view.
Let's continue to build on contentment again on your own now for a few more moments.
Just expand the feelings that not only are you okay just as you are,
But you are beautiful as you are.
You are living a life that is filled with purpose and joy.
There can be greater ease and peace as you move through your days,
Giving you a sense of satisfaction,
Gratification,
Fulfillment,
All leading you to a place that is content at peace.
Gradually deepen your breath again.
Turn the corners of your mouth upward.
It's impossible to feel negative or discontent when we're smiling,
I believe.
There's so much for you to celebrate in your life.
Build these feelings of contentment.
Santoshah,
As are all of the eight limbs in yoga,
Is a practice.
Something to develop.
And you can cultivate contentment through your meditation,
Through a focused effort,
Learning to not only be at peace with what is,
But to really enjoy what is in your life,
To savor it and experience it fully,
All that it offers for you.
Thank you for sharing in this meditation with me today.
Namaste.
