What does contentment mean to you?
Not by definition,
But more by your experience.
What does being content look like to you?
And can you recall a recent moment where you felt peaceful for no reason at all?
Not because something happened or you got something,
But you just felt peaceful for no reason,
Simply because you were present.
Santosa,
Which translates to contentment.
In the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali,
In Yoga Sutra 2.
42,
The Sanskrit phrase is Santosa Anutama Sukha Laba Santosa Anutama Sukha Laba which translates to from contentment,
Which is Santosa,
Supreme happiness is attained.
And this reminded me of a friend of mine,
Actually a couple of friends of mine.
They looked like they had the perfect life.
High paying job,
Beautiful apartment,
Luxury vacations,
Everything that could make them happy.
But they weren't happy.
Every day they experienced the cycle of comparison,
Anxiety,
Restlessness.
And one afternoon,
After my friend got a promotion,
He confessed to me.
He said that he thought that success would make him feel full.
But he simply feels more hollow than ever.
And that's when I discussed this philosophy of Santosa with him,
Of contentment.
So Santosa is one of the Niyamas.
Niyamas are the inner observances or the positive duties that are part of the eight limbs of Yoga.
And Santosa translates to contentment or inner satisfaction.
It doesn't mean complacency or settling for the mediocre.
But Santosa is the practice of being at peace with what is,
While still engaging with life purposefully.
So being at peace with what is,
While still engaging purposefully with life.
In our modern world,
And this world that we live in,
It thrives on ambition,
It thrives on upgrades,
It thrives on the hustle.
The concept of Santosa is completely counter-cultural.
But it's deeply necessary.
Many of us struggle with contentment.
Many of us struggle with this concept of being content for no reason at all.
So why can Santosa feel so out of reach in our lives?
Three main reasons.
The first is comparison.
Constant comparison.
We don't compare ourselves only to our neighbours anymore.
We are now comparing ourselves with influencers,
With co-workers,
With strangers on LinkedIn.
We are comparing ourselves to curated lives online.
You wake up feeling okay until you scroll Instagram and you see someone your age buying a house,
Travelling the world or launching their six-figure side hustle.
And suddenly a morning coffee just feels smaller.
Or you're proud of your new outfit until you see someone in a luxury brand version of the very same outfit.
And now suddenly you feel very basic.
Comparison.
In fact,
It's constant comparison.
We keep doing it all the time.
And Santosa asks,
Can you pause before you scroll?
Can you pause before you compare?
And ask yourself what is true for you right now at this moment.
Another reason why we struggle with contentment.
And that's the consumer culture.
Our modern marketing,
Our advertising is built around the message that you're not quite there yet.
But this product will help.
Our skincare ads say,
Or rather our skincare ads,
They don't say you're beautiful.
They say use this product and you can become flawless.
Our fitness technology promises us that we will love ourselves once we hit 10,
000 steps in the day.
When we are balancing our proteins and our carbs and our fats right.
In fact,
Even the mindfulness apps that promote calm as something to be achieved.
We are being subtly told that we must buy our way into contentment.
And Santosa teaches us that joy isn't the next thing.
Joy is in how you meet the moment.
And thirdly,
There's perfectionism,
There's personal pressure.
Many of us,
Because of the conditioning that we have grown up with,
We tie our self-worth to performance and improvement.
There's that voice in our head that says,
I'll relax after I finish this to-do list.
Or once I lose 10 pounds or once I get that job or once I fix my relationship or once I buy the house or once I buy that car,
Then I'll be at peace.
Even in spiritual practices,
I should meditate better.
I should journal more deeply.
I should do yoga more often.
And there's that hidden belief that peace must be earned.
But Santosa whispers to us that what if nothing more is needed for you to be okay right now?
What if there's nothing more needed for you to be okay right now at this moment?
So what Santosa is not?
Santosa is not laziness.
It isn't about giving up your dreams.
It is not apathy.
It doesn't mean you don't care about improvement or about change.
And it is definitely not fake positivity.
It is not forcing yourself to love every moment.
But rather Santosa is saying,
I am enough.
This moment is enough.
And I can act without being driven by lack.
So how do I apply this principle?
How do I apply this Niyama in my daily life?
At work,
You're aiming for the days.
But Santosa doesn't mean that you stop trying.
But while you work,
You stay grounded.
You don't define yourself by your title or by your paycheck.
You focus on doing your best,
Not simply being the best.
Comes to your relationships.
Instead of wishing your partner was more romantic or more communicative,
Focus on the love that is present.
Let gratitude take the wheel.
On social media,
Before opening an app,
Take a breath.
Remind yourself,
I am whole right now.
I don't need to be elsewhere.
Or I don't need to be someone else to feel good.
When it comes to your body,
And maybe you're on a fitness journey,
Santosa means loving your body today,
Even while working toward your health goals tomorrow.
When it comes to parenting,
Your child is throwing a tantrum.
Instead of spiraling into shame or into frustration,
You remind yourself,
This moment is messy.
But this moment is part of the whole beautiful picture.
Some micro practices for Santosa.
Some micro practices for contentment.
60 second practices.
First is the Santosa breath.
The breath of contentment.
You inhale and you say mentally,
This moment is enough.
And as you exhale,
You say I am enough.
A very simple practice.
As you inhale,
Say this moment is enough.
As you exhale,
You say I am enough.
During the day,
You can do a gratitude drop in.
Pause during the day and name three things that are going right for you.
Just any three things.
There's always something to be grateful for.
And then,
Joyful imperfection.
Let yourself do something just for fun.
No fixing,
No optimizing.
Just do it just for fun.
Coming back to my friend.
We had this talk on Santosa.
And he didn't need to quit his job.
He didn't need to become a monk.
He started practicing Santosa.
Pausing between meetings.
Checking in with the breath.
Journaling what he is grateful for.
And slowly,
Not overnight,
But slowly,
His inner state shifted.
He still wanted things,
But they didn't come from a place of emptiness.
And today,
His contentment is not tied to outcomes.
It's tied to being present.
So while the world may teach us to chase,
While the world may teach us to compare,
The world may teach us to accumulate,
Santosa teaches us to the turn.
To the turn to ourselves.
To the turn to the now.
To the turn to that quiet fullness that's already here.
And I just invite you to take one moment to pause and ask yourself,
What if I already have enough?
What if I already have enough?
And what if I already am enough?
Thank you for listening.
