February 2023
Mid-month mantra comin' in cold!
The mantra I have been sitting with all month is one I come back to very frequently in my life. The niyama (yogic principle) of santosha or contentment.
Santosha invites us into contentment by taking refuge in a calm center, opening our hearts in gratitude for what we do have, and practicing the paradox of not seeking.
I find it very easy to fall into a pattern of thinking about the past, or of the way things used to be and looking ahead to the future, and thinking about how we want things to change. The principle of Santosha asks us to truly sit with what is and to meet the sensory and emotional experience with more of a neutral mindset. To pause and find an opportunity for gratitude in exactly what is.
I have found myself falling back to this practice of not getting caught up in the want for change as cold after cold, stomach bug after stomach bug and more has ripped through my home over the last 6 weeks. In moments of extreme discontent and illness I would catch myself in the ‘this is the absolute worst’ thought process and pause and say ‘nope, this just is what is in this moment’.
This reorganization of thought has helped to remind me that what is unfolding is unfolding and my amount of attachment to it makes the moment more uncomfortable. I do not have to deny what is happening, but simply acknowledge it and make space for what needs to move through. In that moment of releasing attachment, there is space for acknowledging what is present and what we can be grateful for. This certainly is not easy but hey, that's why there are practices!
So as we move into today, and the remainder of the month, I invite you to observe how often we try to push away the moment, to move past to something else. Let's see if we can pause, honor each moment as an opportunity to be with the self and in that moment offer compassion, love, and gratitude.
Love to all,