“Contentment makes poor men rich. Discontentment makes rich men poor.” Benjamin Franklin
The second Niyama hits us with the commonality “You are exactly where you are supposed to be,” again. Let’s dive in a bit further.
If you are just joining us, this is part of a 12 part series on The Sutras of Patanjali where we are diving in to The Yamas and Niyamas.
Contentment doesn’t mean complacency - if I have said it once, I have said it 100 times. Being bored in the world you created is not thriving, it’s simply surviving and that’s not the path to enlightenment and it will not lead to a healthy lifestyle either.. Contentment is a stillness and acceptance that this moment is our destiny, that every step and action along our life and path lead us to right here and right now. What could take that feeling away? Greed, hatred, unmet expectations, ignorance, illness, comparisons, judgements, etc. Many are called kleshas in yoga - the things that get in our way.
Expressing gratitude for the opportunities that you have had until this point is going one step further in Santosha as a Niyama. Appreciating the lessons and the hurdles that are currently leading you down the path is Tapas (disciplined progression) as well as contentment and the accepting of what is. Let’s note, expressing thanks for everything you’ve acquired, like the house, the car, the spouse and the ring isn’t contentment. Why? Because if all of those things were taken away or disappeared, would you still be content? If yes, if you would still be content, then the path is yours. If your happiness and contentment is embedded within the things you have acquired, then this is a delusion of Santosha, Aparigraha, Asteya, and identifying who you truly are (purusa)
Off the mat, this could be seen in trusting the process of a new home, new class or new project. Even though turmoil and hurdles attempt to thwart the growing progress of a move or building a home, being content with the path, timeline or projects is exhibiting contentment. Also, setting goals is a great way to train the heart-mind to be content and disciplined (Tapas). Perhaps the expectations or deadline of the goal were unreasonable and that’s why the goal wasn’t attained. Sitting in contentment, learning the lesson and being okay with the outcome is the new goal.
We can see this on the mat, as we see contentment with Asana and sequenced movement. If there is an advanced pose that you have never done and want to try, using contentment and slowly entering with caution is best. Then, as we honor Ahimsa, you won't hurt yourself by going too far with Ahimsa. Also, contentment in yoga is trusting the process of change and evolution of the heart, mind and body. There are yogis who have practiced for years and they have changed the physical composition of their bodies. Similarly, there are practitioners who have fine tune their "Be here now," skills in contentment with meditations, pranayama, pratyahara. All of these things come in time with true discipline. The patience in the process is contentment.
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