Santosha

We had our first backyard leaf raking of the season.  But as I stood with rake in hand, my mind wasn’t thinking about the perfect weather or the crisp autumn smells.  Nope.  I was noticing that half the trees still had their leaves.  I was glancing at the neighbor’s leaf-filled yard and taking note of which way the wind was blowing.  I was asking myself, “is it even worth it?” 

Of course, this feeling isn’t confined to leaf raking afternoons.  “Is it even worth it?” creeps into our thoughts when our workouts don’t show results. And when our kids don’t listen to us - again.  And when another talk with another loved one ends in another fight.  

Yoga asks us to challenge this thought-pattern with something called Santosha.  Santosha is the practice of cultivating contentment.  It’s the practice of finding contentment inside ourselves, by actively silencing the outside.   Are other leaves going to just replace the ones I raked up?  Silence!  The real question is, can I find a way to be content in this moment? (even though I know life is going to happen and other leaves will probably replace the ones I just raked up).  

So close your eyes and find the contentment.  Find the warmth of the sun.  Find those autumn scents.  Find a smile for yourself when you look at that huge pile you created.  Contentment: THAT is what’s worth it.   Because we all know what happens if we don’t actively fight those thought-patterns.  “Is it even worth it” so easily becomes “am I worth it?”    

Santosha.  You are worth it.

Until next time,

Laura