Santosha – “Contentment. Being enough. Embracing the moment for what it is. Being grateful”
Contentment has been a central theme I had set for myself at the beginning of the year, and of all the sutras this was one that really spoke to me.
In a world inundated with an incessant stimulus of visions, expectations and images of what we could or should be, we are in danger of subjecting ourselves to toxic comparisons and setting unattainable standards for ourselves. Instead of being, we are always wanting, and instead of contentment we are plagued with insecurities and feelings of inadequacy – nobody dares to settle for being themselves anymore.
To constantly worry about being inadequate or to worry about being too much, is in essence to be fearful of being one’s self. If you can’t be yourself then who are you really?
In yoga, as with life, we will always struggle, and we will always fall short, nobody’s perfect – maybe your shoulders are tight and your pinchas are bent, maybe your arms are too short or joints too stiff that some poses will never turn out the way you want them to – and that is perfectly okay. What we’ve got to remind ourselves is that, it is our imperfections which make us beautiful, it is what makes us unique.
We are what we are right now, unique individuals, each a work in progress, and that’s nothing to be embarrassed about.
Cheers
Xuan
