Santosa is more than being satisfied with what we have in material things, though that's a start. It is being content with where we are on our path in life. It is recognizing that where we are right now is where we are meant to be. However, it does not mean take a seat on the side of the road and get stuck there. Contentment is not complacency, but acceptance. It is knowing that each step on the path is bringing us to the next lesson or experience.
This niyama is really whole in theory; every time I read a different definition of santosa I think, yes, this is the key. The key... to happiness, enlightenment, the way to becoming a better person, etc. Oop! And there it is - the snare - a 'better' person. This idea of always needing to be bigger and better is etched into the fabric of our society. We are raised to want success and are given a very limited understand of what that means: to be richer, more popular, more famous, climb the corporate ladder to the top. (If I could only lose five pounds he would fall madly in love with me and we'd live happily ever after.) We push and push to be other than we are right now. Do not get me wrong, not all ambition is bad - it can be a driving force that leads us where we are going. But it can also be destructive and cause us to miss the beauty of where we are right now.
Santosa teaches compassion. This week, try letting go of okay-what's-next. Try to be still, and love who you are and where you are at this moment. Be content. Turn off the judging, ambitious mind and just observe how far you have journeyed already.
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