Spiritual seekers of elusive exhalted states of bliss and enlightenment often miss the true jewel in an embodiment: Santosha. Santosha literally means “contentment, satisfaction” and is included as one of the Niyamas by yogic sage Patanjali. It is a prerequisite to experiencing peace. TKV Desikachar, a yoga Master, describes the meaning of Santosha as accepting what happens, whatever life offers you and learning from it. It is self acceptance, exactly as we are in our given reality. Contemporary society is a constant reflection of an advertising cultures vision of beauty and physical perfection that is a false program that follws us everywhere. How does one find this “illusive” state of Santosha in a world presenting the opposite. A world that falsly grades us on what trappings we have aquired, how thin or muscular we are, how many zeros are in our bank account, the color of our latest Tesla, branded clothing, lack of wrinkles, zip code and genius children. Obne of these alone is enough to cause a state of feeling less than, let alone combining them all on a daily assualt to our senses via social media, film, print, digital platforms and static billboards.
Santosha is not seekable, with diligence and practice santosha finds you.