“Contentment makes poor men rich. Discontentment makes rich men poor.”

- Benjamin Franklin

Inner Happiness

I’d bet you’ve heard some version of the phrase “true happiness comes from within.” It has become somewhat of a cliche. Maybe you’ve seen a wise cartoon character say these words, or maybe they have shown up in your Instagram feed in the form of an “inspirational quote”. You might roll your eyes at the phrase or you might ask “what does that even mean? How can happiness come from within?”. I believe the simplicity of the statement hides its gravity. Just because it sounds like a cliche, doesn’t mean it isn’t true.

Yamas and Niyamas

In Patanjali’s 8 limbed system of yoga, asana (or the physical postures) is only one of the limbs, and not a particularly emphasized limb at that. The first two limbs are Yamas and Niyamas. The Yamas are guidelines for outer behavior, or how you interact with the world. The Niyamas are personal practices, or guidelines for your inner landscape. These are the first two limbs of yoga because they are the foundation of skillful living, and Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita “Devote yourself to the disciplines of yoga, for yoga is skill in action” (2:50). If you are not acting skillfully with your outer behavior and your inner landscape, your yoga practice won’t go very far.

Santosha

There are 5 Yamas and 5 Niyamas. In this blog, I’m going to focus on one of the Niyamas: Santosha. “Santosha, which is the second of the 5 Niyama-s, is being grateful for what we have and content with who we are and where we are in life” (Nicolai Bachman, Path of the Yoga Sutras, page 79). This can be a difficult concept for many people, myself included. How can we make progress if we are content where we are in life? Don’t we need some feeling of discontentment to drive us forward, upgrade our life situation, and solve the problems of the world? These are valid questions, but they miss the point. If you can’t be content with who you are and where you are now, what makes you think that you will be content once you’ve upgraded your situation in life? Can you remember a time when you wanted something that you have now? Maybe you thought “once I get that better paying job, I’ll be able to relax a bit and just enjoy life” or “I feel really lonely, I’d be happy if I could just get a romantic partner.” Then, later on after you got a better job, found a romantic partner, bought the expensive items you wanted…did you feel any happier? If so, how long did that happiness last?

Most of us fall into the habit of thinking the next thing will make us happy. I think of myself as a very strategic person, always looking ahead to the next thing and planning my steps to get there. While that can be a great thing, it really limits me from being able to be fully present in the now. How can I be happy if I am always worried about the next thing? I will never “arrive” at happiness until I make the decision to be content with where I am.

“When we give the power of our emotional state to someone or something outside of ourselves we have made ourselves helpless” (Deborah Adele, Yamas & Niyamas, page 124).

In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna says “Seek refuge in the attitude of detachment and you will amass the wealth of spiritual awareness. Those who are motivated only by desire for the fruits of action are miserable, for they are constantly anxious about the results of what they do.” (2:49)

Looking ahead and expecting to be happy when you finally get that thing you want, is the very definition of being motivated by desire for the fruits of your actions. In that frame of mind, how can you not be constantly anxious about the results of what you do? Better instead to decide to be content with where you are now, decide to intentionally pour your energy in a worthwhile direction, forget about the results and instead focus on enjoying the process.

How to Practice Santosha on Your Mat

My yoga mentor Mark McCormick likes to say “Practice doesn’t make perfect, practice makes practice.” I love this saying. In our asana practice, there is no “perfect”, there is only the practice. If we are comparing ourselves with some imagined ideal version of a posture, then we are wrapped up in and attached to the fruits of our actions. It can become very easy to beat ourselves up with this mode of thinking.

Instead, try approaching your mat in the mood of “I’m going to show up, day after day, and dedicate myself to this practice no matter what happens or what it looks like. I am practicing because I enjoy it and because it helps me to be a healthier and happier version of myself.”

It can also be helpful to tell yourself before you step on the mat “Okay mind - for these 60 minutes I am going to practice feeling content - no matter what the practice looks like.” A little trick that I like to use is to give your mind permission to just be in the moment and be okay with whatever is currently going on. Your mind is there to keep you safe and alive, so letting it know that you are safe and that now is the time to be content can really help you to relax and enjoy your practice.

If you are interested in learning more about yoga & meditation or want to practice with me, please consider joining my mailing list by hitting the subscribe button at the top of this page. I offer online and in-person classes as well as private sessions.

About Max:

Max Baker is a certified Yoga Teacher based in Raleigh, NC whose passion is helping people find the tools and the confidence to reconnect with the most authentic version of themselves. He does this through his website, online courses, memberships, and in-person classes.