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2nd Limb of Yoga – Niyamas (Personal Observances) #2: Santosha
The first 2 of the 8 Limbs of Yoga are the Yamas and Niyamas. There are 5 Yamas and 5 Niyamas, and we will take a full day on our Daily Yogi journey to focus on practicing each of the five. Niyamas (KNEE-ya-mas) are guidelines for our own personal habits or observances. Let’s take a closer look at the second of five Niyamas – Santosha.
All about Santosha (Contentment)
Santosha (san-TOE-shah) is literally translated as complete contentment.
Santosha (san-TOE-shah) is literally translated as complete contentment. Personally, I find Santosha as similar to practicing the positive of Aparigraha (non-attachment) or gratitude within ourselves, as opposed to with our surroundings. I try to practice mindfulness and positive thinking to incorporate more Santosha into my day. Also, keep in mind, exercising contentment in your Asana practice is essential to avoid injury!
My favorite Santosha practice to practice mindfulness is in motion, with a mindful walk, hike, or drive. Use all five senses to tap into mindfulness. Try to incorporate mindfulness in the moment, and positive thinking throughout the day. Also, try to exercise Santosha on the mat by not pushing yourself to pain in Asana practice.
How to practice Santosha (Contentment)
How to practice Santosha (Contentment)
- Practice mindfulness and enjoy each moment.
Use all five senses to tap into mindfulness. Appreciate the sights, sounds, and smells around you. What is the temperature? One of my favorite ways to practice mindfulness is in motion, with a mindful walk, hike, or drive.
- Bring Santosha into your Asana or physical Yoga practice.
Notice and appreciate where you are in your practice without judgement. If you are a new Yogi, maybe promise yourself to be gentle with your body, not comparing yourself to more flexible practitioners. More advanced Yogis also should be gentle with their bodies, and perhaps should revisit this concept of contentment with our journeys. Perhaps you have taken time off from practice.. release the guilt, spend a few minutes on your mat, and enjoy the time you make for yourself. Please keep in mind, exercising contentment in your Asana practice is essential to avoid injury!
- Practice and experience the power of positive thinking.
Try to keep your thoughts positive, and look for the silver lining even in your difficulties for the day.
More on Mindfulness
Psychology Today – Understanding, Practicing, and Benefits of Mindfulness
Mindful – Getting Started with Mindfulness (and Meditation)
Asana Practices
Here are some Asanas (poses) and Asana series I feel embody the spirit of Santosha! Click the images to learn to how perform the pose or more about the Asana style!
Please note this section is currently under construction – please check back soon for more!
Meditation Practices
Here are some of my favorite meditations I feel embody the spirit of Santosha!
Mindfulness Guided Meditation.
Positive Affirmation Guided Meditation.
Please note this section is currently under construction – please check back soon for more!
Santosha Quotes
Santosha (contentment) brings supreme joy. – Yoga Sutras of Patanjali 
Practicing Santosha (contentment) brings supreme joy. – Yoga Sutras of Patanjali 
Contentment is not the fulfillment of what you want, but the realization of how much you already have. – Unknown 
Happiness is not having what you want. It is appreciating what you have. – Unknown 
Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without. – Gautama Buddha 
Discipline is choosing between what you want now, and what you want most. – Abraham Lincoln 
Those who are happiest are those who do the most for others. – Booker T. Washington 
Happiness is really a deep harmonious inner satisfaction and approval. – Francis Wilshire 
Learn to enjoy every minute of your life. Be happy now. Don’t wait for something outside of yourself to make you happy in the future. Think how really precious is the time you have to spend, whether it’s at work or with your family. Every minute should be enjoyed and savored. – Earl Nightingale 
Someone is happy with less than what you have. – Anonymous 
Mindfulness means being awake. It means knowing what you are doing. – Jon Kabat-Zinn 
No matter what your heartache may be, laughing helps you forget it for a few seconds. – Red Skelton 
To be content doesn’t mean you don’t desire more, it means you’re thankful for what you have and patient for what’s to come. – Tony Gaskins 
If one’s life is simple, contentment has to come. Simplicity is extremely important for happiness. Having a few desires, feeling satisfied with what you have, is very vital: satisfaction with just enough food, clothing, and shelter to protect yourself from the elements. And finally, there is an intense delight in abandoning faulty states of mind and in cultivating helpful ones in meditation. – Dalai Lama 
Always hold fast to the present. Every situation, indeed every moment, is of infinite value, for it is the representative of a whole eternity. – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 
Being a geek is a great thing. I think we’re all geeks. Being a geek means you’re passionate about something and that defines your uniqueness. I would rather be passionate about something than be apathetic about everything. – Masi Oka 
Happiness is a state of mind. It’s just according to the way you look at things. – Walt Disney 
If you’re always racing to the next moment, what happens to the one you’re in? Slow down and enjoy the moment you’re in and live your life to the fullest. – Nanette Mathews 
The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it. – Thich Nhat Hanh 
Mindfulness isn’t difficult. We just need to remember to do it. – Sharon Salzberg 
Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life. – Omar Khayyam 
Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties. – Helen Keller 
The moment that judgement stops through acceptance of what it is, you are free of the mind. You have made room for love, for joy, for peace. – Eckhart Tolle 
I have chosen to be happy because it’s good for my health. – Voltaire 
Mindfulness is the aware, balanced acceptance of the present experience. It isn’t more complicated than that. It is opening to or receiving the present moment, pleasant or unpleasant, just as it is, without either clinging to it or rejecting it. – Sylvia Boorstein 
The ability to be in the present moment is a major component of mental wellness. – Abraham Maslow
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