Santosha
You know when you have one of those moments where you are looking around you, knowing that nothing is truly lacking here and now? That is the best feeling! It is that feeling where people say, I could die right now and go to heaven, because in this moment, you are so complete you need nothing else. There could be a million moments in time that you’ve felt this way, if only in passing, I’m sure you can think of at least one.
Maybe it is in the moment you’ve taken a bite of the yummiest dessert ever to touch your lips. Or when you actually fell in love. It could have been simply while watching your child blow bubbles as you realized today was the perfect day. Or maybe it was that moment you gazed up at the stars and felt such appreciation for your life experience that
you just felt complete.
Can you take a moment to imagine that time or feeling of just pure blissed out pleasure?
Now how about a time when you are sitting on the edge of something amazing and wonderful to come? That moment just as the light turns green on all your dreams, where you just have this feeling, this sensation, this knowing, that whatever happens, it is going to be wonderful. That beautiful rush that runs through your body of anticipation for what is next, because it is going to be so magical and yummy.
Pause and take a minute to remember that moment where you felt excited for the future and all the potentiality it holds.
Now imagine those two feelings coupled together….
This is Santosha; satisfied with what is and eager for what is to come.
When you live life in a way that feels like you are so complete you could die, and also with an understanding that what comes next is not death, but something so much more than this very moment, something even better, you are in Santosha. This is has been described as the perfect state of being and the key to manifesting all of your desires.
Santosha is a Sanskrit word made up of two words, Sam - meaning completely, altogether or entirely and Tosha - meaning contentment, acceptance or satisfaction. It is more than an attitude it is a state of being. It is a deep inner peace where you are free from the thirstiness of your desires and also, looking forward to your desires being met because you know whatever is next, is going to be amazingly more than what you’ve ever been able to desire.
As a practical lifestyle practice it is also the concept of AND instead of BUT. So for example, I can say, I loved being a mom of littles; the toddler and preschool age is SO much fun! - AND - I also appreciate being a mom of older children who can make their own meals and self regulate more easily. It is finding the opportunity to appreciate this moment for what it offers. Another example would be, I enjoyed having company for the evening AND I enjoy being alone with my thoughts.
It is understanding that life is most pleasurable when it is BOTH,
not one or the other, not BUT, or OR, it is AND…
When we practice the art of Santosha, we allow our mindset to shift into a place that affords us the viewpoint of how magical this life experience actually is in every moment. It calls us forward in life to reframe our now experiences as opportunities to appreciate. We can even refocus our past experiences into more pleasurable memories by acknowledging that there was an aspect to appreciate in comparison to a now aspect to ALSO appreciate.
