Monday Meditation~Contentment

How often do we think to ourselves, I will be happier when/if?

If I were thinner...

If I were more flexible...

If I could do a pose like...

When I get....

If I had more???...

Santosha~The Second Niyama~Contentment

"Santosha invites us into contentment by taking refuge in a calm center, opening our hearts in gratitude for what we do have, and practicing the paradox of "not seeking"." ~The Yamas and Niyamas by Deborah Adele

At the most basic level, all of our behaviors can be lumped into two piles; the actions we take to get happy, and the actions we take to avoid pain and suffering. While we make different decisions in our striving for happiness, every human being is the same in that we only want to be happy, and to avoid pain.

There’s more than one type of happiness. One type of happiness comes from outside of us. This is the dopamine-inducing happiness that comes from getting what we want. For example, the new car, the relationship, praise, or winning the lottery.

This type of happiness is fleeting, and because the nature of all things is to change, the new car will one day become old, the relationship will change, the praise and compliments will wear off, and our lottery winnings will get spent.

A second type of happiness comes from within. This is the serotonin-producing happiness of contentment. This is the feeling you get when recognizing the happiness of your loved ones, when fully immersed in an activity you cherish, when walking out in nature, or when simply being present and still.