As I often mention, yoga is more than just a physical practice; it is a mental practice too. One principle in the yogic path is Santosha, which translates to our concept of contentment. The reasoning behind practicing Santosha is to make peace with our circumstances and to find a way to trust that we have what we need. With the chaos our community is experiencing, I think this practice couldn’t be more applicable.

For me, Santosha means to accept that everything has a purpose, regardless of whether or not that purpose is evident. Life is much more peaceful when we work to harvest this internal contentment. I know- not allowing the chaos of life to change your mental state often seems impossible. However, I believe that I can resist giving the chaos of the world the power to change the peace I feel in my heart. Maybe not all the time, but a greater portion of the time.

I don’t want to lay down at the end of day questioning, “Did I spend today letting things out of my control completely determine how I felt throughout my day?” I’m aware that working towards this contentment is no walk in the park. I believe it takes a lot of internal reminding. Yet I also think this contentment makes it easier to love people and be kind. Though our world and circumstances aren’t perfect, my goal as I walk throughout today is to cultivate contentment and make it an active part of my life. I want to have joy and unity. Join me?