Forget about enlightenment

Sit down wherever you are

And listen to the wind singing in your veins.

Feel the love, the longing, the fear in your bones.

Open your heart to who you are, right now,

Not who you would like to be,

Not the saint you are striving to become,

But the being right here before you, inside you, around you.

All of you is holy.

You are already more and less

Than whatever you can know.

Breathe out,

Touch in,

Let go.

By: John Welwood

Santosha is a Sanskrit word that means “contentment” or “satisfaction.” It is one of the five Niyamas (personal observances) in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, which form the ethical foundation of yoga practice. Santosha encourages practitioners to cultivate a sense of contentment with what they have, rather than constantly striving for more or feeling dissatisfied with their circumstances.

In a broader sense, Santosha is about finding peace and joy in the present moment, regardless of external conditions. It’s about accepting life as it is and being grateful for the small things, fostering inner tranquility and reducing the tendency toward stress and anxiety. This practice of contentment is not about complacency, but rather about appreciating the journey and being at ease with where you are, even as you continue to grow and evolve.

In Light on Yoga, BKS Iyengar writes, “the yogi feels the lack of nothing and so is naturally content.”

Story: “The Parable of the Two Gardens”

Imagine two gardeners, each with a small plot of land. The first gardener is constantly comparing his garden to others, wishing he had more flowers, different plants, or a bigger space. He spends his days toiling in frustration, feeling that his garden is never good enough. He plants seeds of envy and waters them with discontent. As a result, he overlooks the beauty of the flowers that have already bloomed, always focused on what he lacks.

The second gardener, on the other hand, tends to his garden with gratitude and contentment. He knows his plot of land is small, but he appreciates the flowers that bloom in his care. He tends to them with love and patience, finding joy in the process of nurturing them. When weeds appear, he removes them without complaint, accepting that they are part of the natural cycle. His garden thrives, not because it’s the biggest or the most extravagant, but because it is tended with a heart full of Santosha—contentment.

In the end, the first gardener’s envy consumes him, leaving him blind to the beauty around him. The second gardener, however, finds peace and fulfillment, not in the perfection of his garden, but in his acceptance of it.

“Contentment is not the fulfillment of what you want, but the realization of how much you already have.” – Anonymous

“When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.” – Lao Tzu

“The secret of contentment is the realization that life is a gift, not a right.” – Anonymous

“True contentment is not having everything, but in being satisfied with everything you have.” – Oscar Wilde

It takes nothing to join the crowd but everything to stand alone.

“Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations.”

Feel yourself as a conductor of light tonight….

“It may be that you are not yourself luminous, but that you are a conductor of light. Some people without possessing genius have a remarkable power of stimulating it.” ― Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Often even when our life appears the messiest, we can actually find that we are a lighthouse, a beacon of hope, in someone else’s storm, You may be what they need guiding them to safe harbor.

True wealth is the accumulation of experiences which silver or gold, cannot buy, but that give our lives meaning beyond measure. The only currency of true success is pure love and joy.

We are always growing and evolving into a better version of ourselves. Socrates said, “I know nothing except the fact of my ignorance.” – Socrates

In class to night ask yourself if there is a weight that are you lugging around with you on your journey. If you could, what weight would you like to unload and be free of?

In his 1840 work, The Cricket, Charles Dickens wrote, “We forge the chains we wear in life.” The ghost in the story replies, “link, by link, I wear the chain I forged in life.”

Maybe you are not carrying around the past, but instead it is your fear of the future that burdens you with a backpack of impending doom. Like wearing a heavy parachute, always preparing to bail. Maybe you intentionally avoid making commitments as you seem prepared for a crash.

Put the burden of the past or future down, walk barefoot, travel light and soak in the radiance of this bountiful life.

“We suffer more in imagination than in reality. Seneca said, “He who indulges in empty fears earns himself real fears.”

“Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dream.” – Paulo Coelho

“To love is just a choice. We choose love or we choose fear. We cannot serve two master.”

What are you still angry at? Eckart Tolle wrote, “Where there is anger, there is always pain underneath.”

Give yourself permission to examine this pain, without judgement and heal. Rumi said, “The wound is the place light enters you.”

A scar is proof that healing has occurred. Honor your scars, like well-earned badges of courage.

If I Had My Life to Live Over – By Nadine Stair (age 85)

from Condensed Chicken Soup for the Soul

I’d dare to make more mistakes next time.

I’d relax. I would limber up.

I would be sillier than I have been this trip.

I would take fewer things seriously.

I would take more chances.

I would take more trips.

I would climb more mountains and swim more rivers.

I would eat more ice cream and less beans.

I would perhaps have more actual troubles but I’d

have fewer imaginary ones.

Oh, I’ve had my moments and if I had it to do over

again, I’d have more of them. In fact,

I’d try to have nothing else. Just moments.

One after another, instead of living so many

years ahead of each day.

If I had my life to live over, I would start barefoot

earlier in the spring and stay that way later in the fall.

If I had it to do again, I would travel lighter next time.

I would go to more dances.

I would ride more merry-go-rounds.

I would pick more daisies.

“The word guru means remover of darkness. Learn to listen to your inner voice, the guru within you. Trust this light of intuition to examine our situations carefully. Stop walking with a stone in your shoe, stop accepting suffering as a normal part of life. Non-attachment is the path towards liberation from suffering, but the heart struggles to let go. Attachment is all the heart has ever known. The Buddha taught that learning to unlearn is the highest form of learning. Retrain the heart and teach it freedom; suffering need not be tolerated any more. Life should not something to be tolerated in fear and pain, life should be lived as a miraculous, adventurous journey, filled with light, love and laughter.” – David Scott

“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”–Maya Angelou

If you seek peace, be still. If you seek wisdom, be silent. If you seek love, be yourself.

“Perhaps the biggest mistake I made in the past was that I believed love was about finding the right person. In reality, love is about becoming the right person. Don’t look for the person you want to spend your life with. Become the person you want to spend your life with.”

Metaphor: “The River of Life”

Think of your life as a river, constantly flowing. In today’s world, the river is often turbulent, full of rapids, debris, and obstacles. Many people try to fight the current, wishing the river would flow differently—faster, slower, or in another direction. This resistance only causes them to struggle and exhaust themselves.

Practicing Santosha is like learning to float on this river, allowing the current to carry you without resistance. It doesn’t mean you stop navigating or striving for your goals, but rather that you accept the flow as it is. You find peace in the journey, trusting that the river will take you where you need to go. When obstacles appear, you navigate around them calmly, knowing that they are part of the river’s natural course.

In this modern, hectic world, Santosha teaches us to be content with the flow of our lives. By embracing the river as it is, we conserve our energy and find joy in the present moment, rather than exhausting ourselves trying to swim against the current.