Week 20&21 Santosa

 

These weeks passed so fast…the course it’s almost finished but I am not afraid or preoccupied. I learned so much and I changed so much. The fight against the old blue print is still going on, but I am more and more confident that I will win the battle against it. Every day I feel more positive. I appreciate what I have around me, good and bad, everything is there for a reason, everything is a miracle!!

Yesterday I was reading a nice book about yoga philosophy and I refreshed myself about the concept of Yama and Niyama, which are the first two limbs of yoga upon Patanjali. I would like to share it with you.

Yama is the external ethics and Niyama is the internal ethics. Santosa is the second ethic of Niyama and means Abundance is all around us. The ray of sunshine that breaks through a cloudy day, a chat with a friend, a stranger’s smile. But we often fail to connect with these gifts because we’re caught in the blur of our everyday lives.

Particularly in our materialistic, frenzied society, it’s easy to buy in to the need for speed. We are in constant pursuit of a state of greater happiness at the expense of the one we already hold. Santosa is about living in the present moment and finding contentment right here, right now, even when life is difficult. This is something we are learning everyday with the exercises of MKMMA.

When we awaken to santosa, gratitude flowers and kindness follows.

Applying santosa does not negate driving toward goals in our personal or professional lives. The responsibility for fulfilling our dharma remains present. Our charge is to work diligently to manifest our potential, but hold contentment at each point in our journey. This is made easier if, as the Bhagavad Gita tells us, we focus on the intention of our actions rather than outcomes. Exactly the same as Haneel told us some time ago and Mark J. and Devine continuously repeat to us!

Living in the present and continuously rediscovering the abundance around us connects us to contentment, even when life is not easy.

To conclude I would like to quote the Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hahn: “When we walk in awareness, we see miracles everywhere.”

Thank you so much Mark J. and Devine and Chiara and Steve for this amazing experience! You are preparing an army of happy peaceful warriors!

Be the change you want to see in the world! M. Gandhi

Namaste, Irene