Sylvester Smiling by Robert Henri

by Ram

In the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali describes the niyamas as personal observances/practices for cultivating self-confidence in order to achieve a self-realized and enlightened state of existence. One of the five niyamas is santosha, which means contentment or ultimate happiness. To be contented at all times, during pleasure and pain and even while experiencing life’s difficulties, becomes a process of growth. There is a purpose for everything in life and we need to cultivate contentment and accept the outcome/end-result in all aspects of life. It means being happy even when the outcome does not meet our expectation or is not in our favor.

Discontentment and unhappiness arise when we get caught up in this materialistic world. If left unfulfilled, our desires and needs for material possessions create frustration, anger, and loss of peace leading to a disharmonious life In contrast, if we are contented with our wants, wishes, and needs and are truly happy with our life and what we currently have, it will help us in the journey to absolute truth and the highest realization.

In addition, among several other benefits, ultimate happiness improves physical and mental immunity and extends longevity. Happy people have an advantage over unhappy ones as they exhibit a high subjective well-being (SWB) as compared to less happy individuals (SWB is measured in terms of life satisfaction, optimism, hopefulness, sense of humor and other positive emotions). A high SWB is related to high immunity and lower mortality rate compared to a low SWB, where subjects exhibited higher blood pressure levels and poor immune response.

Thanks to the pandemic, people are looking for ways to bring that santosha in their lives, and santosha is one of the most sought after “principle” in the world today.

Experiencing santosha on the yoga mat takes a lot of practice, and one way we can work towards it is through a mindful and openhearted approach to our asana practice. By practicing a mix of asanas that involves both our most and least favorite poses, we can cultivate santosha as we move through the challenging physical sensations and powerful mental chatter. Instead of wishing that all poses were easy, we can taste true happiness by letting go of negativity that stems from our own inabilities, like the fear of going upside down in Headstand, Sirsasana. Through a steady practice filled with contentment and happiness, we are constantly reminded that true happiness is not based on how much our hips open in poses like One-Legged King Pigeon Pose, Eka Pada Rajakapotasana, but on how we choose to respond to the reality of our hips, whether they’re loose or tight. It asks us to embrace what life is offering to this exact moment on the mat.

There are other ways of expressing santosha. One visible way of showing that you are happy and contented is through a smile.  Smiles can be warm, beautiful, welcoming, cute, innocent, charming, or heart-melting. Smiling is infectious—a smiling individual lightens up the room, change the moods of others, brings happiness along and attracts more people. Having a smile on their face not only reveals the radiance of the person but it also makes the individual a pleasurable person to be around. People tend to trust and cooperate more with individuals who sport a smile. Several scientific studies suggest that people who are always cheerful and smiling are not only happy and contented; in addition, they are more stable and have better cognitive and interpersonal skills. Studies have shown that a smiling helps to boost the immune system that provides resistance from many diseases. Smiling relieves stress, lowers blood pressure, triggers the release of endogenous pain killers, and places the individual in a positive mood all of which also help in extending longevity.

Your own test for santosha would be about whether you respond through the five senses and react to the changes in all the circumstances of life with self-judgment and negativity or whether you listen to your inner voice and are able to bring in a smile, self-love, and true happiness.

 

For more information see Ram’s book Good Living Practices: The Best from Ayurveda, Yoga, and Modern Science for Achieving Optimal Health, Happiness, and Longevity which is available as a paperback on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Copperfield’s Books, Target, and other online bookstores.

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