Santosha

“Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart.”
-Unknown

The 2nd Niyama of yoga, is Santosha. When translated, this means “contentment”. And the purpose of practicing santosha, is to be content in the moment, no matter what is occurring within or around you.

When we look at how this can be implemented in your physical therapy, it may seem quite a challenge at first! After all, you are going to physical therapy to get out of pain, so the very reason you are seeking physical therapy is because of discontent!

This is where things seemingly get complicated. We see the need to change something about ourselves, and are used to the idea that something must be bad enough before we are motivated to make it better. But….santosha teaches us that there is something to learn, an opportunity, in every moment. And…when we open up to those possibilities the world transforms around and within us.

Imagine for a moment, that you have low back pain (and maybe you don’t have to imagine this). Often, our first reaction to pain is to move away from it, to avert from it, to wish it away. But…what if you sit with it for only a few minutes without distraction and listen to what it is telling you.

What is it telling you?

Maybe your pain is highlighting that you are trying to do too much, or maybe that you aren’t moving enough. Maybe there are painful truths you are trying to avoid. Such as, you haven’t been taking care of your body the way it needs. These situations might not be accurate for you (or they might be hitting close to home). However, pain is a way for the body to communicate with your mind. If we are constantly avoiding it, we don’t get the opportunity to learn more about what we really need in each moment.

Without acknowledging what is true in the present moment, change and transformation is nearly impossible!

Contentment does not mean happiness.

Content means acceptance, acknowledgement, and ease.

What can you do to find 10% more ease in your day today? Tell us below!!

Sign up below for our free meditation classes each Monday and Wednesday at 9:30 AM ET to find more ways to gain peace.

https://www.chhpyt.com/guided-meditations