santosha - contentment in the present moment

The present moment is once again a fine teacher. How often do you wish "if only..."? Or "All I need is..."

Instead, what if you take a moment to be grateful, content for what it is you already have or for who you are? It's a tricky thing to do, especially when we are constantly bombarded with images and messages telling us otherwise. We create impossible expectations which feeds our ego and drives the endless cycle of mental chatter and negativity.

The key to overcoming our discontent is the practice of santosha or contentment (one of five niyamas - yogic observances). Living in the moment is the first step to embracing this concept. The amount of time and energy I spend thinking about what could be, what isn't or who I'm not; and how little time I spend on who I am and what I have is shocking. It's an eye opener and enough motivation for me to LET GO of these attachments. I've so much to be grateful for and it's a disservice to myself and insulting to the amazing people I have in my life not to recognize just how blessed I am. I'm lucky to have a roof over my head and food in my kitchen. I'm loved and supported by my family and friends. I'm on an incredible journey of self discovery and healing, one of which I'm excited to share.

Be gentle with yourself. Recognize and take solace with the knowledge that you're not alone. Take the time to breathe into the present moment and let go your attachment to perfection, expectation and to anything but the truth.

You have all you need for happiness, right now. You don’t need to change anything about yourself, or your life. You just need to see what’s already there. - http://zenhabits.net/uncover-happiness/

Namaste
NA

somewhere on this journey...

Since my last entry, there was and continues to be a lot of learning and growing. The catalyzing lesson of 2013 was the power of authenticity. Of being yourself and of being present. The more time I spend in the moment, the more focused and confident I feel. And often the results are profound.When you live from one breath to another you create the space for things to happen as they are meant to, and the results are mind blowing. Of course this is much easier said than done and I'm always reminding myself that it's part of my journey.

The first step to realizing my authenticity was overcoming my fear of judgement and failure. Deep down I know these fears are unfounded and silly conquering these fears is not easy. The ego is a powerful beast but your breath is more powerful.

When I connect with my breath, I'm gifted with a personal connection, sensation or something more tangible. At this point in my journey it's hard to articulate the reward but at the very least it's a renewed sense of confidence, an inkling of my potential. The icing on the cake? Everybody has their own fears and obstacles which they need to overcome. You aren't alone. And when we take the time to breath and hang out in the moment while practicing yoga or meditation you will not be disappointed.

 So simply, slow down and see where your breath takes you.



“The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are.” 
― C.G. Jung

“Live authentically. Why would you continue to compromise something that's beautiful to create something that is fake?” 
― Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free