The face of Santosha.
In yoga philosophy Santosha, which is Sanskrit, translates to contentment, being entirely content with where you are, who you are and what you have, no matter the circumstances. No judgement, just acceptance and finding peace within.
I used to very much live in the future, creating a false dialog of 'things will be good when blah blah blah' or 'I'll be happy when this or that happens or I receive xyz'. But moving from one thing to the next was not that satisfying. I was happy, but not at peace. It was as if I could only be happy once I achieved a goal - the journey didn't matter, and then I'd search for the next thing.
Yoga made me realise that it is more important to be completely present and content with where I am right now which gives me a fulfilling life. No one's life is entirely peachy, we all experience ups and downs but appreciating the little things and finding peace in any situation helps let the shit go.
I've got a lot of great things happening in my life, as well as every day life stresses that I'm not going to let impact my inner peace. We all have a choice as to how we see our own world. I could transform the next words to a not so light and bright dialogue, but there's no need. My inner peace is far more brighter, I am 100 percent content with where I am right now.
My right now is tired eyes and messy hair from a fabulous weekend with dear ones, followed by the experience of being awake before the sun for a beautiful early morning yoga session at Meadow Life and coffee with fellow Yoges who joined me this morn (shout out to Kate 💜), a walk around town for a second coffee at It's the Goods where I've been meaning to visit for ages. Then finally trying a reformer Pilates class at Lucas Studios which I LOVED!
The in between moments counted. Every moment appreciated. The short 5 min phone conversations, meeting new people, cuddles with my love or being able to walk down the road and breathe in fresh air. I can safely say the Jo before she found yoga wouldn't have found much peace in any of the in between.
Now I'm sipping on my 3rd coffee in preparation for tonight's class at The Social Club, listening to the playlist I've put together and just enjoying and reflecting on what this day has given me.
May you find peace and contentment within #santosha