Cleanse Journal Day 7

Yogic principle for the day: the external discipline of CONTENTMENT.

What does this principle mean to me?

The second niyama outlined by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras is santosha , or contentment. It is a condition for enlightenment.

The problem inherent with affluence is, is that we tend to draw satisfaction from material things. Consequently, when we experience lack, we are dissatisfied.

The Apostle Paul advises us: "Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content." Phil 4:11 The word “content” in Greek means "sufficient for one’s self, strong enough to need no aid or support” or “independent of external circumstances."

Jesus urges his disciples not to be anxious about what they eat or drink or wear but to remember that, because their heavenly Father knows all their needs, they should "seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well" (Matt. 6:31-33).
We over-indulge and imbalance the mind and body instead of focusing on the spirit. Material life is miserable because it expresses oppositions and reminds us that birth brings death. Desire is not squelched by the satisfaction of desire; a desire satisfied breeds another desire to experience a similar satisfaction again. The appetite comes in eating.

“What is contentment? Contentment is serenity, but not complacency. It is comfort, but not submission; reconciliation, not apathy; acknowledgment, not aloofness. Contentment is a mental decision, a moral choice, a practiced observance, a step into the reality of the cosmos. Contentment/santosha is the natural state of our humanness and our divinity and allows for our creativity and love to emerge. It is knowing our place in the universe. It is unity with the Divine.” Swami Shraddhananda

To be desire-free and content, is to express patience, not only externally but mentally, towards home, clothing, food, body, mind, intellect, pleasure or pain.

How do I honour it on a daily basis? What could I improve?
Contentment is not a virtue to be shown off. As the body, senses, mind and intellect become craving-free, contentment is experienced.

There seems to be no better antidote for discontent, but to place one-pointed focus upon the eternal. Identify as spirit, and desist in self-indulgence. See the oneness and interconnection of all. Discontent cannot co-exist with the idea that the whole world belongs to the Self; also, discontent cannot be held against anyone recognized as actually one with Self.

Use the process of elimination to reach contentment. Reduce our desires down to our actual possessions and situation. Choose to be satisfied by exactly what is provided to obtain freedom from the uncompromising desires.

Avoid enmity, anger, and distress and try to be happy. Do not work up the desire to have more pleasures. Contentment cannot co-exist with the thought that we must add something to our lives for satisfaction to happen in some future time. "I will be content when I get…." is the losing proposition that proposes something else will always become necessary.

Other ways to cultivate contentment are: practice asanas, pranayama and meditation; keep a journal of all for which I am grateful; be in the flow of life, as when communing with nature, when energies are positive and desireless; and be conscious of contended moments, to sustain them for a longer time, even in other times as when embroiled in chaos and disharmony.

Observations regarding the practice of my assignments:
Day 7 was, again, enjoyable. My body felt tremendously alive, once again, when I awoke. I performed a neti-pot nasal cleanse.

Sleep record:
I was not so tired Thursday night and had yet another long, satisfying rest, up to 10 hours. Perhaps I should be sleeping less. I am still considering adjusting sleep patterns.

Additional thoughts or feelings:
I’m getting it. My unique schedule has emerged; I can still tinker with it. Again, negative thoughts and memories did not pester me.