Santosa: Practicing Self-Compassion & Contentment

I was feeling completely under the weather today. All I wanted to do was sit on the couch and read or sleep. It really is strange when I have days like this because I'm usually the girl who hates to sit down and loves her walks and yoga practice. My instinct is to feel guilty for not having any motivation whatsoever, but you could say that I am a recovering "guilt-addict." :-).

I'm reminded of Santosa, a term we use in yoga that means contentment. Contentment with oneself. It is a step towards inner peace and self-compassion. Santosa is accepting what happens, and it is also living in the present moment and feeling the satisfaction of having enough. Today I practiced santosa by giving myself some compassion and realizing that I am enough, despite my lack of motivation.

Actually, practicing self contentment and compassion today allowed me the freedom to do be kind to myself and give my body some space to rejuvenate without being worn down. I allowed myself to sleep in way past my normal wake up time and I stayed in my PJ's until 10 AM. I took a nap and called my mom and wasn't super productive. But then, in the early afternoon I found the energy to make a batch of brownies for my guy and vacuum and dust the house.

I call that a productive "unproductive" day. I really think it would have been a lot worse if I had been nagging myself all day to be more productive. I'm glad I practiced Santosa instead and was kind to myself and let me just have one of those days.

Comments

Hoping for a Rainbow

I'm really not sure if I ever thought this day would come. The day that I made it past 13 weeks pregnant without losing the baby. #miracle. I know I am not out of the woods yet, and honestly, when are we really? I am just trying to live every day with gratitude for the life inside of me, living with hope for the future. Part of me wanted to wait until next week, when I was past 14 weeks and officially in the 2nd trimester, but I couldn't wait any longer. I've been getting a little thick in the middle, which is getting more difficult to hide, and I feel like I haven't been able to be completely honest with friends when they would ask, "how are you doing?" All I wanted to talk about was how nauseous I was or how nervous I felt. So now, the news is out, whether or not you already suspected something was up. Seriously though, the 1st trimester is not for the faint of heart! There were many instances when I thought I would lose the baby, but dee

I'm Pregnant! .....

...or so I thought. And you did too. Happy April Fools Day! I had been having baby dreams and feeling nauseous on and off during spring break, and I knew I would test immediately when I returned home from our road trip. The test was barely visible and I didn't believe it, so I said nothing to Marshall. That night I had a dream where the next pregnancy test I took was a solid double line. Well, two days after the first test, I got my obvious positive. I was so excited. Not knowing if it would be a good pregnancy or not, I tested again two days later and the line was darker, so I felt confident. The past two pregnancies I miscarried at approximately 6 or 7 weeks both times, so I was pretty nervous about this one. What if it happened again? Would I be strong enough? Knowing that I needed extra strength and prayers, I asked roughly 40 of our family and closest friends to fast and pray with us on Easter Sunday. That Sunday I was on the top of the world. I felt so strong an

Grandpa is Always Right | Gender Reveal |

I was hanging out in our rental apartment in Salzburg, Austria with my sister when my dad walked out of his bedroom and announced that I was having a girl. I was only 11 weeks along at that point and while I was wishfully hoping for a girl, I was preparing myself for a boy. His strong conviction of the gender of our child without any hints from an ultrasound surprised me. My dad seems to always be right about things, so I secretly hoped he was right this time too. Today during my scan, my favorite sonographer announced that we were having a girl. Grandpa is always right. I never imagined our family starting with a baby boy. I don't know why, but a baby girl seems to fit just perfectly. Now I just have to keep calm and stay healthy for 19 more weeks.

Tender Mercies

Search This Blog