4/3/25 Live Session Recording (Module 9)

Watching the recording now - thanks! First thoughts on contentment? That reasonable balance between an appropriate sad and happy ends of a spectrum. Generally a good day 😊 Back in 3 hours ha ha!

Contentment in my life looks like being in the present moment with an openness for change, not even an openness but, an expectancy for change and being guided intuitively into those unexplored spaces. I don’t mean any disrespect by this but those “Truman Show” lives don’t feel like contentment for me it it feels like hiding out. The heaviness of the realization of this realization in itself can be a lot because it can’t be unseen.There’s the contentment in the appreciating of just being in the moment where what is, just is. Sort of like an acorn that falls form a tree, its no longe part of the tree but, it isn’t a tree yet itself. It is just in that space of what is. 

The obstacles of contentment brought the biblical reference of “dry bones” to mind. “Our bones are dried up and hope is gone; we a cut off.” After coming up from the grave, dressed in flesh again they sill were without life until the breath brought them back, as an army, not individuals. Also, in My Grandmother’s Hands the author  says When one settled body encounters another, this can create a deeper settling of both bodies. But when one unsettled body encounters another, the unsettled mess tends to compound in both bodies. Feeling that connectedness of empowerment to bring the unspoken part of us together. I love when Jen mentioned that contentment is a radical resistance. YES! 

The way yoga supports me in my contentment as a  a soon to be facilitator is different in some areas. Sometimes the narrative is an imposter syndrome. My life story doesn’t match the outward appearance and some past afflictions can give the appearance as weak in some settings so it’s easier to disguise the vulnerability. So for me sitting with the discomfort has been an off the path route to finding contentment. 

I had the greatest time doing the movements sequence and the invitational q’s. I had this smile on my face the whole time because it reminded me of jazz, I love improvisational anything that flows from the no thing. While talking to myself this week incorporating my own cueing I will for sure be expanding my awareness. Possibly even getting a full length mirror too and recording myself to rewatch. 

Contentment in my life looks like welcoming the unexpected. In the past 7 months, I've learned how to not be living through life through anxious decision-making. I believe when I operate from a state in content, the outcome is so much better, but when I operate from a state of anxious/fear I am doing a million +1 things. 

Okay lots of notes made as I watched, a bit like Freud's free-writing, not thinking about it and just putting down what jumps out. 

Santosha is contentment and San (complete) and Tosha (contentment) means 'absolute contentment'. I might therefore be absolutely okay with the way things are. So, why do I want to change them? Do I have to judge first? And if I don't judge, then everything is okay. Graduation is in June, and I intend to graduate then. I realise that I like timetables and stick to a programme. I am still competitive! I compete with my old self and no-one else. It was suggested that Santosha is contentment in a discontented world - but - who judges the world to be discontented? Isn't the world perfect just as it is? Or is it made perfect because we apply ourselves to make it better for each other? Wow okay - cool...

1. trust in self and 2. gratitude for self. These are big too.

I 110% trust myself and everyone else, until someone does something that means I have to reassess and pull back a bit. If I don't trust a person there is no relationship. Trust is earned or hard-won. Gratitude is HUGE. When I feel gratitude for the little and the big things I feel complete and loved and loving. Gratitude is a gift.

Obstacles to contentment? None. If I am non-judgemental (1000% trained as a counsellor) and I know that 'it is what it is', then contentment is a given. I am still human and can get annoyed or feel anger/frustration rise in me, but I check it and see where it comes from. When I understand it, it goes.

I am content as I write this. Content with the sunshine of this early morning, a good breakfast, that it's Monday, watching a podcast in the background where two academics are arguing about yoga philosophy, two great minds refusing to agree to disagree. Ha ha, my granddaughter Lottie and her sheer joy on the swing at the beach and with food and life in general. Seeing the world through a 2 year old's eyes. I meditate and practice yoga, go to the beach to collect sea glass with my wife, drink hot chocolate and eat cheese and tomato sandwiches in the garden for lunch.

I think and feel that I have to 'do' and 'be' to maybe earn contentment? Get over myself sometimes? Happy is very contented, and sad is not contented at all, and content is the balance in the middle.

Man I love this stuff and I love all of you, thank you 😍 

Thank you Jen for another beautiful session, I am sorry I couldn't make it live and missed this small group workshop on sequencing - I wish I could have been there. 

I love the idea of contentment being radical resistance 🙂 , especially in a world driven by competition and the constant pursuit of more. 

For me, contentment manifests in my daily life through practices that nurture both my mind and body. Meditating allows me to cultivate a sense of inner peace and mindfulness. It helps me ground myself, reinforcing the understanding that my worth isn't tied to how much I achieve or acquire but rather how I experience life in the present moment.

Maintaining my yoga practice every day is another form of resistance against the chaos around me. It’s about balance, both on and off the mat. It prepares me to respond to whatever energy arises, whether it's excitement, tension, or calm, with love and acceptance rather than judgment or frustration.

Contentment also encompasses the importance of rest. In a culture that glorifies overwork and busyness, choosing to take time for myself, to pause, to breathe, and to simply be, is a radical act of self care. I cherish these moments of stillness.

Contentment allows me the freedom to express myself authentically, rooted in self acceptance and nurturing deeper connections that enrich my relationships 🙂 

YTT Module 9

As always thanks for everyone’s sharing.  I appreciate Jen reiterating we are all working at our own pace so no pressure!

San(m)Tosha- Finding CONTENTMENT in our world/ lack of desire of anything that one does not have. 

San-completely/tosha-contentment= absolute contentment

Satisfaction, gratitude, and happiness  3 important aspects of san(m)Tosha.  STEADINESS and EASE!

What are my thoughts about Trusting myself?  Being Grateful for myself?  Am I content with these thoughts?  Like Liz, Divine essence gives me gratitude and the ability to trust myself.

Lack of focus definitely causes to distrust of actions.  Love how Nyla compares self trust and non-stealing.  Gratitude is indeed humbling!  Humble me so I can always live in gratitude!

Where has there been harm to ourselves with our body and mind?  Have there been messages for support to build gratitude?  Externalities are distractions from caring for ourselves.  How can we practice care outwardly if we do not practice caring for ourselves?  This way we become an active participant in our own lives.  Be authentic in supporting yourself.  It is different for everyone.

There are obstacles to contentment: lack of safe spaces, harm, inability to live within one’s truth, addiction, excess, stuckness, compromising moral principles, distrust, lack of focus, feeling lost, disconnection from self, community, nature, No Justice, NO Peace!

We can use our yoga, Yamas, and niyamas, Chakras, to create self contentment.  Satcha using our truth.  We don’t have to be happy but we can be content.  This is radical resistance. Yoga supports our contentment.  Notice your body and what it is telling you to be a better you!

Bhagavad Gita

-Human Dilemma

-Action Vs. Inaction

-Perceptions & Intentions

Why is everyone I am fighting a part of me?  We don’t stand for the same thing so we awaken our deeper spirit within ourselves.  How do we create opportunities for betterment of oneself? Finding our santosha.

3 ways to live with Intention:  Identify values, ACT with agency, Optimize your partnerships.

Invitational Cueing: Looking for healing and reconnection. Offer and invitation without expectation.  Practice with the Yamas:non-harm, non-stealing, non-excess, non-attachment.

Establishing a place for curiosity and exploration.  This requires a safe space to find what the participants need for them.  Lots of noticing and possibly share what I am experiencing. What do you need? Individual uniqueness not competition.  Don’t be directive and create hierarchical teaching in your classes.  Avoid value base cueing.

As always enjoyed the offering practice.  Sorry I missed sequencing with in the breakout session.

Hello, I was able to join for part of the session, so completing the other part that I missed. I think that contentment is a tough part of the practice for many reasons. Our brain is wired to always be searching, wanting more, making sure that we have enough resources to keep ourselves safe and fed, and this way that our brain operates makes it challenging in the age of marketing, social media, influencers, and capitalism. In my life the things that have helped me feel a sense of contentment have been getting into more contact and connection with the natural world, going camping, hiking, spending time outside, because it can be an opportunity to practice of taking what you need, what you are willing to carry on your back, and being content with the things that you have. Meditation and mindfulness also have supported me in noticing gratitude, slowing down, being content with the things that I do have. During my time working at the prison, I notice a culture of scarcity and at times this type of binging that folks can engage in when it's canteen day. I can't really judge that much because I haven't lived in this environment, and I might engage in similar behaviors. I 

I did get to participate in the movement practice during this week, I am also practicing some of this type of language when I run my groups and having several ways of inviting people and offering variations to not get too stuck in saying the same thing. If you would like to try..., you are welcome to..., see if you want to..., there is an option to... I am also paying attention when I go to yoga classes and how different teachers utilize language and encourage people. One teacher offers simple affirmations after cueing the pose which feels helpful and supportive. 

The enemy of my contentment is the picture of my life as I thought it would be (or should be) rather than what it is actually is. It's regret, shame and a bit of self-pity. My contentment is wrapped up in my healing journey and an object of skewed self-awareness. But that doesn't prevent me from being content where I am. Even though my life isn't what I thought it would be, it is good. This session reminded me of the importance of gratitude, not just as an intention, but as a real life principle that informs all of my decisions.

Contentment is also the opposite of living and operating from lack. Contentment says, "I lack nothing." The opposite of contentment says, "If only, then..."

As yoga teachers, contentment means practicing what we teach and coming from an authentic place. Faking contentment isn't a useful teaching tool. However, transparency in our discontent can be a powerful tool to build real connection.

I have some work to do regarding the practical use of invitational cueing. As I practice now, I sound like I'm reading a script. I fully understand the need for invitational cueing in our trauma informed/healing practices, I also think our role as teachers is to inform students into a safe and productive practice. We want to support personal agency but teach with the intention that the agency of the class instruction is an important part of the healing process of yoga.