santosha is a practice, not a vibe

This is Ashtanga Yoga Tech Support. Real questions from the yoga community, answered.

The Question

What does it actually mean to practice santosha in an Ashtanga context? How do you teach that without it turning into toxic positivity or some kind of spiritual bypass?

— from a MJH note

Our Response

Rule number one: don’t hurt yourself. I don’t care what sequence you do, I don’t care what drishti you keep. I care if you care what drishti you keep, and I care if you tell me what drishti you keep. But if you don’t care, I don’t care. And you’re not going to make me care.

Rule number two: be honest. Practice with whatever you have going on today.

Rule number three—oh my god, the most important. Try to have a good time. Alright. Santosha is a practice. I’m not running like a positivity cult or anything, but we gotta practice at it. And so just know that really is in the spirit of what we’re doing around here. And that’s purpose by design, and you are welcome to come in and practice with the body and mind that you have today and to show up how you show up.

There’s a difference between forcing a smile at 7 AM and actually practicing showing up without demanding the experience be better than it is. You’re not required to feel good. You’re invited to stop fighting what’s true.

That’s what santosha is. Not contentment you feel—something you do.