One of the niyamas in yoga is contentment. Its not just being happy, because happiness is fleeting. To me, contentment is inner peace and sense of well being. Its taken me a long time to get to the point of having inner peace and well being, and letting go of the emotional issues that held me hostage for a long time. Once I realized I could just let them go and move on, it helped me find that wellspring of happiness and bliss.
I am a big fan of ritual and ceremony (after being an Episcopalian, how can you not be?). For me, whenever I am dealing with a lot of stress or feeling out of sorts, I do a grounding ritual. No, I don’t send myself to time out (although that could be good too!). Instead, I go outside and play in the dirt. I grab a handful of it, and feel it-texture, color, and smell. As I stare at it, I go through my list of troubles and stressors. After I am done, I throw the dirt behind me, and walk away. Its symbolic that these things are now in my past and I am moving forward.
Just doing a ritual with a handful of dirt didn’t bring me to where I am in terms of peace and contentment. It took a lot of work and soul searching on my part, and this is an ongoing process. There are many different paths to contentment and peace, and I have found daily meditation, yoga, and doing things that make me happy every day are my path. Think about what is on your path.
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