personal growth

Santosha: The Path to Contentment

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Contentment is defined as a state of happiness and satisfaction.

Emotionally it is in the middle of the emotional scale and vibrates at a fairly neutral resonance. It is that space within us where all is okay. It is a feeling that offers neutrality and a sense of ease because there is not the push for more.

When I first began to understand what it meant to live yoga, I wondered if I could I ever really achieve contentment?  The Sanksrit word for contentment is santosha which means to cultivate a sense of being all right with who I am and what I have. And yet, we are humans who have been conditioned to constantly crave and strive for more. Yogi or not, I have dreams and goals so contentment, or santosha, often eludes me. Both on the mat and off the mat.

My work is to balance my dreams with the presence of knowing that all is okay.  I mean REALLY knowing that all is okay.  I can still have my dreams, but right now, in this breath, all is okay.

When we look at this on an emotional level, we see just underneath contentment on the emotional scale is complacency.  And just above it is hope.  So this middle ground of contentment could take you either way, depending on your awareness and your willingness to be, or not to be.

In my life, when faced with a challenge (on the mat or off),  I have three choices.

  1. Stay in contentment. I could recognize that my true self is pure and perfect. I can know that I am whole and good enough, right now.
  2. Slip into complacency. I could get lazy in my efforts and desires.  I could choose to weaken my desires and make excuses as to why it is not worth the effort due to my smugness and perhaps falsely known self-satisfaction.
  3. Rise into hope. I could take a breath and aim for a feeling of expectation and desire for goodness to happen.  I could take in the knowing that dreams and desires are right there waiting to arrive.

I  definitely do not spend much time in complacency. Although I am often vibrating higher in hope, optimism, positive expectation, enthusiasm, passion and ultimately deep appreciation, I am striving to also exist in the space of contentment.

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Cooling Balance: An Essential Oil Blend for Pitta Dosha

/ embracingspirit / 2 Comments

Cooling Balance: An Essential Oil Blend for Pitta Dosha

Pitta dosha, governed by the elements of fire and water, gives us drive, focus, and a passionate zest for life. But when Pitta becomes excessive—especially in the heat of summer or during stressful times—it can lead to irritability, impatience, and an overheated body and mind.

This calming essential oil blend is designed to soothe and balance Pitta’s fiery energy. With cooling, sweet, and grounding aromas, it helps you restore inner harmony, release tension, and invite a sense of ease and flow. Perfect for moments when you need to cool the flames and reconnect with your natural state of balance.

I finally figured out why I have so much heat (inflammation) in my body. I have a really hard time this time of year and I remembered a few days ago that historically the time that is summer turning to fall is sooooo hard on me because of my Ayurvedic dosha Pitta. (Ayurveda is the sister science to yoga that looks at body constitution). I seem to burning on fire inside and outside, and interestingly bugs and insects are obsessed with me.  They must sense my inner fire and want some.

The last few weeks have been really hard with a constant inner burning.  My joints are on fire, my belly is boiling, I have a burning in my stomach no matter what I eat, my temper is a tiny bit shorter and I am overall just hot.

I have started to implement eating more cucumbers, taking cooler showers and baths, drinking cool water, spending time with blues and greens, meditating on cool water imagery and just doing what I know to do. I also created a lovely and pitta-dosha calming blend—it’s all the lovely cool florals; rose, jasmine, neroli, lavender, helichrysum, geranium and sandalwood. Plus, I added some peppermint for a topical cooling sensation. I added turquoise to amplify it’s cooling properties and bring in the cool vibes of turquoise.  I apply this to my neck, chest and spine a few times a day.

If you’d like to know more about your dosha, let’s chat. I have some great resources and can do a quick assessment. Also, be sure to check out this free ebook for reference to essential oils.

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If you love my content and want more tools for mindfulness & movement, check out my digital products on Buy Me a Coffee! Your support helps me continue creating. 

Looking for the tools and products I swear by? Visit my Amazon storefront for a handpicked collection of my favorite finds—from kitchen gadgets to wellness essentials. Click here to explore and shop my must-haves.

If you would love to be part of my essential oil community and are ready to start using pure essential oils, shop here or email me for a free 1:1 consultation.