Santosha on Valentine’s Day - Finding contentment and happiness in love

Hello February 14th! As today we celebrate Valentine’s Day, a holiday of love, I wanted to speak a little bit about my little love story, and how living a life of yoga has influenced my relationship.

Santosha, contentment, is one of the Niyamas, which are a moral guide in traditional yoga philosophy. Yoga teaches us to really be in the present moment, appreciating what we have. We should not focus too much on the past or constantly worry about the future, but learn to be happy in the now, today. Being happy is a choice, you can choose to focus on the positive, on what is beautiful, and choose to live your day this way. As today is a holiday of love, let’s talk about it. I find most people hate this holiday or think it’s stupid, whether they have their significant other, or not. I am a person who enjoys corny holidays, but I don’t take them too seriously either. I just like having fun with people close to me, so any occasion is good to celebrate. Many people say, that every day should be Valentine’s day, not just one day of the year. I agree, but as we have this holiday, why not just do something nice for the special person in our lives? It doesn’t have to be about romantic love, but any person that is close to your heart. When I was small, me and my sisters would make heart shaped Valentine’s Day cards for my mom, and my mom for us. It was super special, just this little tradition. So why not send some flowers to your mom or grandma? After all, it’s all about appreciating the loved ones in our life.

Pictured: Us almost 17 years ago and us today <3

Traditional yoga philosophy teaches us to be content, to learn appreciation of how blessed we are to live, and share this life with others. It’s in the human nature to always look at all the problems and downsides of everything. So, for once, let’s try changing our perspective. Try looking the other way around, focusing on what is good, how lucky we are, how amazing it is that we can spend another day just living life. I find that starting my day with a yoga practice changes my way of viewing the day. Maybe we should all try a headstand, turning upside down to see the world in different colours? Santosha is not about material things, it’s about looking deeper, noticing the tiny special moments of each day and keeping them close to our heart.

I am lucky in love, I don’t deny it. But it is not always easy, everything is not always perfect. So I try to live by Santosha in my relationship. Not concentrating on the problems, but on how special it is that we have each other to share this day. It’s about appreciating the other person and being there for each other, as partners in life. How much better is even the worst day, if you can laugh or cry about it with someone else? When one of us is having a crappy day, the other will be there to make a cup of tea or pour a glass of wine (for me).

I am celebrating Valentines day, and I’m proud of it. I will send a card to my mom and call my grandma to tell them I love them. I will spend the evening with my husband, and laugh together as we walk home hand in hand.