The Practice of Enough

Embracing Santosha

There’s a quiet kind of peace that comes when we stop chasing. When we pause long enough to realize that right here, right now, we have enough. We are enough.

This is Santosha, one of the five Niyamas of yoga philosophy—often translated as contentment. But contentment doesn’t mean complacency. It’s not about settling. Instead, it’s the radical practice of being fully present in the life we’re already living.

The Myth of “I’ll Be Happy When…”

We’ve all told ourselves some version of this story:

I’ll be happy when I get the job.
I’ll be happy when I finally take that trip.
I’ll be happy when my practice is stronger, my body different, my life somehow more…

But have you noticed that when you do get the thing, the goalpost moves? The mind is quick to create new conditions for happiness.

Santosha asks us to pause and shift the focus. Instead of looking ahead at what’s missing, we turn inward and ask: What is already here?

Santosha in Yoga & Life

In asana practice, Santosha is choosing presence over expectation. It’s being in a pose without forcing it to look a certain way. It’s dropping the comparison—whether to others in the room or to a past version of yourself—and simply being where you are, as you are.

But this practice extends far beyond the mat.

Santosha is also:
Accepting the season you’re in, even if it looks different than you expected.
Finding joy in simple moments—a deep breath, warm sun, the sound of laughter.
Releasing the pressure to always be more, and instead, honoring the fullness of who you already are.

“Santosha isn’t about waiting for happiness—it’s about allowing happiness to exist now.”

The Power of Enough

Santosha is a daily practice, not a one-time realization. Some days it feels natural. Other days, the mind gets caught in wanting, comparing, and striving. But each time we return to gratitude for what is, we strengthen our ability to find contentment, no matter what life brings.

Try this: Take a deep breath. Look around. What is already enough in this moment?

Your body, just as it is.
The breath moving through you.
The small joys, often overlooked.

Santosha isn’t about waiting for happiness—it’s about allowing happiness to exist now.

And in that allowing, we find freedom itself.

Big love,

Dani xo