About a week ago I was having a conversation with my best friend Summer. I didn’t have much to add, and was feeling kind of boring. Not boring in a bad way; more of a steady, pleasant mundane. I told her so, and she said:
Mundane is good. Mundane is what makes the world go round, the kids grow up and the dishes get done. Mundane is nice.
My birthday was yesterday, so I’ve been reflecting and taking stock of my life lately. I realized that mostly I’ve looked for big break throughs because they’re easy to measure. Sometimes huge exciting things happen, but more often it’s the little things (not to sound completely cliche.) I find myself more contented than ever before, and it’s mostly based in the everyday mundane. Laundry, dishes, taking care of other people’s children, and getting up early to knock out office work. These all leave me feeling satisfied.
This embodies the yogic observance of santosha, or contentment. At the root of santosha is the practice of joy and gratitude. Some ways to practice santosha:
- Keep a gratitude journal
- Count your blessings at red lights
- Do your best at everything so that you may claim your labor as the most precious part, instead of the fruits thereof
- Friend The Attitude of Gratitude Project on Facebook to be reminded what other people are grateful for
- Go on a media diet
- Meditate
- Give to others
Contentment makes the other yamas (restraints) and niyamas (observances) easier to practice, and is necessary to achieve enlightenment. My next step is to use santosha as a foundation for courage. When I root down in my yoga postures I’m able to lift up. When I ground my life, I create a base to build upon. The idea of becoming enlightened all at once from working your tongue up your sinuses or some other wild sounding practice is pretty exciting, but I think if I’ve got a chance it’s probably through just this kind of simple practice. Changing my attitude, and finding more room for my true self than I ever would have imagined.
Do the mundane things in your life help ground you? How can you use that for growth?
Aaaah, I love this, Kaitlin! It makes me think about, “chop wood, carry water” as the path to enlightenment. And what you’re sharing here is brilliant in that it gives us full permission to be with “what is,” but as a pathway to what’s even deeper and more fulfilling.
Thank you!