Welcome to Santosha Recovery
Finding
contentment
through
connection
What's up with Recovery? Recovery from what?
Paraphrasing one of my spiritual preceptors, Goswami Kriyananda; as a human species we are disconnected. We are disconnected from each other, disconnected from nature and disconnected from ourselves. Our lives are fragmented; our spiritual life is separate from our everyday life. Our streams of consciousness are hidden from each other, letting our perceptions and thought forms dictate our understanding of life and our connection with life instead of listening to our intuition and symbols that show up in our daily lives. We have lost the knowledge and understanding that our future is created by our thoughts, attitudes, words and actions of today, so in fact, we create our own reality. We struggle with death thinking that life is linear verses cyclical and that the end of the physical body is the end of our existence. As a human society, we are mostly unhappy, worrisome and discontent.
Being and staying present and connected is a volitional choice
Since I have softened the karma of my alcohol and drug addiction, I have studied the philosophies of Eastern Holistic Living and dutifully practiced the techniques so that I could find meaning and contentment in my daily living. And I can honestly say that I am content and happy. This is not saying that happenings in the world view today do not concern me. Of course they do and I understand that we all have unique roles to create a more loving and compassionate world. For me it looks like showing up and being present, intentional and heart felt in each moment. And this way of living for me is a prayerful way of living. My way of praying for peace is to find it inside my self, through forgiveness, meditation, walks in nature, singing to Mother Earth. My way of praying for another, is to lean in and listen deeply to others concerns. And my prayers for the planet and the animals is to acknowledge and be in awe of the beauty, resilience and acceptance of all sentient life forms. So Santosha Recovery is about being present and connected in the world as we witness a child take their first breath and also when we witness a person take their last breath. It is about being present in the world when someone has touched our lives with kindness along with when someone, through their own suffering, has offended and hurt us. It is about being present with ourselves and recognizing that the universe and it's higher beings are here to gently nudge us to a higher state of consciousness and a happier lifestyle if we dare listen and answer back. It is about recognizing that we have total sovereignty of our own lives, attitudes and what peace looks like inside and out. It is about finding compassion with a not so compassionate humanity. Santosha Recovery is a sangha; a group of likeminded people coming together to share ideas, sing, meditate for the common purpose of connection. I will share what I have but I also ask that others share their richness also.
Santosha Recovery Sangha will meet once a week on Wednesdays at 6pm CT on zoom. See the Weekly SR Sangha Gathering link under the About Tab.
Each week is a different theme so you can join the sangha according to what you are interested in. You do not have to come every week to be part of the sangha. For example: The first Wednesday of the month will be focused on Astrology and Symbols. I will suggest ways for you to study your natal chart. I will also help you get your natal chart if you do not have one. We will also talk about what is currently happening in the cosmos and how it might affect your natal chart. Keep it simple, make it fun. The second Wednesday of the month will be exploring how the Eight Limbs of Yoga can bring contentment in your daily living. The Third Wednesday is a group share on "What is right with the world" or "Be the change you want to see in the world". The topic of the fourth Wednesday will be on the Elements of Nature through Ayurveda, the Chakric System and the study of Native American Spirituality. And on occasion when there is a fifth Wednesday of the month we will look into and discuss other philosophies that allow us to connect to life while living in the present moment with a content mind. Come and share or just come and be present. A complete list of topics is listed under the Weekly SR Sangha Gathering link. Check it out and then sign up to be informed about weekly topics or just show up on zoom on Wednesdays at 6pm. No charge, no obligation, just hanging out and connecting with like minded people.
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Namaste my fellow seekers and fellow travelers.
We can change the world in which we live one prayerful moment at a time!!
Please join in sangha!!
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SR Sangha Mission Statement
In this very lifetime, I realize that I am Life, not a part of Life. I wish to be more connected with this divineness of existing on the Earth Plane at this time. Through the practices and techniques of Santosha Recovery, I wish to reveal this true nature of myself. Constant mind chatter, fear, anger and bitterness bind us in a false reality and ignorance of who we really are. Just as each wave is a part of a limitless and immortal sea, each one of us is a part of a limitless and immortal collective consciousness. Separateness is an illusion that prompts seeking for outside temporary happiness when authentic lasting happiness is within each of us all along. How do I find this authentic happiness and Santosha within? It begins with self-awareness and self-acceptance. We are here on earth in these spacesuits, as Ram Dass would say, to learn about ourselves and mature spiritually, in yogic terms, soften our karma. There is no failure in life. The forces of karma may so strong at times that we cannot resist the temptation of that karma, but if we are self-aware, we learn from each experience and can await a time when we are strong enough to overcome that karma. I seek to be patient with myself, knowing that knowledge, and true lasting happiness comes from experiencing life with all its triumphs but more so with all its challenges. I seek acceptance for this healing journey that I am embarking on in this moment. I seek self-love which when revealed, will blossom into connection and unselfish love for all sentient beings. Aham Brahmasmi :) I am the creator of my life!!
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Program Review:
Thanks to Santosha Recovery I feel I can enjoy my life. I can handle stress and anger in a a healthier way. I hold less pain in my body. My posture and breathing has improved. Thanks to Santosha Recovery, in only three months I realized the benefits of practicing mindfulness and contentment.
Kate McGown Wille, Ed. D.