I’ve been thinking about satisfaction recently. Which brings to mind the Rolling Stones song, which makes me think about the band Maroon 5 and their song about Mick Jagger, which then makes me  think about Adam Levine, the lead singer and a super sexy guy.

Oh, how I digress.

And that’s how it goes. The swirling medley of the serious and profound with the drive of our desires, no matter what they are.

So where does satisfaction lie? Is it in the fulfillment of our greater purpose, or in the feeding of our cravings?

I discount neither. I want to live a life of service AND pleasure. This answer comes straight from my flesh and blood, from my human mind, and my sense organs.

The answer, if it were to come from the depths of my soul, would be that satisfaction is a state of being and not a state of events or achievements. The yogic principle, Santosha, guides us in understanding contentment as a measure of self-awareness, which can be cultivated through practice. Yes, not by actually getting what we want, but by choosing what we feel.

I have always known myself as a woman of great and deep desires and also a person who has suffered from constant disappointment and pathological dissatisfaction. The idea that I could CHOOSE contentment was like 220V through my body, and continues to electrify my day-to-day experiences.

Now, I continue to love my desires, cuddle my cravings, and relish the feeling of wanting. It reminds me of being alive, in a human body. It reminds me, at the same time, that satisfaction is mine to experience at any moment. I use that knowledge like a touchstone, bringing me back to the practices that connect me with all that is infinite, divine, and completely content.

To live in that place, in both worlds, feeds my soul.

Now, back to Adam Levine…