Lie flat on your back and close your eyes.
Breathe into your legs, hold your breath and squeeze your legs tight, tight, tight – let them go…ah!
Now breathe into your hands and make them into fists, squeeze your arms and hold your breath – let them go…ah!
Put your hands on your belly and breathe your belly into a big balloon – bigger bigger bigger – let it go…ah!
Shrug your shoulders up to your ears, push your shoulders down and now wrap or arms around yourself giving yourself a big hug and release – remember loving yourself is the beginning of loving the whole world.
Now rock your head side to side.
Now squeeze your face tightly like you just bit into something really sour – hold your breath and let it go…ah!
Now imagine you are a water droplet high up in the clouds.
It’s winter time and the air is very cold.
You begin to freeze and form a very unique snowflake.
You never argued or struggled with becoming a snowflake, you are happy with who you are just as you are.
Then you along with billions of other snowflakes begin to fall from the clouds.
Imagine how it feels to be falling – free, floating, flying, free
Then you land and it feels strange to not be free anymore but to be stuck on the ground lying with billions of other snowflakes. But then you see how nice it is to be still and silent – you are happy with who you are just as you are.
Then a family comes out of the house and you get rolled into a snowball that gets thrown in the air and you see that you are now part of a fun game. It’s also great to feel like your flying again even if you are rolled into a tight ball with a bunch of other snowflakes. Then you get rolled into a bigger ball and are now part of a snowman. You are now stuck deep inside the snowman’s head and you think at first how strange this is but everyone in the yard is smiling at you and very happy. You are reminded to just be happy with who you are just as you are. And if a snowflake could smile, you are smiling.
But then the days get warmer and the snowman begins to melt, many snowflakes return to their original form as a drop of water and sink into the ground. And soon you feel yourself doing the same thing and as a drop of water you roll down whats left of the snowman and sink into the ground. So many snowflakes and so many water droplets have made a big mud puddle. At first you don’t like being dirty and it all feels very strange but then the kids come outside and jump in the mud puddle and are laughing with delight at the mess they are making. And suddenly you feel happy too just as you are.
The summer comes and no rain falls for a long time and the mud puddle from the snowman last winter has dried up and the snowflake has become part of the cycle of life. You are no longer a water droplet or a snowflake but have evaporated into the air and one day you might go back up to the clouds and form a new rain drop. But it really doesn’t matter because no matter what changes happen, no matter how things work out you are happy with who you are just as you are.
This story is based on the yoga term Santosha which means contentment, the idea that we are happy with who you are just as you are without grasping for more, just content with your life and with yourself.