In a state of contentment, we fully accept the truth of this present moment, just as it is. There’s nothing missing and there’s nothing here that shouldn’t be. Mindfulness meditation, the practice of non-judgmental presence, can help us cultivate contentment in everyday life.
In this guided meditation, Sean Fargo invites us to ground ourselves in the body and in this moment by sensing into physical sensation. Having rooted ourselves in presence, we are encouraged to bring mindfulness to the quality of contentment. Familiarizing ourselves with the sensation of contentment can help us notice it outside our formal practice.
Please listen in a safe, quiet place where you can be relatively free from distraction. Practice with eyes opened or closed, in a posture that balances comfort with alertness. May this meditation be of benefit to you in your practice.
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Contentment is often described as a characteristic of enlightenment. Some might even say contentment itself is the highest state of being. In a state of contentment, we accept this present moment as whole and perfect, just as it is. There’s nothing we want for, and nothing that is lacking.
For most of us, unconditional acceptance of the present moment is typically not a habit. We often go through life wishing this moment was somehow different. We defer our happiness, thinking it will come when we just get that one thing that’s missing. Or, we feel like this moment would be made better if that one thing or one person wasn’t here.
To be content, in this view, is to accept that everything arising in our awareness is exactly what we need, right now. In meditation, connecting to contentment and present-moment acceptance can give us the permission we need to simply be.
When we get grounded in the body and in the moment, and grant ourselves the meditative space to simply be, qualities such as patience, gratitude and wonder may arise alongside contentment.
Contentment and simply being are different from complacency. Accepting this moment just as it is can let us act with clarity and with less habitual reactivity.
Present-moment contentment can support thinking, speaking and acting mindfully. When there are no attachments and nothing we are avoiding, we may find it easier to face each moment with courage and ease.
Explore contentment and acceptance with these additional free mindfulness resources:
- Blog: Radical Acceptance: What It Is and What It Isn’t
- Guided Meditation Script: Contentment Guided Script
- Guided Meditation Script: Power of Acceptance
- Mindfulness Worksheet: Contentment
- Mindfulness Worksheet: Power of Acceptance
- Mindfulness Worksheet: Acceptance of our Circumstance
- Audio: Audio Meditations for Contentment
- Podcast: Welcoming This Moment, A Meditation with Sean Fargo
- Podcast: Grounding, Calming Breath Meditation, with Sean Fargo
About Sean Fargo:
Sean Fargo is a former Buddhist monk who founded Mindfulness Exercises and leads the Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification.
