Do you have problems setting intentions for the new year, and sticking to these intentions? Often, many people face the challenge of maintaining New Year's resolutions, beyond the first month or so. We put all our energy into creating those few goals, with the plan to be happier, and to change who we are as well as what we do.
Yoga shows us that there is a big difference between setting intentions, and actually taking action to achieve them. Sankalpa can be used to set intentions for our life, as well as our yoga practice, it can be an extraordinary element to transforming our goals for the year into actionable plans.
The yoga tradition of Sankalpa, is an alternative to New Year’s resolutions, stemming from the fact that you already know who you are, and you have everything within you in order to fulfil your life's goals, you do not need to change who you are to do this.
Sankalpa is a term in Sanskrit for an intention. San means ‘a connection with the highest truth,’ and Kalpa means ‘vow’. Therefore, Sankalpa means to set an intention to do or achieve something that is aligned to ourselves. It is a commitment to be made to ourselves, under the premise that we already are who we need to be, to be happy and reach our Dharma.
Dharma means ‘our life’s purpose’, it is our life’s work and what we commit to doing throughout our lives. It can also be described as why we are here, on a deeper level. When we follow and connect to our Dharma, we feel inspired, we want to learn and grow and become better versions of ourselves.
It is an intention which should always reflect what we truly want and desire, deep within ourselves. It does not require us to change ourselves, we are enough as we are, we just need to dive a bit deeper within ourselves. It can be an intention of what we already are, such as “I am healed”, it can then call to our mind to remind us of the path we need to take within our lives.
Yoga practice can help us to pursue our own sankalpa in order to reach our full potential. When the mind is relaxed, it is said to be the best time to create a Sankalpa, where it can be written into our subconscious mind.
The usual New Year’s resolutions that are made by people every January, are typically dropped after a few weeks, there is no willpower behind them. A Sankalpa is completely different, it does not require any of the ego mind which is typically sought upon to create these annual intentions.
A New Year’s resolution is a personal need to fulfil something, an intention for our individual will, while Sankalpa allows us to turn inward and connect with our highest desire, regarding our mind, body and spirit and it is a universal will.
New Year’s resolutions mostly start with a negative perception of ourselves, something we need to stop doing, goals made from the ego, and this is the reason why these goals do not last. People have the wrong belief that happiness depends on obtaining what you want, when ultimately it is much deeper than that.
All that is needed is to focus your mind, connect to your inner longings from the heart, and then to channel that positive divine energy from within. It is so important that we try to connect to our Dharma, in order to create the best life imaginable for ourselves. Our Sankalpa then becomes something which we can keep coming back to, to help with any choices we have to make, and to help keep us on the correct path to achieving our Dharma.
To uncover your Sankalpa you must connect with yourself, go within, listen to yourself and observe. Be present with your mind, body and spirit, turn your gaze inward and find your heartfelt desire. Ask yourself what you need to do, or achieve in order to deliver your highest desire. You need to really listen to yourself, to your mind, body and spirit and be present with yourself. You do not need to create the Sankalpa from nothing, it is something that is already there, you just need to discover it.
It can take a lot to find the bravery to go inside, listen to your heart and let that rule over your mind. When you discover the message that your heart is telling you, your true Sankalpa, you must be able to sit, feel it and really think about it. You must then have the intent to do what that heartfelt desire is asking of you.
What if you sit down to meditate and find your Sankalpa, and don’t hear anything within your heart? Or what if it is the ego mind sending forth ideas?
You just need to start where you are, any intention can be a starting point, you just need to look deeper within to find the true purpose.
With losing weight for example, try to look deeper within, think of how losing weight will make you feel. Will the outcome be self love, confidence or freedom? Then use this to discover what the heart is longing for, in this direction.
When you have discovered what your intention is, try to summarise it, shorten it so that it is easy to remember. It should always be said in the present tense, for example “I am healthy”.
Then you can bring your Sankalpa into your daily life, repeat it each morning, before a meditation or before each yoga practice. You can write it down while you are journaling, put it on your fridge, or even repeat it before you go to sleep each night. The deeper and more efficient way of keeping to our Sankalpa, is to remember it during meditation, yoga nidra or when we are in that state of consciousness where we feel at one with ourselves and our surroundings. This can also help us in maintaining commitment to our goal, and the decisions we need to make each day, with that desire within our hearts. The Sankalpa will help us with what we need to do, and where we need to focus our energy in order to achieve the bigger goals in our life.
How do we overcome small challenges to keep inline with our Sankalpa? Whenever we find ourselves drifting back into that ego mind, there are a few things we can do to bring ourselves back. Take action in the current moment, do not wait for the right time or place, work on your goals now, the momentum will take over and guide you on. Be honest with yourself, stay away from excuses and be mindful of your thoughts and actions. Give yourself a break, never be hard on yourself, you are a work in progress and you should take one day at a time.
Laura x
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