It’s been a while since I last updated this blog! Hello to you dear reader. Today, I want to share about February’s theme: Sankalpa. This word may be unfamiliar to you, but you have heard the English translation every time in my yoga class: intention. The direct translation fo Sankalpa is your heart’s deep and true desire, or intention. Intention may sound similar to resolution or a wish, and you may recall that you set one at the beginning of the year.
But Sankalpa is actually quite different from a goal or a wish you have. I often talk about how your intention is what’s at the root of your surface goal or wish, a way of being that helps you live out your life. If you’re hiking up Mt. Fuji, the goal may be to reach the top. The intention may be to enjoy and feel fully alive as you hike, regardless of whether you get to the top or not.
If your goal is like a tree, the intention are the roots. And if you know the roots and are tending to the roots, then the tree will be healthy, even if the branches may not grow in the direction that you were expecting. For example, let’s say you have a goal to lose 10 pounds, or earn $500 more each month. These are not bad goals, but what are the deeper desires? Perhaps it’s to live freely and with ease in your body. Perhaps it’s to feel at peace and pursue what you truly want in your life.
When you know your intentions and tend to them, you may find that the outworking of it comes in unexpected ways. Like finding that you feel strong and alive in your body just as you are as you dance. Or an opportunity arises for you to do something that makes you feel alive, without spending money.
Another important thing to note about Sankalpa is that it’s best to state it in present tense. According to research, our subconscious does not know the difference of what’s actually happening and what we’re imagining. There was a study done where a group of people were asked to practice a certain passage on the piano. Another group was asked to imagine they were practicing that same passage. Both achieved growth in the area of the brain that is associated with the parts used to practice. (find the article here) So, state your Sankalpa in present tense, like it’s already true. For example: I am happy, just as I am. I am healthy and whole. I am at peace and ease.
At the beginning of class, I invite everyone to set an intention. Usually, Sankalpa is a longer term intention for the next 3 to 6 months. But you may choose an intention for that day based on your Sankalpa. For example, if your Sankalpa is to live with ease and wholeness, your intention for that class may be to accept your physical sensations, whatever arises. When you set the intention and move from that place, what you notice in your body, heart, and mind may be different.
So, give it a go! First, take a couple of deep breaths. Then, if you’d like, close your eyes and ask, what is my heart’s deepest desire. Dig a little deeper if you need. Then, say it out aloud. May that intention impact your daily life, and your next yoga practice.