Yoga teacher confession: I LOATHE the word “intention” and I think it’s so overused that it’s almost become empty in it’s meaning.
Human confession: I BOYCOTT New Year’s resolutions because I am zero % interested in starting new things in January and also because they always felt silly and pointless.
So does that mean that I just live my life without purpose or direction or goals?! NOPE!
So what’s my secret? SANKALPA!!
First, let’s break it down.
Sankalpa is a Sanskrit word so its syllables have a deep resonance that expresses its true meaning far better than our English words but here’s a simplified breakdown.
Sat = highest truth
Kalpa = vow, rule that follows truth, the rule to be followed above all other
So all together now: Sankalpa is a commitment we make to support our highest truth, speaking to support the higher arc of our life.
Second, a detour.
Let’s consider an analogy of life as a road trip (modified from Tracee Stanley trainings).
When we are born we are given our body/mind/spirit complexes, not so dissimilar from a super badass sprinter van - built to travel in style and live our best lives, maybe even down by the river. It’s equipped with all the bells and whistles with the most deluxe and upgraded features.
We drive through our life, and we experience amazing views from tops of mountains, we get drug through the mud of the valleys, we take long, windy, and dusty roads that lead us nowhere fast, and coast through the easy parts. So what happens?
As we continue on this life journey there’s an accumulation of dirt, mud, weather, bugs (experiences, trauma, life) on the windshield, which will build up over time making it more difficult to accurately perceive the world right in front of us. We may categorize these build-ups as good, bad or neutral. We often have tools/practices that may help clear some of the smudge: water, wiper fluid, yoga, meditation, nature walks, therapy, RAWR-ing like a dinosaur. And sometimes these tools lose their ability to be effective like we’ve run out of fluid or our wipers wear out or the smudge is simply accumulating faster than it can be cleared. Overtime, our windshield begins to smear and our perception of the road becomes cloudy. Our worn out windshield wipers may create little holes, waves, distortions or colorings (Sanskrit word is Vasanas) through which we view the world. This smaller window of clarity may lead us towards wrong turns, offer unclear choices at the forks in the road, and even make us drive in circles making us feel like we are stuck in a rut (Sanskrit word is Samskara).
So what to do?!
If we are still talking cars, I’m probably the worst one to give advice as I’m pretty sure my wipers are dull, my gas tank is counting down dangerously close to E, and I just, for the first time in my life, purchased a full set of brand new tires instead of being cheap about it…yeah, yeah, yeah longevity, mileage, even tread, blahhhh…But from what I can gather regular maintenance is KEY to keeping our actual cars on the road for the long haul.
When we drop the analogy and come back to how do we clear the windshield of our lives and sustain a wider source of perception we arrive at SANKALPA! Think of it like adding Rain-X to our windshields to bolster the work of our other tools. We can use Sankalpa as medicine to fill the gaps of our perception in order to create a positive vasana to fill the space instead of falsely informed stories/biases/views.
Let’s dive deeper into what Sankalpa is, and also equally as important what it isn’t.
Sankalpa is a resolve. It’s a statement you can call upon to remind yourself of your true nature and help guide your choices. Sankalpa begins with the radical premise that you already have everything you need to fulfill YOUR life’s purpose (Sanskrit word is Dharma).
Sankalpa is NOT a prayer or petition. It is NOT coming from a place of lack, nor is it something we are wanting or hoping or wishing to happen in the future. Sankalpa is NOT a New Year’s resolution which often may be misguided by our ego’s false impression that something is missing.
Tantra sidenote: I’ve been promising a separate blog on Tantra for yearsss and clearly, it hasn’t happened. SO…here’s a side note that is worthy of being included here. Tantra has often been called “house holder’s Yoga” as it is a practice that began as a giant FU to the authorities who erroneously argued that connection to the divine was only allowed for the higher castes. Tantra was counter-culture to many yoga practices as they embraced the idea that we don’t have to give away all our possessions and resources, avoid all familial duties, and live the life of a traveling, begging ascetic. Instead, we are allowed to have aspirations to pleasure, joy, and other earthly experiences that other forms of Yoga described as obstacles on the spiritual path. One of the root questions of the early Tantrics was “Why must we abandon pleasure in order to realize bliss”?
Tantra has a wild story filled with sex and Satan due to Sting, Aleister Crowley, eye witness accounts of “weird” rituals (including standing still for years to learn the qualities of a tree or laying with dead bodies to understand impermanence), and other random pop culture entanglements and mistellings. But more accurately, Tantra is a set of tools that is both practical and mystical that were woven into everyday life. An expanded Tantra definition comes from Christopher Wallis in Tantra Illuminated “A Tantra is a divinely revealed body of teachings, explaining what is necessary and what is a hindrance in the practice of the worship of God; and also describing specialized initiation and purification ceremonies that are the necessary prerequisites of Tantric practice. These teachings are given to those qualified to pursue both the higher and lower aims of human existence.” The study of Tantra is essentially a study of history and like many concepts introduced to me under the Yoga umbrella - there’s a shallow western understanding and a much deeper and richer root system with more complexity and brilliance.
A few topics covered by Tantra texts:
creation, history, deities, rituals, mantras and yantras, importance of teacher, magic/sorcery, divination, subtle body physiology, kundalini, psychic body physiology, purification, pranayama, nature of enlightenment, Yoga, nondualism and sure, also sacred sexuality.
One Tantric teaching, with roots in the Vedas, is on the four desires for every soul; these can also be seen as opportunities for our hearts to create a Sankalpa. The first 3 are considered “lower” desires as they relate to our physical or earthly lives, while the 4th one is labeled a “higher” desire as it speaks to our spirit. These terms lower and higher aren’t meant to establish exclusion but more a system of explanation because all FOUR are inherent to our soul and worthy of manifesting for ourselves. Sometimes it may take the realization of “lesser” goals before you reach your “soul” goals. AND the consideration of the 4th desire is what makes this a Tantric practice.
Artha - the means in which to do life easily. This includes food, shelter, love, and other resources that form a foundation of comfortability that is necessary to live life in this moment. Ain’t nobody got time for anything else if the rent isn’t paid and food isn’t secure.
Dharma - our life’s purpose. This is another overused and under-understood Sanskrit word. Our dharma isn’t tied to our jobs, positions, credentials. In the Hindu tradition, dharma includes duties, rights, laws, conduct, virtues, and the "right way of living".
Kama - pleasure. Most recognized by the “Kama Sutra*” but as discussed above this extends beyond the realm of sexual pleasures and into every facet of our life. Without joy, what’s the point?!
Moksha - freedom or liberation or emancipation from the eternal cycle of rebirth and death (samsara). This desire transcends the other desires.
*According to present day Tantra experts, the Kama Sutra is a non-Tantric text as its ultimate goal is pleasure without a commitment to moksha.
Within these categories of desires, we can craft our Sankalpa in several different ways.
Types of Sankalpa
Heartfelt desire - a statement that reflects your true nature. Simple, but true statements that typically begin with “I am ___” These statements while powerful lack action and often don’t include our intellectual minds.
Specific goals - a statement that encapsulates a desire for something specific and usually lands in “lower” desires. These little milestones not only may help align our moment to moment choices to our bigger vision but they may also build our trust in ourselves.
Perfect sankalpa - one that is not informed by doubt. Includes action, commitment and outcome. (keep reading for how this is different)
Our perfect Sankalpa also MUST include:
Iccha - tremendous will and energy. Let’s be honest, obstacles are going to pop up on our path to try and prevent us from the things we desire most. The Universe is going to test us and make sure that we reallyyyyy want this thing. We must be willing to put in sustained effort which requires tremendous fortitude. Each obstacle is another opportunity to get distracted from OR strengthen our resolve.
Kriya - action. It’s not enough to simply desire something. What’s the saying? Sh*t in one hand and wish in the other and see which one fills up first…We have to be willing to take action in the direction of our heart’s desire.
Jnana - wisdom of how to deliver the action. Work smarter, not harder is a motto of mine. This often means that I take a pause before taking action to sit with what actions would be the “right” action versus wasting energy/time/resources on hurried action which may require further action or clean up down the road.
In crafting a perfect sankalpa, it’s a process of listening, of uncovering. It’s already in your heart!!! It may be beneficial to do this in the space of trusted friends or with the support of a compassionate teacher. This may help hold you in integrity not only in your follow through (hello, accountability buddy) but others may help hold up a more accurate mirror shining light on potentially unseen doubts and insecurities or when our resolve lacks clarity.
I will share some a journal process in a moment but first some tips:
Be willing to listen.
Turn inward to listen. Welcome the message.
Have a willingness to take action.
Speak in the present tense! Your nervous system doesn’t know the difference between thought and reality.
AND the most important tip - so important that I didn’t even want to include it in the list above it deserves its own paragraph and will be shared in all caps - GET YOUR MIND/HEART RIGHT! We want to create from a place of joy, abundance, possibility, with full and absolute belief in yourself and your abilities to create. My favorite is this Joy Meditation (17 minute practice which includes some movement at the end) - which gives us the opportunity to remember times when we felt absolute joy and extract that feeling from the memory.
Once you have gotten yourself into a place of joy, connect with your breath, connect with your roots (feet and seat) - feeling buoyant, yet grounded.
Allow yourself to fly high above this moment and imagine your life in 6 months - 1 year - 3 years. Let your wildest imagination run wild with desire and possibility. Allow yourself to dream BIG and imagine what IF I could manifest everything my heart wants. Fly above and see it all.
Now, what other voices exist?
What does your practical, and potentially even critical, voice say?
What obstacles (perceived or real) stand in your way?
What seeds of doubt are you already planting?
Take 1-5 minutes to write these down - unfiltered and unedited.
Pick 1 story to work with - yep, just one. You can pick the biggest, scariest one. Or maybe you choose a slightly softer one. Or maybe you notice that most of these stories all point to a common theme.
Create an action to move beyond the limiting theme.
What are the fruits of action?
Now, put it all togther in clear, succinct language, speaking in the present tense. Ta da!! Your perfect Sankalpa!!!
Now, it may take a few times to get this perfect-perfect. And this is where that support group or teacher can help streamline this.
Ok so now you’ve got your Sankalpa, now what?
We need another super powerful tool in order to implant this new seed into our consciousness. Consider that our minds have layer/levels similar to soil, some are hard and impenetrable, and others soft. Our intellect’s job is to analyze, and it’s really good at it’s job, and doesn’t always accept everything that is presented. Deeper levels of consciousness are more receptive, and not likely to reject new ideas, or ways of being. Yoga Nidra is a tool to bypass our thinking minds and get into the deeper layers. The theory is that when full relaxation occurs (parasympathetic nervous system stuff), the receptivity in the mind is greater. Full relaxation occurs when muscular, mental, and emotional tensions are released. Here’s more words on Yoga Nidra if you are curious, and a recording of a Yoga Nidra that I made for this year’s YTT group for when you are ready.
Many paths of Yoga view our minds as the chief architect of our lives. Our practice is to draw our minds again and again and again to our deepest desires. But it’s not enough to simply repeat our Sankapla or write it on a post-it note - although both are useful reminders. The practice of Sankalpa is more like a marathon than a sprint. It’s necessary to have a planning phase, action path, and after care commitment. The goal is to keep the energy alive while allowing space for mistakes. Let’s call this energy Sankalpa Shakti - the creative energy behind the resolve. Every choice we make either supports or undos your Sankalpa Shakti.
What happens WHEN you mess up?
What happens WHEN we make choices that move us away from Self?
What happens WHEN do we lose our way?
All is not lost, you don’t suck at life, and you aren’t a terrible person!! Let’s take time to “make it right” with this nighttime practice: unravel your day with your mind, go back to when you diverted from your Sankalpa and recreate the moment, choose differently. Create a new pathway, and restrengthen your resolve.
Commit to your Sankalpa and your daily practice (Sanskrit word is Sadhana) for 40 days. This can look like a daily practice of yoga nidra and journaling or if you can’t do yoga nidra daily, try doing it weekly and journaling or repeating your sankalpa daily instead. Pick something that you can be consistent with, and be willing to switch things up if it's not working for you.
IF you have issues sticking to your Sankalpa, start over, but back up. Start with something smaller ex. breaking a habit. Spend 40 days of keeping your word (prove it to yourself), and (re)build your resolve and trust in yourself. Once your first 40 days is up, find new commitment and keep moving towards your dreams.
Our GOAL is to create space between action and habit.
In the space between, replace it with SANKALPA and create new habits.
And now the time has come for me to share a few of my Sankalpas over the years, but first a little background info. I started this practice of Sankalpa about a year after teaching yoga full time AND upon moving into my first solo living situation. I was working a mentorship with my former teacher in hopes to establish a sustainable business with promises to “teach me everything she knows” - this deserves it’s own unpacking/post as it taught me A LOT about what I DON’T want to do while gifting me a healthy spoonful of trauma.
Anywho, here’s what I’ve crafted over the years + some reflections:
"I can support myself doing what I love" - Cute, and feels empowering. But it fails to mention how I would feel doing the things that I love. I found myself overwhelmed, overbooked, and underpaid. Yes, my bills were paid and my belly was full. But I felt terrible and was not enjoying the life I worked so hard to create.
"I am in charge of my calendar and how I spend my energy" - If there is anything I have learned in my 11 years of teaching yoga is that there is a constant rhythm of ebb and flow. I have experienced the full range of emotions and calendar availability. It’s a never ending balancing act of rest, money, and joy that changes from season to season, and often with no reason. I still find myself struggling in this algorithm but I have gotten comfortable with recognizing when I miss the mark and rescheduling as needed. But also this Sankalpa lacks real action and doesn’t mention the fruit of the action.
"I feel connected to myself when I take time to slow down" - As I’ve gotten older, it’s become nonnegotiable to take things slower. My productivity looks way different but also feels better. I’ve learned when to not push or force which gives me opportunities to lean into the moments of flow. I also have to remind myself that rest and slowing down most likely does NOT include scrolling through my phone but can include connecting with friends who fuel my heart - versus my pattern of hibernation and isolation. This one does check the boxes but it could be more specific. What does slowing down look like? What does it feel like when I’m connected to myself?
My daily life fuels my heart, soul, and bank account. My work and life support liberation and freedom for all. I deserve my own self-love, and nurturance. I am safe, and protected. The Universe f*cking loves me! - This is currently what I'm working with for my business and my personal practice has the professional support of a therapist with the added tool of EMDR (blog being edited and released soon-ish with more words). Could it use some tweaks, always! But does it still reflect my heart's current desires, sure does!
Intention doesn't have to feel icky and empty. In fact, intention can be very beautiful but we should always consider our impact. If the actions that lead towards our desires impact others negatively, then we must be willing to adjust. There's an added layer of nuance to understanding our own access to resources, privledge and power and how that may shift depending on the rooms (or circles) we may find ourselves in. For many folks, our ability to dream may be limited by our social location.
We all have work to do when it comes to broadening our perspectives and allowing in more magic. And if you feel overhwlemed or like it's impossible to have dreams, know that your Sankalpa can revolve around being open to receiving your most perfect and inspiring Sankalpa.
Be willing to listen, and remember that you already have everything you need
References/Teachers:
Tantra Illuminated by Christopher Wallis
Tantra Unveiled by Pandit Riganaut Tajmani
The Four Desires by Rod Stryker
Yoga: The Technology of Ecstasy by Georg Feurenstein