“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” - Mary Oliver
What is a Sankalpa?
Sankalpa is basically an intention, a wish, vow, or resolve that you want for your life, or for any activity that you are taking part in.
It is a seed that we plant in our minds, a course for us to take, or a direction to follow in - a guide to help us keep on the path toward our deepest heart-felt desire.
It is a Sanskrit term; the ancient Indian language as used in yoga. The word ‘Yoga’ is derived from the Sanskrit root of ‘Yuj’, which means ‘to unite’, ’to join’ or ‘to yoke’.
San : heart felt truth
Kalpa : solemn vow
When we embed a strong intention into and behind our practice, our life, or into any ritual, ceremony or activity that we do, the act or action becomes more potent.
How to Set a Sankalpa
We need to be very still and relaxed to be able to listen out for our heart-felt vow, so practicing somatic movement, yoga, pranayama or being still in mediation can be a great preparation. Drinking cacao can also be a wonderful way to enter into the heart space.
Without any grasping or attachment, listen out and see what comes to you - you may want to have a pen and paper to hand. Free writing is always very beneficial after any kind of meditation practice, when we are more open to the answers from within.
Some wonderful starting points could be to ask yourself:
'What is important to me?'
'What are my values?'
'How do I want to live my life?'
Then, you can begin to refine your sankalpa - it’s all in the phrasing
We always set the sankalpa in the present tense - like it has already happened:
‘I am… ‘ ‘I have…’ rather than saying ‘I intend to…’ or ‘I will…’ you say ‘I am…’ so that your subconscious understands that you have already arrived; the sankalpa is true already, even if it is not. Otherwise, it is always in the future and you will never quite get there.
It can be short and simple, or longer and more convoluted. However, it should always be attainable - if it is unobtainable then the cognitive dissonance may have a negative effect - it must feel possible and this may bring more success.
You are stating what it is you want, or want more of in your life not what you don’t want - it is positive. For example, you wouldn’t say - ‘I don’t have negative thoughts’; you would rephrase that to ‘I have positive thoughts’. So think of it as implementing a new habit rather than trying to break an old habit.
Be specific and, if the message is not quite there, then perhaps come back to it later. As we are planting seeds of intention, it is important that we plant the right seeds. Don’t plant a seed that you’re are not sure of, wait for the right message to come.
Our subconscious mind listens to everything we say! So say what you really want to hear, what will benefit your life more so!
Examples of Sankalpa
Here are some short examples:
I am relaxed
I am present
I often use these when I am practicing.
You could also have:
I am healthy
I am happy
I am free from pain
My thoughts are positive
I am a successful…
Or a little longer:
I have so much love and compassion for myself and for others
I am living my life on the highest path
I sleep deeply and easily
I wake up every morning full of energy
Here is my current sankalpa:
‘I am abundant in prana, energy, time and money, the discipline of my daily practices and observances enable me to do everything I want in life.’
Let’s break that down:
‘I am’ - in the present tense like it is already happening
‘Prana, energy, time and money’ - all of the things I want more of in my life
‘Discipline of’ - I am telling my subconsciously that I am disciplined enough to carry out my daily practices, eat well, sleep well, have certain boundaries etc
“Everything I want in life’ - all is coming… everything I want
Here is a previous one of mine I used at a time when I was haemorrhaging cash:
'Money comes to me easily in the best and right way, and I am able to keep hold of it’
‘Money comes to me easily’ - like it is continually happening
’In the best and right way’ - so any money that does come is not coming from tragedy
‘I am able to keep hold of it' - because what’s the point of having it if you have major bills and repairs to pay for all of the time!
You can use a different sankalpa for different things, and they may change and evolve as you do.
Once you have your heart felt vow:
Let go of any outcome. You could, however, visualise a life in which your sankalpa is true.
Write your sankalpa on Post-It notes and stick them around the house!
So, there we go; setting a sankalpa may be easy or may take some time. Chose your words wisely, and remember: you listen to everything you say to yourself!
Choose your words wisely, and remember - you listen to everything you say to yourself!
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