New Year’s resolutions are like a bouquet of beautiful flowers: when you receive them, you beam with joy. You run around to find the best vase and the perfect place for them, and every time you see the flowers, you feel happy. But after a few days, maybe a week, the flowers start to fade and wilt. They may even start to smell funny… It’s time to throw them out with the trash. And although you’ll always remember the kind gesture, the actual flowers are quickly forgotten.
A bundle of resolutions
Around New Year, you might make a bunch of resolutions like I did. Things you want to stop or start doing to make the new year the best ever. At first, these goals feel fresh and exciting – you can’t wait to make them happen.
It might go a little like this:
You want to eat healthier and fill the fridge with ingredients for green smoothies.
You resolve to get fitter and buy a 12-month gym membership and new workout clothes.
You decide to write a book and promptly clear a space to write.
But after a while, your enthusiasm wanes, no matter what your goal. You lose interest, everything seems too hard, the temptations are great, life gets in the way. Just like your flowers, your once brilliant resolutions have lost their luster. In the fall, your best intentions seem completely unattainable.
Sigh. Never mind, there’s always next year, right?
Blossom, don’t fade
But there’s another (better!) way to make real, positive and lasting changes in your life! It is possible to set goals that unfold and don’t gather dust in a diary you got for Christmas. Curious?
The key to creating goals that flourish and don’t fade is to use a sankalpa.
What is a sankalpa?
A sankalpa is a short statement that expresses the deeper truth behind your goals and helps you achieve them in an authentic and harmonious way. To better understand this yogic concept, let’s break down the Sanskrit word sankalpa into two words:
‘kalpa’, a way to proceed; and
San”, a concept or idea that arises in the heart.
While an intention is often just a desire that arises from a lack or perceived ideals, a sankalpa illuminates an innate quality that we wish to bring forth. A sankalpa goes deeper than a resolution – it is an invitation from the heart to infuse every aspect of our lives with the desired quality.
What do you do with a Sankalpa?
The idea is to repeat the Sankalpa to yourself regularly, especially when your mind is relaxed and receptive. Although you can recite, mentally repeat or even write down your Sankalpa at any time, the power of this particular statement is enhanced when it is used during yoga nidra practice. The deep, relaxed state achieved in yoga nidra is the perfect environment to introduce and nurture new ideas and beliefs. Your Sankalpa is like a seed, and repetition is the nurturing necessary for it to flourish.
A traditional yoga nidra practice includes space at the beginning and end to repeat your personal Sankalpa.
Are you ready to plant your own Sankalpa for 2019?
Creating your own Sankalpa is an empowering process that helps you choose the direction you want to take in your life this year and beyond.
Here’s how to do it:
Find the right words
Choosing the right words for your personal Sankalpa is crucial. An effective Sankalpa is short, concise, formulated in the present tense and as if it were already true.
Let’s use the examples of resolutions to formulate a possible Sankalpa:
Resolution: I will eat better in 2019.
Sankalpa: I am a healthy eater, or: I will make healthy choices to nourish my body.
Resolution: I will become fitter in 2019.
Sankalpa: I honor my body with exercise, or: I am strong, fit and healthy.
Resolution: In 2019, I will write my book.
Sankalpa: I am a writer, or: I can express my story easily.
Can you tell the difference?
Feel your way
Take your time when formulating your Sankalpa and allow it to emerge naturally. You may want to spend some quiet time in meditation. But it may also be that the right words appear out of the blue!
When the words arrive, try them out with your intuition and integrity. Pay attention to how the words make you feel – if you feel your Sankalpa is surrounded by fear or disbelief, then go back to the drawing board. If you feel encouraged and positive by your statement, then it’s probably the right one for you.
Read the small print
The wise yogis say that the Sankalpa you choose will come true in your life. But of course there are a few conditions and stipulations! You have to take care of your sankalpa regularly: If you want it to grow and bear fruit, you need to nurture it like a seed.
Pursue the goals that are really important
At this time of year, there’s a lot of noise about New Year’s resolutions. Rather than just scratching the surface of change, go deep, settle down and create your own Sankalpa. If you take care of the right words, you’ll be able to live your best life!
Happy New Year, friends.