Sankalpa

deeper than intentions

Here’s a throwback photo from 2019, just me hanging out in a made up yoga pose:)

“What one does is what counts. Not what one had the intention of doing.”

-Pablo Picasso

Happy New Moon, Yoga Mamas! This phase of the moon is said to be a great time to set intentions or start something new.

In yoga practice, the idea of sankalpa is somewhat like a resolution, goal, or intention, but it goes a little deeper. But sankalpa doesn’t come after we sit down and write about all the things we wish for ourselves and our lives, or all the things on our to-do or should-do lists. Those are all things that come from our minds and our wills, which are important, but when things don’t go our way, either because of a glitch in willpower or external circumstances, that’s when we can turn to our yoga practice, get centered, and listen for a sankalpa.

Listen? Who is going to whisper in our ears what we should do or focus on? Will it come when we’re holding trikonasana (triangle pose) or sitting in meditation? How about when we’re lying motionless in savasana? Or will it come at a random time, in the shower or while we’re putting the baby in the carseat?

I really started to get into working with sankalpa when I began practicing yoga nidra more regularly. Here are some free yoga nidra recordings that focus specifically on working with a sankalpa. Yoga nidra is an ideal practice to help you listen for that sankalpa, since it gets you in a state of deep relaxation. In that state of calm, it’s easier to connect with your higher Self, or what some might call the universal will, as opposed to your own individual will, which comes from ego.

Sankalpa can be short-term or long-term; it can be for something seemingly small (“I cook meals with patience and reverence for life”) or something more spiritual and lofty (“I am love and peace”). There are steps to getting yourself into an optimal state of mind to find your sankalpa. You can find structure and guidance for this here and here, or it can sort of happen spontaneously when you’re engaged in something that puts you in a state of calm perception.

As I mentioned, on the new moon I reflect on intentions I have for my life at this moment. For instance, I often set the intention to practice yoga on my mat 5 minutes a day; that amount of time might seem trivial, but it is a baby step to a more robust, regular practice. Sometimes, though, I fail even to meet that low bar.

As in the Picasso quote above, it’s what you do — not so much what you mean to do — that counts most. But to that, I’d like to add that those places where you don’t meet your personal goals are really important moments, too. Those moments we call failure or shortcoming hold information about ourselves. We might call it lack of willpower or just not meant to be, but as a writer, I like to think of it as a part of our lives that simply needs revision. It didn’t go how we expected, so how can we revise our actions to meet our intentions? Why wasn’t I able to practice on my mat for 5 short minutes every day? Perhaps I was too tired, too busy, or not so organized and disciplined with my time. And then I ask myself what I wanted from that daily practice. Peace? Fitness? Self-compassion?

This is when it’s so helpful to sit or lie down, get quiet and still, and listen for your sankalpa. Whatever you do, know that your sankalpa can change over time, or perhaps you have several smaller ones you cycle through and one overarching one that guides your life in general. However you approach it, keep listening, keep revising your thoughts and actions around it, and keep reflecting on how you take your yoga practice into the rest of your chaotic, sweet, challenging, and sometimes boring life as a mom.

Having a hard time getting to that place of calm and clarity? Maybe step outside of that mindset of having to figure it all out and do something playful. Here’s a post from the beginning of 2023 about my word of the year (Play!). More on yoga and play in the weeks to come:)