Many of us have broken our New Year’s resolutions already.
A Sankalpa is different; it is a positive, sustaining vow.
“When you say something with your whole being… it can change the world.” ~ Thich nhat Hanh
Sankalpa is a Sanskrit word meaning connecting to your heartfelt desire. San refers to connection with the highest truth and honoring the meaning of one’s life. Kalpa is a vow. Thus Sankalpa is a “vow and commitment we make to support our highest truth”. ~ Rod Stryker
To make a Sankalpa is to set an inspired intention or positive affirmation. It differs profoundly from a New Year’s Resolution. A Resolution starts from the assumption that you are not good enough; that your happiness depends on acquiring what you want and is ego driven. A Sankalpa will not ask you to change who you are. It does not focus on what you are doing wrong. Again, it is a connection to your highest truth. It is stated as a positive intention or an affirmation: “ I am” vs. “I will”. “ I am practicing compassion “ vs. “I will practice compassion”.
A Sankalpa is made in the present tense. It is a chosen goal or intention that is set when you are in a clear state of mind. It is like planting a seed that will blossom into your heartfelt desire as you practice. It is not only practiced as a statement but as a direct experience. “It is awakening willpower within by uniting the conscious awareness with the unconscious forces lying dormant.”~ Swami Anandakapila Saraswati.
Thus a Sankalpa is not only an internal vow. It is also visualized symbolically as an image or felt as a sensation. It is a felt sense in the body and the mind. “It is a call to awakening.”~ Joseph Campbell
Traditionally a Sankalpa is set and practiced during yoga nidra. However your intention can be repeated when you are in a supportive state of mind. It can be a meditative practice or reinforced during Savasana. It can be repeated and felt first in the morning or before sleep when your mind is clear. It is ultimately a practice of mindfulness and embodiment. Your Sankalpa is a motivating force that you are living and moving towards every day.
Franny Alexander- Jan. 2013
Revised Jan. 2018
Sankalpa is indeed different than a resolution as FrannY so wisely states. But it is difficult to stay in the present….it is much easier to say I’ll begin tomorrow and keep putting it offf.