Newsletter #5 - Ditch Resolutions — Find Sankalpa

New Year’s Eve signals a time for resolutions. We go through the dubious process of finding where we’re lacking and then declare to the world how we will mend our perceived “flaws.” Not surprisingly, these goals are usually cast away shortly into the New Year and replaced by the same cyclical behavior
 
That’s why this year, I’m switching to sankalpa instead. This yogic principle is a kinder, gentler method of self-improvement. Sankalpa asks us to find our heartfelt desire (dharma) and simply follow it! Your only job is to become more of what you already are. Think about it, when we move away from our personal cosmic order and try to become something we are not, it's really just not possible to live or act up to our fullest potential. 
 
So, let’s say you really want to lose those10 pounds once and for all — sankalpa may help you meditate on the fact that what you really want is to look and feel healthier. Your sankalpa for the New Year would be “health.” Then even if you cheat a little, you can have the healthy attitude of being kind to yourself and just begin again. Rather than wanting to get organized for the New Year, you realize that disorganization is blocking your artistic juices — so your sankalpa might be “creativity” — knowing that organizing is just a means to an end to get there. If you can’t seem to dig that deep, maybe your sankalpa is just “joyous surroundings” (and if you are interested, my favorite book on the matter is Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up—it’s the best).
 
Words have power and with sankalpa your goals can be recognized on a higher level. If you’re like me, a creative spirit who’s always striving for more organization and boundaries, you could say you want to organize your house in 2018 so you can get to work; or you could tell yourself that you want “joyous surroundings” and designated time for the activities you love. Wow! Doesn’t the second one sound much more welcoming? The new positive spin creates the initiative to feel energized and act, rather than create the notion of being overwhelmed or stressed.
 
Sankalpa turns the focus on things we know we love and not on how we’re messing up. Try it out! And have a happy New Year (emphasis on the HAPPY!)
 
XO
Laura