Setting Intentions

by Yoga Studio

The Road There by Marie Lossky (@Marie.Lossky on Instagram)

An intention, according to Webster’s Dictionary, is: “A concept formed when the mind is directed toward an object.” Both New Year’s resolutions and yogic sankalpas are intentions. Are they the same thing? Do they have the same purpose? Let’s see.

Making New Year’s resolutions has a long tradition on planet earth. For example, ancient Babylonians made promises to their gods at the start of each year that they would return borrowed objects and pay their debts. New Year’s resolutions tend to be grounded in the five-sense material world, our “relative reality” from the standpoint of yoga philosophy. We want to change something about ourselves: our appearance, our behavior, or our health. We set big goals and then we dedicate the year toward actualizing them. The most common resolutions these days are about self-care, losing weight, exercising more, stopping smoking, making more money etc. And, sadly, according to most statistics, our efforts to effect those personal changes are dropped before the year is up. 

I confess, I have made those types of resolutions in the past—made ’em and broke ’em. In January 2016, in an effort to choose something that felt manageable and achievable, I chose to do more writing. How’d I do? Well, like everything, it’s a work in progress but I’m getting there, and it is going to take longer than one short year. I have accepted that. I have tweaked my teaching schedule and when the opportunity arose to rent a 52-square foot writer’s “nook” in a renovated train station a few steps from my condo, I took it without a second of hesitation. I set weekly hours to be there. It takes discipline (tapas) to keep to the schedule. Truthfully, I don’t always keep to it exactly—life and stuff happens—but having it does give me the push I need. When I am in my nook, I get a lot done because distractions like laundry, dishes, or dust are absent. 

A sankalpa, according to the practice of yoga nidra (see Friday Q&A: What is Yoga Nidra?), is a short, positive statement in the present tense that gives instruction to your subconscious mind to work on a significant goal for your life. In my opinion, sankalpas go much deeper than New Year’s resolutions. They tend to be more connected to our understanding of Ultimate Reality as differentiated from the “relative” reality of our physical world. It is recommended to choose and work with the same one until your goal is reached. Think long term as opposed to one year. Yes, a sankalpa can be directed toward self-change, but according to Thich Nhat Hanh, “When you say something with your whole being…. it can transform the world.” Some examples are: 

1. I am awake and aware 
2. I am happy, healthy, and whole 
3. I am calm, peaceful, and relaxed 

 Think carefully about your choice. My sankalpa (which I will keep private) is a deeply felt intention, which my subconscious mind works on while I’m awake and while I sleep. I use it when I practice yoga, when I meditate, and off and on during the day when it pops into my conscious mind. I took my time to choose a sankalpa. I thought long and hard about what words I could use that would inch me toward a deeper understanding of my place in this huge, amazing, mysterious experience we all share. I’ve been using it for three years now and will probably use it for my whole lifetime.

Sankalpas and New Year’s resolutions are both intentions but I believe that they have some significant differences and can serve different purposes. If you are planning to make a New Year’s Resolution, pick one that is realistic (see Pet More Downward-Facing Dogs). If you are thinking about choosing and working with a sankalpa, think deeply and long term. Either way, here’s wishing you success with setting intention in 2017! 

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