SANKALPA: New Year's Intention

A new year's resolution is a noteworthy concept—start off the year with a change for the better. So how come many of us never follow through or we start and then stop? Many resolutions end up as a subconscious exercise in self-loathing.  For instance:

• Lose 10 pounds! (Message to self: You're fat.) 
• Stop drinking caffeine! (You're unhealthy.) 
• Call Mom and Dad once a week! (You're ungrateful.)

Why not celebrate the 2014 new year by trading in your tired (and probably familiar) resolutions for a sankalpa instead?

POSITIVE POWER A Sanskrit word, sankalpa means "will, purpose, or determination." To make a sankalpa is to set an intention; a New Year's resolution with a yogic twist. While a resolution often zeros in on a perceived negative aspect of ourselves (as in, "I want to lose weight, so no more chips, ice cream and cheese"), a sankalpa explores what's behind the thought or feeling ("I crave chocolate chips, ice cream or cheese when I'm feeling stressed or sad. I will set an intention to become conscious of this craving and allow my feelings to arise and pass, rather than fill up on fats"). We need to be mindful through our daily moments so that we can identify, understand, embrace, and overcome these types of compensatory and self-defeating patterns.

EFFORT COUNTS A sankalpa also praises the nobility of the effort rather than focusing on what you are doing wrong. It is a reframing to the positive. I don't know about you, but New Year's resolutions leave me feeling guilty and mad at myself for not keeping them. With a sankalpa, the self-loathing that comes from dwelling on our resoltuion transgressions can begin to dissolve. In its place is an exercise in effort and surrender—create an intention and open yourself to the universe. An intention has much more of a global sense than a resolution and allows us to be softer with ourselves.

SANKALPA SETTING FOR THE NEW YEAR: YOUR PROCESS

WRITE YOUR TYPICAL RESOLUTIONS Take time to prayerfully and thoughtfully choose your resolutions. Make sure they are realistic. Also take note of anything that will need to change, be given up, and any preparation you will need to do in order for you to be successful.  Contemplate how willing you are to do these things.  How willing are you to take ownership of them? 

LOOK INWARD For several days, set aside time to write in a journal and meditate. Mull over your typical resolutions. How do they make you feel? Anxious? Unsettled? Incomplete? Now contemplate how you would like to feel during the coming year. Is there any way you can re-frame your results-oriented resolutions into something that will make this year's journey more joyful and worthwhile?

REPHRASE IT Create a short sentence or phrase for your sankalpa. Be careful not to set limitations based on fear. For example, instead of "May life bring me only happiness and joy this year" consider "May I be happy and open to what life brings me."

BE FIRM BUT FAIR Change doesn't happen overnight. When you stray from the essence of your sankalpa, don't berate yourself. Instead, gently remind yourself of your intention. But be firm in your resolve—it's a good idea to incorporate your sankalpa into your daily routine. Use it as a mantra during Pranayama, yoga or mediation practice; post it on your computer, phone, or mirror; or simply say it to yourself quietly before going to sleep.

REMEMBER You are strong enough inside to no only endure anything you have to deal with but to tally rock it from the inside out! Take the space you need to listen inside until you are ready to talk, speak, and take right action.  Knowing that.....inhale here.......exhale and bow to that awesomeness in you! 

Let Sankalpa Create a Routine in 2014!

NAMASTE!!

Namaste

 

For whatever reason my end of year thoughts draw me to the gesture of Namaste.  We see it in our yoga classes and it IS a great ending, but I think understanding the true nature of Namaste will help us connect deeper to ourselves, others, and our experiences.

The gesture Namaste represents the belief that there is a Divine spark within each of us that is located in the heart chakra. The gesture is an acknowledgment of the soul in one by the soul in another. Nama means bow, as means I, and te means you. Therefore, namaste literally means "bow me you" or "I bow to you." In a more eloquent way it means "the light of the Divine that exists within me honors and acknowledges that within you and when we acknowledge this, we are one."

To perform Namaste, we place the hands together at the heart charka, close the eyes, and bow the head. It can also be done by placing the hands together in front of the third eye, bowing the head, and then bringing the hands down to the heart. This is an especially deep form of respect. Although in the West the word "namaste" is usually spoken in conjunction with the gesture, in India, it is understood that the gesture itself signifies Namaste, and therefore, it is unnecessary to say the word while bowing.  

We bring the hands together at the heart chakra to increase the flow of Divine love. Bowing the head and closing the eyes helps the mind surrender to God's Holy spirit that resides in the heart. One can do Namaste to oneself as a meditation technique to go deeper inside the heart chakra; when done with someone else, it is also a beautiful, albeit quick, meditation. So see, you have already been meditating and didn't even know it!!

For a teacher and student, Namaste allows two individuals to come together energetically to a place of connection and timelessness, free from the bonds of ego-connection. If it is done with deep feeling in the heart and with the mind surrendered, a deep union of spirits can blossom. 

Ideally, Namaste should be done both at the beginning and at the end of class. Usually, it is done at the end of class because the mind is less active and the energy in the room is more peaceful. The teacher initiates Namaste as a symbol of gratitude and respect toward her students and her own teachers and in return invites the students to connect with their lineage, thereby allowing the truth to flow—the truth that we are all one when we live from the heart. 

Or challenge now becomes living our yoga off the mat.  How can we take our ‘namaste’ into our life outside of the yoga studio? As we approach the end of the year I have been thinking of all that we have experienced through the year that is coming to an end.  Whether good or bad, an experience can only be positive and strengthen you. It is all how we take it in and how we see the world. It is how we interact with one another.  It is how we view ourselves.  Can we keep that peaceful and centered place within that that we find at the end of our practice—can we take that into everything we do? In everything we experience?

Exhale 2013 and Inhale 2014!

Namaste Yogis.....NAMASTE!!