{"id":24,"date":"2015-11-29T05:46:52","date_gmt":"2015-11-29T10:46:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/ret2\/?page_id=24"},"modified":"2016-08-24T19:55:51","modified_gmt":"2016-08-24T23:55:51","slug":"sankalpa-co-creating-your-life-through-intention","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/ret2\/home\/sankalpa-co-creating-your-life-through-intention\/","title":{"rendered":"Sankalpa: Fulfillment via Intention"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Philosophy of Sankalpa: Co-Creating Your Life through Intention<\/span>
\nAs a scientist, I do not believe that “things happen for a reason\u201d, or that any deity or \u201cthe universe\u201d is in control of our lives.\u00a0 I do believe in cause and effect – the literal translation of karma<\/em> (\u0915\u0930\u094d\u092e<\/span>), from the Sanskrit root k\u1e5b<\/em> (\u0915\u0943) meaning “to do, act, create, cause, effect”.\u00a0 Many of the actions in the world occurred long ago and\/or by other people or even natural forces (examples: wars or political events you did not wage or live through; your grandparents\u2019 relationship choices; icy roads), and yet they have profound consequences on our lives today.\u00a0 However, we do<\/span> have control over our own actions and obviously what we do and how we do it affect the direction of our lives.\u00a0 So, while we do not have complete control, we could be seen as \u2018co-creators\u2019 of our lives.<\/p>\n

A basic premise of this work is that whatever part of our lives we put our attention on will be the place that is most affected.\u00a0 If you put all of your energy into your career, you wouldn\u2019t be surprised if you don\u2019t have a booming social life.\u00a0 If you spend most of your free time watching TV, it wouldn\u2019t be a shock if you aren\u2019t in great physical shape.\u00a0 Furthermore, as a consequence, you may feel bad about your body or have health problems, each of which can have other negative downstream effects on your life.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s wonderful, though, is that we can effect change by continually (re)focusing on what matters most, in a way that helps us make decisions that are aligned with our highest self.\u00a0 The sankalpa<\/em> (\u0938\u0902\u0915\u0932\u094d\u092a) is a yogic tool to help us focus and bring the power of our deeper core desires to bear in our lives.\u00a0 A sankalpa<\/em> is a heartfelt intention reflecting our highest ideals.<\/p>\n

Much of my experience with sankapla originates from Rod Stryker\u2019s teachings, which are nicely laid out in his book, \u201cThe Four Desires\u201d<\/a>.\u00a0 The Yoga International article \u201cHow to Create a Sankalpa\u201d<\/a> also covers many of the key ideas addressed in greater detail in the book.\u00a0 Elephant Journal has a “4D book club”<\/a> that includes article on each chapter, including those dealing with sankalpa.\u00a0 Here is my take on some of the basics to get you started:<\/p>\n

Creating a Sankalpa<\/span>
\n1. Listen to yourself – some part of you already knows what is out of balance in your life and how to best bring about the changes you need.\u00a0 Yoga practice, meditation, and yoga nidra<\/a> are some great ways to help you access your intuition around a sankalpa.
\n2. Break your larger, overarching aspirations down to a single, simple goal that could be achieved in 6-18 months.
\n3. Keep your sankalpa to 1-3 sentences, so that you can easily remember and repeat it regularly.
\n4. Phrase it in the present tense, as if it\u2019s currently true.\u00a0 This is also a good test to see if you believe that the goal is achievable.
\n5. Phrase it in your own voice – say it like you are talking to your best friend.
\n6. It can reflect the state of body or mind you wish to change (e.g., \u201cI feel calm\u201d or \u201cI am healthy\u201d) or the attitude necessary to achieve it (e.g., \u201cI love and honor my body\u201d) or both.\u00a0 You can also include the methods you plan to use to get there (e.g., \u201cI am calm and have equanimity in my relationships because I sit in meditation for 15 minutes each day.\u201d)
\n7. Pay attention to your body\u2019s reactions as you say your sankalpa aloud.\u00a0 Even if you have some apprehension or concerns, you should feel joy or excitement at the thought of achieving your sankalpa.\u00a0 If you cannot summon those positive feelings, it may not be the right sankalpa or you may have some other work to do, first.
\n8. It may take some time to find the right combination of ideas and phrasing.\u00a0 In the meantime, continue to use what you have and rephrase it until it fits.\u00a0 Working with a trusted teacher to hone your sankalpa can be invaluable.
\n9. Even if your sankalpa ends up being somewhat nontraditional in style or content, if it speaks strongly to your current needs, it\u2019s probably a good one.<\/p>\n

Using Your Sankalpa<\/span>
\nOnce you\u2019ve come up with an intention, you must give it power by reiterating it and applying it in your life.\u00a0 There are several ways to do this.\u00a0 The most basic approach is to plant it in your mind regularly, to remind yourself of your goals.\u00a0 You could repeat it (3 times is traditional) when you wake up and\/or before you go to sleep and\/or before every meal.\u00a0 If you have a regular meditation or yoga asana practice, the end of your practice is a perfect time to repeat your sankalpa and re-affirm your intention, thus reorienting your mental and emotional energy towards what matters most to you.\u00a0 The same can be done at the beginning and end of the meditative relaxation practice of yoga nidra.\u00a0 Both meditation and yoga nidra provide a space in which your mind is more relaxed and expansive, so you can both connect with your subconscious mind and most easily experience the possibilities that your sankalpa reflects.<\/p>\n

Perhaps the most intense, and thus powerful, way I\u2019ve learned of to work with a sankalpa is to use what Rod Stryker calls a \u201cdeparture point\u201d<\/a>.\u00a0 The idea is to choose some habit that you feel does not serve your best interests and make a change around it.\u00a0 Each time you have the urge to engage in that habit, instead of doing so, you pause and create a space to repeat your sankalpa, visualizing in whatever way you can what its fulfillment would feel like.<\/p>\n

The departure point works because when we shift one aspect of our lives, other aspects also shift.\u00a0 This method takes power away from your \u201cbad\u201d habit and redirects you towards your heartfelt desires.\u00a0 It helps you make a \u2018departure\u2019 from the trajectory you\u2019ve been on while engaging that habit, and create a new trajectory towards achieving your sankalpa.<\/p>\n

Because our lives are like any interlinked system, the departure point does not have to relate directly to your sankalpa (although it may).\u00a0 It could be that you know you engage too much with your smartphone, or it could be that you consume something that you know doesn\u2019t support your physical and\/or mental health (sugar, caffeine, nicotine, chocolate, dairy, etc.).\u00a0 Each time you find yourself tending towards this habit, catch yourself and pause.\u00a0 Take a few deep breaths and re-focus your mind on your sankalpa and the feelings associated with attaining it.\u00a0 Then, repeat your sankalpa 3 times.<\/p>\n

The departure point should not be viewed as a punishment or any form of deprivation, but rather a further commitment to shaping your life mindfully to attain greater joy and fulfillment.\u00a0 It\u2019s also not about willpower, but rather about shifting your mindset to one of nurturing the aspects of your spirit that long to fulfill your greatest potential.\u00a0 Like the sankalpa, it should be something you feel reasonably confident that you can achieve.<\/p>\n

Remember, each step of this process must feel authentic and in line with your deepest, most genuine desires.\u00a0 If some part does not feel true or feels entirely out of reach, based on your current emotional, mental or physical capacity, re-think that aspect.\u00a0 Find something that both pushes you to reach your goals, but still seems attainable within 6-18 months.\u00a0 The prospect of its fulfillment, and the possibilities it will open up, should be exciting!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Philosophy of Sankalpa: Co-Creating Your Life through Intention As a scientist, I do not believe that “things happen for a reason\u201d, or that any deity or \u201cthe universe\u201d is in control of our lives.\u00a0 I do believe in cause … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1177,"featured_media":0,"parent":8,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-24","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/ret2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/24","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/ret2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/ret2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/ret2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1177"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/ret2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/ret2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/24\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":85,"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/ret2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/24\/revisions\/85"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/ret2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/ret2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}