Read this through first – then practice the ‘Aham’ meditation below.
New Years Resolutions are a good place to start when creating your own Sankalpa – we can reframe certain statements/ desires and see the true motive or awareness rooted in them. Start with a typical New Years Resolution like:
• I want to give up eating chocolate/ smoking…. for example.
Remember the ‘I want’ pushes the focus into the future and does not acknowledge what we are in the present moment. The language of the NY resolution is probably loaded in judgment of what we are in the present moment – so we need to get to the truth of it.
And then, what if we are focus on ‘giving up something’ then likely we will see ourselves in terms of the person that has ‘needed’ that behaviour to survive or get through (and then potentially we will see and focus on our weakness). And quite often we will see that then we need to ‘fix’ ourselves in some way.
Instead, ask yourself how would you feel if you did not have that behaviour (or perhaps belief) in your life? How would you feel?
Maybe it would simply be that you would feel healthier – and if you were to feel healthier would you feel energized, empowered, more whole, more connected, liberated?
Whether it’s the behaviour, the addiction, the judgment or the need to change – there is usually a deeper need for self understanding or self care/ nourishment.
Your Sankalpa should be in the present tense – not looking to the future.
“Sankalpas are stated in the present tense. That’s because a sankalpa is not merely a wish, or even a statement of purpose. It’s an articulation of direction that brings your goal into the present moment goal. What gives a sankalpa its strength is that it assumes the outcome is not just certain, but has already occurred.”. Sally Kempton
This means that our fundamental nature – our limitless love – our limitless energy is untouched by our conditioning. We are so much bigger than who we think we are. If we drop the story of needing to change – focusing on what we already are at our core – a deep shift in perception can occur.
Although many teachers work with longer Sankalpa statements – I have found that creating a simple three word Sankalpa is useful – it limits the language (and language can often tie us in knots), so…
I recommend that our Sankalpa is simply… I am….. (and then add the word that most sums up how you think you would feel if you let go of self limiting beliefs, addictions or toxic behaviours)
• For example, I am Whole.
How simple is that? It sums up that I am everything that I need to be right now. So notice, it could read ‘I want to feel Whole’ – but by getting rid of the ‘I want’ – we acknowledge our wholeness right now. Wiith time, we see that our conditioning, our thoughts, our stories and judgments just cloud what we are at our core – they are a mental construct or the emotional baggage that we carry around and now what we essentially are.
Or maybe you keep it simply at those two words… I am (with no qualifier at all).
So grab a pen and paper and jot down some thoughts and feelings. Play around with the idea of a New Years Resolution (as a guide if that helps).
• Look at the language – Are there any ‘ I wants’ – what words in there might be a judgment?
• If you get stuck at any time, practice the ‘Aham’ meditation (see below). Meditation helps us see ourselves clearly.
• And this Sankalpa can be a work in progress (some people take years to come up with their life times’s Sankalpa – so no pressure. This can be a Sankalpa for this month or this year – it can evolve with time.
Key elements in creating your Sankalpa
• Keep it simple (I recommend just 3 words)
• State it in the present tense
• You might like to commit your Sankalpa to paper – write it in a beautiful card or stick in on a mirror.
Creating a Sankalpa is about awakening ourselves to our infinite possibilities and understanding our boundless potential. An intention creates focus – both an inner focus and greater self awareness and a conscious direction to move forward with.
