Living With True Intention: What is Your True Sankalpa?
Happy Monday evening, friends (although it might be Tuesday when some of you read this and I hope that’s the case for most of you.) I don’t know if ya’ll are tracking it or not, but I guess Mercury is in retrograde until the middle of August. And maybe….just maybe it feels good to blame this “bleh” of a Monday on that.
Because we are human and we have those days…and a Monday it was indeed. So moral of the story, if you’re feeling some kind of way, blame it on the planets. 😉
For real though, when it feels like I am navigating rough waters, I have to zoom out. Because you’ll never get out of the storm if you keep navigating in circles. This week, I am choosing to be intentional.
With my time.
With my energy.
What projects I choose to work on.
And it brought me back to this idea that we use in yoga called a “Sankalpa”.
“San” refers to a connection with your highest truth and “kalpa” means vow, or “the rule to be followed above all other rules.” So put together, Sankalpa is a vow and commitment we make to support our highest truth.
Let that sink in for a minute.
When was the last time you made a vow to yourself about honoring your highest truth?
For me, it’s been a minute. I hit a wall this week and realized I’ve been a bit checked out. Not on purpose, but I realized I wasn’t truly tuning in.
I was going through the motions like I teach my yoga students NOT TO DO, and here I am. Feeling all kinds of yuck.
So to get myself back on track this week, I am cooking myself some nutrient-dense foods to give myself a boost, getting plenty of rest, and setting a Sankalpa to meditate and journal on throughout the week.
I am choosing to make this promise and commitment to myself. And I encourage you to do so as well. And thankfully, it’s easier than you might think it is.
Discovering your sankalpa is a process of listening. Because here’s the thing…your heartfelt desire is already present, waiting to be seen, heard, and felt. It’s not something you need to make up, and the mind doesn’t have to go wildly searching for it. But you have to get quiet enough to hear it.
It’s also important to go with your gut here, focus on what comes to mind when you start to tune in. Maybe something is coming to the front of your mind as you read this email. Once you have an idea for your intention or what you want to focus on, turn it into an “I am…” statement.
Now, write it down and keep it close to you this week. In a journal, in a sticky note. Return to it when you need to re-center and re-focus.
I hope you know, I am holding space for you this week and thank you for being here and taking a minute for yourself before your day starts (or maybe ends).
“We either live with intention or exist by default. ”
