I used to trick myself: a little stash here and a little stash there, for when things got desperate. At the time I had recently ended a 15-year marriage and was supporting myself and my two sons with an entry-level job at entry-level pay. It’s easy to be hard on yourself when you’re struggling with one of life’s many circumstances, and even easier to see your predicament as doom. I did. That tricking of myself came from an internal conversation that did not align with the badass independent woman I dream myself to be.
Intention at the end of practice
Luckily, I was teaching restorative yoga each week and studying different yoga nidra practices. I found that some teachers recommend setting an intention at the end of class instead of the beginning, because our state of mind shifts during practice. At the end of class the mind gets quieter, and the quality of our thoughts and breath is calmer.
So before class ended each week, I pushed myself and my students to wish for the lifestyle we wanted instead of loathing the one we had. That mental shift is everything. And I know this to be true: the fastest way to change something in your life is to first accept it just as it is, and to accept yourself just as you are while you’re in it.
The problem is that when we face a challenge that seems like doom, we get caught up in the frenzy and forget to live in favor of our dreams. To get to that safe place where wishes come true, we need a sankalpa: a vision for success that can withstand the unstable nature of our moods in a chaotic and materialistic world.
Freedom, not more money
The sankalpa I worked with was not for more money. It was for freedom, full expression and resourcefulness, even in the thick of financial hardship. The sankalpas that sustain me are the ones for fullness and generosity, a state of being that matches the life I dream of. When the desire is clear and focused, so are the choices.
Your invitation
My invitation to you: at the end of your practice, hold lotus mudra and wish big for something. Hold the image, and resolve to use the talents and gifts innate to you that will get you there.
The sankalpa is a companion in your decisions, a reminder, a nudge in the direction of your pleasure and joy. A sankalpa is a standard for living true to what matters most, a standard driven by love instead of fear. There will always be a circumstance, but the intention we set for ourselves can carry us through.
