The Sadhana Series // Sankalpa
The guiding hand behind your sadhana
kalpa - a law or rule
kala (root of kalpa) - time
sa - the highest
san - connection to the highest truth
What driving force is behind the course of your life?
What is behind the decisions you make, the way you spend your time or where you put your energy?
For many of us, we don’t know. We are often unconsciously following a path laid out in front of us, whether by our upbringing, societal or cultural expectations or stuck in destructive, reactive behaviour. Life becomes a hurtling accumulation of events happening out of our control or through a lack of satisfaction we get more and more embedded in a pattern of searching for happiness.
But we all have some inkling that material gain is not the answer. That a true sense of fulfillment is an inside job and its not something we can outsource. That there is a purpose within each of us and we can align our thoughts, words and actions with it.
Sankalpa is a Sanskrit word that describes a vow and commitment we make to support our highest truth. To go further, its a connection to the highest truth formed within a window of opportunity. A window of time in which to work on something. A lifetime - or a period of time within a lifetime to have a law of the highest order to have us moving, breathing, talking and living.This might be in the area of our health, the output of a project, in relationships, raising children, the phase of our occupation we are in. A deep sense of happiness and fulfillment is found by doing the things you were put on earth to do.
So that sounds big, and perhaps overwhelming. Figure out your life’s purpose and you will have your sankalpa. It’s important to note that a true sankalpa isn’t something that you are looking to acquire at all.
From the the ancient tantric traditions we have the most fundamental teaching in yoga - you are already whole and complete and have everything you need. Remembering this allows us to explore the shift in our mindset from that searches, grabs and pulls to one that is calm. When we find stability and allow ourselves that kind of space, its like being able to see the bottom of the pond. We start to see where in our life we find joy and what blocks us. We see the potential our life can have, and then bring forward the qualities that are already within us, but just need strengthening, awareness and energy.
As we work our way into this, shine the light on what it is we are yearning for most in this world,, the purpose with which we were put on this earth will begin to reveal itself. We know it is within us, it has just become hidden by conditioning, expectations, false priorities and fears. And the process of this may also require a lot of unlearning, untangling and breaking down.
By formulating a sankalpa, we create a guiding hand from our highest self, a statement to honour the true and divine meaning of our life. We can then use our spiritual practices to focus on bringing that part of ourselves, our hearts desires into fruition and into alignment with our life one step at a time.By remembering this part of ourselves, we become the person we ARE at our essence.
it’s a practice in itself
. Sankalpa is a practice of refinement and listening. You may have something very strong and clear come to you and the challenge is to meet the obstacles of your mind and ego to really come out. This is not like learning to ride a bike and once you’ve got it you’re off - its a deep dive beyond everything that makes up you on the outside and into the things within you that are yearning to become part of your life. Learning to channel the divine energy in your body is a very powerful and challenging process but available to every single one of us.
energy before matter
Your sankalpa describes a state of being that you already are, you just need to do some re grooving of your neural pathways to allow this state to become conscious.- It is a positive statement in the present tense - ‘I am’- It is not for material gains - It may target a habit you specifically want to change - Trust the first things that come up, no matter how wild they are. It’s important to not overthink or tamper with the mind. Your subconscious will send you words, impressions, visualizations, sensations that may often get missed because we are in our heads or being run by our egos or conditioning.There are many directions you can go. If an overarching vow that rules your life is completely overwhelming then start with small steps. The direction you want to take in life can be broken down. You may start with statements such as "I make healthy choices", "I use my time wisely", "I take care with my words". Then when you see this becoming part of your day to day life, you move on with more focussed statements such as "My body exudes health and vitality", "I have a successful business", "I inspire others by my example".The heartfelt desire reflects your own true nature. It doesn't actually require you to change, it allows you to recognise the true nature that has become hidden by the busyness and expectations of life. "I embody peace and tranquillity", "Compassion is my true nature", "I am whole and healed".These statements become a reminder not to lose track of who you really are. The first type of Sankalpa, the direction, allows you to move towards the life you want in a deliberate manner. Seeing each step reached will inspire you to keep moving forward. Recognising your heartfelt desire allows you to reach your full potential.
As the Sankalpa is a statement of your true intentions, when you connect with it, it shouldn’t feel like something that is outside of you, In that space of calm, it doesn't need a lot of effort to become a part of your life. It is a quiet and intimate knowing, a guiding hand that is yours.
