Sankalpa, living with intention
I remember the first time I listened to my heart, when I knew for sure that that almost unconscious thought wasn’t coming from my rational side and that it was much more than just a thought and I automatically thought “this doesn’t make sense”. For a few months I had the feeling that what I was feeling wasn’t right and that sooner or later it would pass… It didn’t pass! And my life changed overnight. I found the strength and courage to take on the unknown, which I had no idea was possible at the time of life I was living. After that, I didn’t think about that moment for a few years until I started practicing yoga, meditating and listening in a more conscious way, hugging and nuzzling the center of my chest after practice. I found a way to share that moment in my own way and I began to receive testimonies that other people were experiencing the same thing I had felt years before and everything took on a new meaning! This also gave rise to a new sankalpa in my soul: this is my purpose!
But what is sankalpa anyway? The word comes from Sanskrit and in a simplified definition, it means resolution or deep intention. I like to transform everything I learn and create my own language in the way I share these concepts and see it as
the purest intention of your heart
I share it between breaths, movements and breaks in class, spaces in which I draw the full attention of those who practice with me to the here and now and to the awareness of listening to the heart and sincerely hearing what it has to say about what it wants, what it needs. That desire that comes from the depths of your soul and that no matter how much you oppose it or deny it, sooner or later it will blossom inside you! It sounds poetic, and at the same time frightening… How do I control this? How can I do it? What if the thoughts that cross my mind aren’t positive? What if they’re not going to make me or take me to a better place in my life?
I don’t think there’s a set line or a rule that says that everything that comes out of this is right for you, but I do believe that you can work on it! That the power of manifestation is truly powerful when you align your dreams and ambitions with this devotion to yourself, to your purpose and to everything you long to achieve in a way that is fully sincere with yourself. How? Call it what you like, I like to call it rituals, unique moments of conscious routine that transform your perception of routine into something you long for to happen in the middle of your day, week, month…
I’m now thinking about another concept that I share a lot, one of the mysteries in our fluidity with nature – the magic of the moon and the connection that we women, in particular, feel with it. We all know about moon dances, ancient ceremonies or the fact that we are all amazed by the phenomena that happen between the moon and the sun, the stars. The Moon is cyclical, every phase brings something different to nature and no matter what happens in the world, it continues with its cycles and this can help you remember that no matter what happens around you, you must continue to follow your course. I like to guide this power of manifestation with these phases of the moon, but today I really wanted to focus on how you can give your heart space to make itself heard or turn this connection into something strong enough for you to feel it naturally in the near future. And so I have a challenge, obviously!
Today is the day of the New Moon, the perfect time to start implanting a new intention in your life. So how about taking a few moments to go through this ritual before falling asleep? It doesn’t matter where you do it, whether in bed, in the kitchen or in the bathroom, just make the effort!
1 – Place your hands on your heart, you can even close your eyes, and feel the beating of your heart.
2 – Let your breath flow naturally and simply try to observe its rhythm, cadence, how long it takes you to breathe in and how long it takes you to breathe out.
3 – Smile and give thanks, stay for a few moments in that place of stillness and find what is stored inside that unique place within your soul.
No complications, no complicated names or meditation or breathing techniques. The only thing you have to do is show up for yourself!
We’ll just do that this month, shall we? Last week I shared some tips on how to maintain discipline in our routines and you can always use some of them to remind yourself that you can keep it up, remember that it only takes a few minutes, as long as you feel comfortable with! If you’ve never done any of this, it will be easy to find excuses to put it off for one, two or three days, or even to decide that it doesn’t make sense, but believe me, even if it’s just a few seconds or if you do all this in a not-so-ritualized way, without your eyes closed, without your hands on your heart or if it just lasts one long, strong inhale and exhale, you’re implanting an idea, you’re helping your heart to have time and little by little you’ll become more and more comfortable with this time, this silence. Next time, we’ll add a twist on blankets, which is like saying… Phrases or affirmations that, when repeated, create a vibration that resonates in a powerful way within each person and allows them to support and create incredible intentions. I’ll meet you in a few minutes for another chat about yoga, rituals or maybe some tea and pancakes?
With affection,
Ana
