Good morning, girls! Here's a link & excerpt from the online Athleta Chi article that Amy C shared with me a few weeks ago:
http://www.athleta.net/chi/2010/02/11/sankalpa-set-your-intention/
"In yoga we call intentions sankalpas. Sankalpa means “will, purpose, or determination.” To make a sankalpa is to set an intention.
"Often the word resolution can be perceived as a negative, since we set a resolution and then we feel guilty for not following through. Sankalpas (setting conscious intention or effort towards something) give us a more positive powerful approach. If you set your intention to lose weight to be healthier and later find yourself in front of the freezer eating ice cream out of the box you can ask yourself what is driving you to do that. Is it because you’re stressed or sad? Then you can realize how the power of conscious intention can help you deal with your feelings in a healthier way. If your intention is to be healthier then you find ways to incorporate a healthier lifestyle and not just focus on one aspect, like food. In other words…
"SANKALPA = POSITIVE POWER
"A sankalpa also praises the true effort you are making to achieve your intention rather than focusing on what you are doing wrong. So every effort that you make to move closer to your intention COUNTS!
"Anytime is a great time to look back and let go of the guilt and be open new possibilities.
"SET YOUR SANKALPA
"Start by looking inward. Take some time to meditate, to breath, or simply to journal in a quiet place. Ask yourself questions that only you know the answer to: How would you like to feel next year? Where would you like to be? What can you add in my daily life that can help you be happier, healthier, etc.
"Create a short sentence or phrase for your sankalpa. Be mindful to keep theses phrases positive and not to include any limiting words based on fear.
"Remember, change doesn’t happen overnight. So be firm, but fair. Gently remind yourself of your intention as often as you can, and if you fall off the wagon dust yourself off and continue moving forward."
Ok, girls, so what do you think? It's a nice little reminder for us to respect ourselves in our goal-setting (lose 10 lbs) and to not be brutal if something happens to get in our way, if something temporarily blinds us to how powerful and awesome we are. It's just that- temporary- any obstacle is just temprorary in that you just have to figure out a way through it or around it- temporary lasts only as long as it takes you to outsmart and overcome that obstacle. You know what your excuses are, so WHILE BEING GENTLE BUT FIRM WITH YOURSELF, challenge those buggers! I love how the article says that every little effort is a success we should celebrate, every little effort moves us closer to our goal, closer to what we want to and can achieve. So comment on here and let us know how your setting this awesome fitness goal is helping you have a "more positive powerful approach" as the article suggests. Share your sankalpa with us :)
3/16/10
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A lot about creating a healthy life style is mind over matter. I firmly believe that until you figure out why you do a thing, you can never change how you do it. That's really the challenge, because it seems easier to keep the status quo, but really its not.
ReplyDeleteI'm spending some time getting my mind in the game this week. I might not see a lot of short term results from it, but I really think it'll help in the long run.
Wow! I love this way of thinking! I think too often we as humans try to muscle our way towards New Year's resolutions, to make something happen by sheer force or will. And if it doesn't happen, we abandon them three weeks later and give up. I like the idea of thinking of a sankalpa and of setting intentions instead which allows us to spend a little time contemplating and trying to tune into what we really want in life, what will give us deep satisfaction and fulfillment which essentially is the basis of our health.
ReplyDeleteSo my sankalpa is "I will be healthier. Everyday I am making myself stronger and I will overcome all obstacles."