Sankalpa… Set Your New Year Intention

It’s time to get back to you, where all the good stuff lives…

I spent New Year’s eve in pajamas, in bed, with my 5 year old who caught a bug and spent the next 16 hours with a moderate fever, vomiting every twenty minutes. The following morning, as she slept, the sun poured in outside her room where I began my day by sitting in silence, setting my Sankalpa for the day and moving through a short practice, reconnecting with myself for the first time in over 12 hours. Afterwards I went down and had an avocado smoothie blended with fruit, kale and spinach… Later that day, around 10 pm I realized I made it through the entire next day, free of fatigue, with a calm mind, running on zero sleep and no caffeine, and yet felt fine.

Taking no medications (mostly because she couldn’t keep anything down including Tylenol), she recovered in about 24 hours and when things got back to normal I realized that there was no other way I would have spent New Year’s day then cuddled up with my little girl (minus the vomit).

In trying times, to create and move smoothly through life, we must draw our consciousness again and again to our deepest intentions, and the qualities of the divine that exist inside. Our world is constantly moving, fast and loud and easily throws our nervous system off balance. Sitting still and moving through silence allows us to go within and to reset and realign with our true essence of consciousness; this is the way to access the full potential of our power. And when wanting to change things about ourself the best way to start the journey is to set a Sankalpa…

In Sanskrit the word Sankalpa means “will, purpose, or determination.” To make a sankalpa is to set an intention. A sankalpa has the potential to release a tremendous amount of power by shifting energy within and around our life.

Spiritual masters will tell that if you are only conscious in the material world, you can only draw resources from there, which are limited in every way. But if you tap into the creative power of Spirit, the Universe, the Divine, Consciousness–whatever you want to call it–you will tap into the unlimited core of life itself, of which you are a part. As a result, you will see that you really have no limits, both in what you can do, achieve and in the personal transformations you can make.

You can make a sankalpa for this moment, for this practice, for this day, for this year, or for this lifetime. Whatever the timeframe of your sankalpa you will notice that it will subtly and greatly impact you from this moment forward into the infinity of your being.

So, as you start this new year, whether your resolution is to lose 10 pounds, gain more financial stability, travel more, eat healthier, spend more time with your spouse, or be gentler with your children, make a resolution to change the way you move through life. Know that when you set your intention for this year that you are not only intending to change the material things about yourself, or the people around you, but that over time you are changing the way you look at the world and the way the world reacts to your energy and light.

While every day is truly the chance to evolve, right now is a particularly fresh and exciting time where the world’s collective consciousness is supporting the energy of regeneration and starting anew. Remember that energy flows where intention goes, so as you move into the new year, with fresh eyes and and a renewed soul, write a new chapter in your book, 365 new pages… and resolve to evolve… Happy 2014!