In the practice of Yoga Nidra, you are asked to mentally repeat a resolution known as a Sankalpa.
This happens at the beginning and towards the end of the practice and is the ‘cherry on top of the cake’ that makes the practice of Yoga Nidra so special.
Your Sankalpa is a powerful tool to harness the mind.
It is perfect for achieving your goals, changing behaviours or habits, and directing your life in a more positive direction.
Sankalpa is a Sanskrit word, and the meaning is broken down like this:
San is an idea formed in the heart
Kalpa is “the rule that I will follow above all other rules”
NEWS FLASH ~ I’ll guide you through a short YOGA NIDRA at the bottom of the page...
How it works
Yoga Nidra begins with deep relaxation in the first four stages, moving into a full meditative state in the last four stages.
This takes us to a place where we can release pain and stress at the unconscious level, and also reinforce positive thoughts and beliefs.
Put simply, your Sankalpa is a short and succinct statement, and when used at the beginning and end of Yoga Nidra while the subconscious mind is the most receptive, this statement reaches us at the subconscious and unconscious levels.
Bypassing the mental chatter
During everyday wakefulness, our minds are constantly analysing and looking for evidence.
In this state, it is hard to accept a positive statement as true without judging it or trying to disprove it.
Unfortunately, this is just the way our minds work.
Neuroscience research has demonstrated that the subconscious mind can’t differentiate between reality and non-reality; it simply takes orders from the resolution we repeat to ourselves.
This is why we deeply accept our resolve in the last stage of Yoga Nidra. This ability to bypass the busy, wakeful mind is the source of its power.
Choosing Your Sankalpa – an example
A great way to get started is to ask yourself what you would currently like to change or achieve in your life.
Perhaps there is a particular source of stress?
Or it may be a more generalised sense of worry or anxiety?
Do you have a very specific goal that you have struggled with for a while?
Now is the perfect time to address that!
The best results come from stating an absolute, rather than a wish. So instead of, “I hope for”; go for, “I will…”, “In time…”
A statement such as “I am healing” is a simple example that you can build on, adding anything your heart desires.
More examples are:
I am successful in all I undertake
I am more aware and efficient
I am achieving total health
5 TIPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL SANKALPA
Allow time when choosing your Sankalpa, don’t rush into using the first one that comes to mind. What you wish for will come to fruition…
Simple is best when it comes to the wording of your Sankalpa. Keep it short succinct, and in the present and ongoing tense…
Repetition is the key to your success. HINT: Immediately on waking and just before falling off to sleep repeating your Sankalpa when the subconscious mind is most receptive…
Believe it and repeat your Sankalpa with sincerity and conviction from the heart…
Stay with it until you get the results, as you will if you water the seed regularly…
Now that you know what to expect from a Sankalpa, I hope you are excited to try it for yourself.
I know you will feel the benefits...
Remember you need to repeat your Sankalpa with sincerity, feeling and clarity for the subconscious to believe it… so as they say, fake it until you make it…
If you would like further guidance on setting your New Year intentions, join me on 1 January for the New Year Reset. It’s a self-paced online program (with bonus live support from me) that offers the perfect opportunity to turn inward and be gently guided into a new way of being—one where you break free from the chaos of daily life. Click here to read more..
Recommended Articles on Sankalpa:
Sankalpa and Yoga Therapy by Dr Swami Shankardeve
The Nature of Sankalpa by Swami Anandakumar
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