Practically everyone I know makes New Year’s resolutions—And nearly as many who make resolutions end up breaking them. While resolving to get healthier in 2022, go vegan, earn more money or improve your relationships are all noble endeavors,
it’s the intention behind them that matters. That’s why this year, I’m inviting you to set a sankalpa instead of a resolution. Think of a sankalpa as an intention from the heart that connects you to the highest truth. A sankalpa is different from a resolution in a few key ways. First of all, a sankalpa starts with the belief that you are already whole, perfect, worthy and enough
exactly the way that you are, whereas a resolution starts with the belief that there is something fundamentally flawed about your image or self that needs to be changed or made right. Second of all, a sankalpa is by definition a heartfelt intention or vow to live your highest truth in order to create the life you were meant to live. It focuses on larger themes and states of being for personal wellness, whereas a resolution may too narrowly focus on symptomatic behaviors or circumstances without getting at the root of the desire for change.
Setting a sankalpa rather than a resolution invites the divine into your intention setting process and takes the pressure off of you—what you will or won’t do, be or won’t be—creating a deeper connection to the intentions you set with a greater sense of accountability and support.
And accountability and support are everything.
That’s why at Social Pods we’re offering you the opportunity join us in the new year on a journey of self discovery and transformation by doing Six Weeks of Sankalpa. Starting JANUARY 6, 2022, We’ll take your overall desire or intention for 2022 and break it down into six different, smaller goals that support the larger change you wish to create. Then, we’ll design affirmations for each goal, which will support you as you begin to incorporate small changes into your daily life. Each week, you’ll also receive a
yoga nidra (i.e. guided meditation) practice designed to support your subconscious mind in sticking to your sankalpa. At the end of the six weeks, you’ll receive recordings of all the materials so you can return to them again and again throughout the year. Simply by signing up, you’ll also receive an exclusive invitation to our Social Pods Resolution Reset in February. It’s the perfect opportunity to check in with yourself and your sankalpa and to reset (or hey, even restart) if needed.
When you set a sankalpa, you have everything you need to fully realize it already within you, including the will, the energy to impart action and the divine wisdom of how to deliver that action. All you need to do is listen to what the universe is trying to reveal to you. (Sravana is the willingness to hear the message.) One of the most beautiful things about setting a sankalpa is that in order to achieve your intended goal or desire, you must first acknowledge that it is something you already hold or possess. While this may seem contradictory at first, it is part of the dual nature of the practice. As Rod Stryker, American author and yoga/meditation teacher,
explains to Yoga International, “It all goes back to this idea that each of us is both being and becoming. There’s the part of us, para atman, that is transcendent, inherently one, and doesn’t need anything. We also have a jiva atman, that part of us that comes into life with a purpose and a destiny and is always becoming.”
You want to break habits and give up old behaviors, but in order to do so you must first acknowledge that you are already perfect and whole just as you are. It is a building up of self, rather than a breaking down, one we find to be more productive and self-actualizing than the more shame-based practice of negative motivation. Your nature is unchanged whether you reach your goals or not. We hope you will find the true freedom and spirit of this as you step into the higher truth of who you really are in the new year. You are perfect. You are good. You are love. You are whole.
Make 2022 your most authentic, legendary year yet. To learn more and/or to join us for Six Weeks of Sankalpa, email contact@mysocialpods.com.
The universe is waiting for you!
Did you love this post? Consider sending us a little love back!
Try out our latest Social Pods Certified Facilitators led support group platform. 1-week free trial and for $25/week attend as many sessions (we call it Pods) you like, register now!