The Power of Intention
“What you seek is seeking you.” – Rumi
Our Guiding Principle
At Indigo Yoga, we are firm believers in the power of intention. In Sanskrit, the ancient language of yoga, there is a beautiful word for this called “sankalpa.” It means intention or resolution, but not in the negative way that a New Year’s resolution often seeks to fix something that we perceive is wrong. A sankalpa is a vow that we make to manifest growth, to bring a dream to reality, or to create positive change in ourselves or the world. It is phrased in the positive rather than the negative and states “I am” rather than “I want.” Focus is on the nobility of effort and surrender.
There is no overstating the power of our thoughts in shaping our reality. The subtle energy of our intentions enlists our own actions as well as the forces of the universe to manifest on a physical level. The Buddha summed this up with the axiom: “As you think and act, so your world becomes.” In our current zeitgeist, this has been famously called “the law of attraction.”
Focus is on the nobility of effort and surrender.
In yoga practice, intention or sankalpa is used during practice, meditation and particularly during yoga nidra (“yogic sleep”) or savasana. Students are often asked to set an intention for practice and to repeat the sankalpa to themselves 3 times, usually during meditation or savasana. This seeds the intention into the conscious and the subconscious, recruiting our direct and subtle energies to support the transformation we seek. The sankalpa becomes an internal vow, much more than a resolution. It also acts as a prayer.
At Indigo our aim is to empower you to be the architect and agent of your own transformation. We will ask you to practice mindfully and with intention. We will guide you to set an intention for practice, to create a sankalpa, and to work with it until it becomes real. We will offer you the chance to use your sankalpa during practice, but we encourage you to incorporate intention into your daily life. You can do this simply by repeating your intention internally throughout the day, perhaps during your meditation practice, while you are taking a walk, doing household chores, driving – really at any time. Not only will this practice help you to manifest what you are seeking in your life, it will continually root you in the present moment, creating greater awareness and clarity.
Each of comes into the world with a unique dharma. It is our soul’s deepest desire to become what we are truly meant to be. When we look within, our dharma reveals itself along with the obstacles that stand in the way. The practice of intention or sankalpa is the vehicle by which we can create a life of purpose, connection and fulfillment.
Remember that you are not the doer. There is a creative force at work within you that will shine if you simply get out of the way!
Namaste,
Amy
