The New Year is a perfect time for a fresh start and to reflect on what it is we truly want in life. ‘Sankalpa’ is a Sanskrit word that means ‘heartfelt desire’ or your ‘spiritual longing’. It’s that thing that you want most in your deepest heart of hearts. It is important to listen to that longing because it was put there for a reason. It was put there to help you grow towards your unique purpose, growth, and fulfillment.
Your Sankalpa is not about your material desires or hopes that all of your stressors and feelings of lack will go away. It goes deeper than that. It’s about tapping into your heart’s longing that knows what you need to grow towards your spirit and your purpose.
In the Netflix series ‘The Crown’, there is an episode where the Queen, in mid-life, has an opportunity to travel and explore her love of horse racing and breeding. She is energized by the trip but also realizes the life she missed because of her duty to the country and crown which leaves her feeling regretful and saddened.
We are each born with unique gifts and purpose. If we don’t express them in our lifetime, we are left with the feeling that life has passed us by or that we are unfulfilled. But in expressing it, we feel energized, creative, alive, and excited. Life is precious. How do we make the most of the time that we have?
Here are some steps to take when considering your Sankalpa. You may already have your heart’s desire on some level but you can always take it to a deeper level as you work on yourself.
- Reflect-the New Year is the perfect time to reflect and identify what your Sankalpa is. A deeper relationship? Satisfy work? To feel more abundant? You will know that you have hit on it when you feel a sense of excitement when you think about it.
- Imagine– It is important to dream and explore in full detail what you want. Imagine how it would FEEL to have your Sankalpa come into full fruition. What would it feel like to have your deepest wish be true? Content? Complete? More love? It helps to make your Sankalpa feel more solid by engaging the emotions and nervous system.
- Blocks-It is very common for us to be blocking our deepest wish from coming to us. Releasing our blocks will help us let go of the old patterns that keep us locked in the unfulfilling past. For example, if you are wanting a happy relationship and yet you have a belief that you are somehow unworthy to receive it- what are the chances that you will attract the happy relationship that you want? Or if you want to have a more fulfilling job but you are too afraid to leave the dead-end job you have now, how will you find your next more fulfilling job? Sitting with the feelings of unworthiness, and fear will help to heal them. Understand them. Make peace with them so you can move towards manifesting your heart’s desire.
- Let it go. We can do what we can on our side to envision and feel our heart’s desire. We can sweep away all of the blocks we have that prevent it from coming to us but in the end, it isn’t up to us to make it happen. The magical universe will set things in motion to have that job or relationship or whatever your Sankalpa is to come your way in the perfect time and in the perfect way. So we can make ourselves ready but in the end, surrender and trust are what are necessary.
- Love the life you have right now. Sometimes we start fantasizing about what we want in the future so much that we forget to enjoy the moment now. We will only attract a future that we love when we can embrace the present-even with all its shortcomings. Eckhart Tolle has the phrase ‘say yes to the now’. Having this attitude helps us to invite in a better future because we aren’t resisting the present. We aren’t trying to escape the present by using our power of visualization.
Living our Sankalpa makes life seem more purposeful and joyful. Our Sankalpa will continue to grow and change as we grow and change in life. It is helpful to check in with yourself periodically to keep trimming in the sails and keeping yourself on track with your Sankalpa as we continue through this coming year.
