Sankalpa: Setting an intention

Sankalpa: Setting an intention 

 Marigold Om created and photographed by me.

Sankalpa is a sanskrit word describing an 'intention' or 'resolution' that informs practice and life. A resolution strongly suggests the desire to be firm, unwavering and purposeful and conveys the power of sankalpa. The idea of a resolution is familiar to those in the West - the infamous New Year resolutions, note the plural, that many people espouse at the start of a new year only to discover that they are unable to sustain their enthusiasm for life change. 

To find my sankalpa for the year or for however long I choose, I wait to see what naturally pops up sometimes  meditation is useful as the quiet peace of the cushion reveals the inner wisdom of the spirit. This year, my sankalpa popped up during my asana yoga practice. So there you go! Some years it has come up while gardening or cooking. Wait and see! And you choose when to let go of the sankalpha perhaps it has come true or you may need to change it to better represent where you are in your path.

Some ideas about how to go about setting a sankalpa

1. Make in affirmative e.g I respond to life with grace rather than I will not be so anxious
2. Use the present tense as if it is already true. e.g I am healthy and peaceful or I live in the present.
3. Keep it reasonably short and pithy. Don't over complicate.

When to use your sankalpa

A Sankalpa is powerful and can influence and transform your life along positive lines. Traditionally, a sankalpa is used in Yoga Nidra - the meditative heart of yoga. I love Yoga Nidra.

Yoga means “union” or “one-pointed awareness”. “Nidra” means sleep. During Yoga Nidra you appear to be asleep but the consciousness is functioning at a deeper level of awareness. It is a state of mind between wakefulness and dream. When you practice Yoga Nidra you are opening to deeper phases of your mind.

Modern neurologists have been able to demonstrate an obvious relationship between the body and the brain. The brain is the physical mediator of consciousness linking mind, body and emotions into one harmonious unit. The neurosurgeon affects the body by stimulating the brain. The practitioner of Yoga Nidra begins the other end of the pathway by heightening awareness of the body in order to stimulate the brain. The progressive movement of awareness through the parts of the body not only induces physical relaxation but also clears all the nerve pathways to the brain, both those governing the physical activity and those concerned with incoming information. In this way, Yoga Nidra relaxes the mind by relaxing the body. 

New to yoga nidra - try

Are you new to Yoga Nidra? There are many podcasts available just plug in Yoga Nidra to your search engine. How did I get started, I was originally introduced to Yoga Nidra through the work of Swami Satyananda Saraswati. His work was incredibly important and we are lucky to have his writings on the topic and transcripts to work from. Some yoga teachers include a short Yoga Nidra at the end of class, but it is simple to download one and enjoy in the privacy of your own home.

Try a sample of Swami Satyananda Saraswati 

The style is very much in the Indian tradition and may not suit everyone's taste. however, as with everything in the modern world there is much to choose from. I moved on to the Richard Miller who teaches very much in the Vedanta style and is the creator of irest.

Further to using it during yoga nidra, you can use it in other practices - I repeat my intent at the start to yoga practices: asana, pranayama, meditation as well as starting my day by repeating in with feeling and awareness when I wake up and before I go to bed - in this way it is similar to using a mantra.

My intention for last year was lighten up - forgive.
This year or longer is surrender to the divine - trust the flow.

Turn on your ipod or stereo, pop on your eye pillow and relax.

New Year thoughts

New Year Cleaning!

The New Year is here and most people or is that some people have cleaned their house to sweep out the old and allow space for the new. Me, I haven't quite got there thank goodness there is Chinese New Year (Feb 7th) to clear out the past years spirits. I have, however, begun to clean my class yoga equipment: washing the blankets, bolster covers, scrubbing the mats and revitalising the eye pillows. 

I then decided to clean all my own props: mat, blankets, bolster covers, sandbag covers, gertie ball and my collection of eye pillow covers. This included all my meditation tools and other requirements for class: clock, meditation bowl, tingskas and oil burner. Wow what a  collection!

This got me thinking about Kriyas or cleansing practices that can be followed in yoga. Practices such as using a neti pot to clear your sinuses, pranayama like nauli or lauliki to massage the abdominal organs and digestion, and other practices like swallowing a cloth to clean or cleaning your own colon by sucking water. Yes its true; amazing yet weird. Needless to say that many of these practices are quite advanced and require a teacher for guidance, and dedication and skill on part of the practitioner. Now, as much as would like to say this is me, it is not, for I am the mere mortal variety of yoga student/teacher or another way of putting this would be to say I'm not that far down the path (and may not ever be there), however, there are still a range of safe cleansing practices that can be followed. A simple detox whether simply lightening up on what and how much we eat or something a little more substantial like a detox such as a kidney or liver cleanse.

I will be launching into my five day liver cleanse tomorrow schedule allowing! It is important to have space and time to yourself to do this first part as you can feel a little tired and nauseous and emotional so be kind to yourself over this period as the toxins leave your body. Following this with a general detox diet for the next three weeks making the whole process around a month.  Many people swear by detoxes and recommend four times a year. 

Shiva Rea , a great yogi, regularly does a liver and gall bladder cleanse following 

 The Amazing Liver and Gallbladder Flush by Andreas Moritz. 

Clean out body and soul with fresh fruit and vegetables; cut out refined and processed foods - very simple.

Some fruit from our orchard.

 I follow a very simple process and start with a five day cleanse before slowly reintroducing solid foods. This time I'll be staying on a detox diet for longer as like the food and feeling of lightness.  By the way this type of eating is not for everyone my partner thinks the body is perfectly capable of doing this cleaning on it's own and maybe it just us more sensitive types, you know those who cannot tolerate gluten and diary and have digestive issues. What I have discovered is if you eat lots of greens - silverbeet, pak choy, spinach - cravings for sugary food disappear. I guess that is why ancient yogis follow a Falahari diet which is simple diet of mostly fruit and vegetables. Great! Goodbye sugar and hello green food.

 Lettuce from our vegetable garden

Some ideas for detoxing:

Remember to check with your Doctor or Healthcare Professional before attempting any rigorous cleansing plan.

Include for detox:
•    Vegetable juices and smoothies
•    Salads and raw foods e.g. sprouts; lightly steamed seasonal vegetables
•    Use spices cumin, coriander, cardamom, fennel, fenugreek, turmeric, cinnamon and ginger to spice your food (stimulate digestive fire and aids cleansing) 
•    Herbal teas, ginger and lemon drinks 
•    Plenty of warm water

Eliminate for detox
•    Cold aerated drinks 
•    Alcohol, caffeine and smoking 
•    Dairy products 
•    Fish, meat and eggs 
•    Sweet fruits and foods 
•    Wheat and gluten products

When you have finished detoxing, reintroduce whole grains and solids slowly being gentle with your digestive system. To assist with elimination include plenty of twists in your yoga practice and spend time being quiet and still. Be well and smile:)

Om Shanti 

Margot

Merry Christmas and a happy New Year

Refresh Yoga Synergy link

Just a quick post to refresh the link to Yoga Synergy that wasn't working:) Technology is fun but I don't always get it right. Try again.

Yoga Synergy

Brighten your day with a little bindi star mandala.

Go on do something creative!  

Joy to you, Margot

December and summer is here! Thougths on a year of Yoga Synergy study.

The first sunflower to open this summer. Photo by Margot

Have a great summer and open up like a flower.

Message to myself: relax - stop trying so hard and let things simply be. Lighten up and shake of those spring winds of agitation. Move slowly, think less, bend less and tense less. Simple ideas I discovered I had forgotten. I learnt a lot more than just those important ideas studying with Yoga Synergy . I completed their program Yoga Fundamentals at the start of the year and it all came flooding back as the warm weather filled by joints and limbs with movement.
The Yoga Fundamentals was very organic with lots of doing and the sequence we studied made me feel like I was making shapes rather than working through a set sequence. Not one for doing the same routine over and over again but became hooked. When I first started my own yoga practice I did think that was what you did and did it for years. Same Iyengar sequence (from the class I was attending) every day, only problem it became like an exercise program instead of a practice. Yoga me thinks not and certainly not much minding of the mind going on more a checklist approach. Oh for moving on!  Of course, after finishing the course I am back to doing different things with each practice as believe each day is different and to truly honour my body I need to listen to the songs in the cells and then do something suitable. I do still some days move through the sequence as I can do less and think less; the sequence is also part of my cellular song memory. The course certainly helps anyone of any level in yoga practice in a safer way and really encourages being at the level appropriate for you today - here and now.

I am just about to complete the Anatomy and Physiology of Yoga as I veer around the corner to Christmas. Can I do it? Done and passed both exams, finished my discussion posts yes all 12 and now just the assignment. A bit like being back at school except studying a subject you absolutely adore surely makes a huge difference. The Anatomy and physiology was much more technical and let's face it more advanced. Again, I learnt a lot and found out about mudras I had heard of but had never had explained.

 I guess this is just me thinking out loud about what has been and  to plan what I could do depending on health, and wealth.  

Om shanti,

Margot