the dark side of sankalpa
Yesterday was Blue Monday – allegedly the most depressing day of the year 🫠
The third Monday in January is when we’re supposed to feel low, unmotivated, and stressed because Christmas is a distant memory, New Year's resolutions might be slipping, the weather is bleak, and for those in regular jobs, pay day feels like a LONG time ago.
I always find it really interesting how these things take hold.
Even though we know it’s media, capitalist bullshit that is only spouted to try and make us feel depressed enough to buy a holiday, it still suckers us in and we can’t help but start to scan for evidence…
‘Wait, AM I feeling low?’
‘Was that a bad mood earlier?’
‘Why does everything feel a bit off today?’
It’s the PERFECT example of what happens when a story gets planted in our minds (much like the practice of setting a sankalpa, if you will…).
The more we believe something, the more it starts to shape how we feel and how we move through the day. Then we’re suddenly on the lookout for reasons to confirm it.
When we work with sankalpa to set an intention - whether it’s something like patience, kindness, or just staying present - we’re planting one of those tiny seeds in our consciousness.
We don’t force it. We’re not walking around shouting affirmations at ourselves all day, but with those tiny seeds, we’ll suddenly be more open to noticing opportunities that might help us channel that thing.
But the flip side of the coin is that this practice works in both directions.
If someone plants a shittier kind of seed - one that says, ‘today is Blue Monday, so you should feel crap’ - it can subtly start pulling us toward those negative feelings too. It gets us questioning if we’re tired, stressed, or overwhelmed…even if we weren’t before.
This is why sankalpa is such a powerful tool. It WORKS.
Bringing it into your classes will begin to shape what stories your students feed themselves where they direct their energy, and it’s on you to try and make those seeds good ones.
It doesn’t have to be complicated. Just ask your students:
‘What quality would you like to nurture today?’
'What do you want to bring a little more of into your practice or your life?’
‘What would support you right now?’
You don’t have to make a big deal of it or push for something profound, just try and encourage them to water something good.
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This is a great post about the power of words, thoughts... and sankalpa. I am quite new to yoga nidra and find it all quite fascinating and like the example of negative sankalpa here. I'll share this in my newsletter on Sunday. Thank you.
I know this practice as the magic question. Plant a seed that aims the mind in the direction you want it to look. “How can I make today amazing?” “What is one way that my body supports me every day?” “What can I do for wife today that will bring a smile to her face?”