Choosing a Sankalpa (Resolution) in Yoga Nidra & spiritual practice.

Choosing the correct sankalpa (resolution) in spiritual practice is crucial, especially in Yoga Nidra.

Because it is a powerful practice that can shape your reality, people are easily tempted to use it to “manifest” desires, and miss the point entirely.

In this video I share with you the essence of a good Sankalpa and how to choose one for yourself correctly.

Peace & Love

Rishi

PS if you’re interested in classes, life coaching or simply learning online through the comfort of your home, check out www.meditatewithrishi.com

for more details.

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

Namaste and welcome. It is Rishi here from MEDIATEWITHRISHI.COM And in today’s video we’re going to explore what should be your Sankalpa during Yoga Nidra. Now, this is assuming that you are practicing Yoga Nidra or beginning to practice it. If you are new to this completely then I’ve done a video called “What is Yoga Nidra” that you can find on meditatewithrishi.com along with weekly class information if you want to join. But, if you’re practicing and you are essentially curious about how do I choose, How do I make a good Sankallpa then this is a video for you. So let’s get to it. First, what is a sankalpa? It is a resolution, simply means resolution — are resolve, like a New Year’s resolution. Okay, we take a stance that I want to change something in my life and have a positive outcome. A transformation essentially. It’s a yogic practice where you choose a resolution, you choose a sankalpa and then you stick to it. And by sticking to it you build your willpower, you build your resilience, and you essentially create that positive change in your life. Okay, but the reason I’m doing this video is that it can be very confusing. Because, Yoga Nidra is a really powerful practice. It is said that many things in life can fail you, but not the resolution made during Yoga Nidra. Okay. So for this reason people get excited, and they say, wow, I can use this practice to manifest a new house, buy a new car, attract a dream partner, or whatever it may be. Okay, so it is really really important that we make the distinction between desires and resolutions. A desire that you have is completely different to a resolution that you will make. So let’s let’s think about this properly. Yoga Nidra is a spiritual practice. It is very powerful. And for that reason it must be honoured as a spiritual practice. It is not here to fulfill our material desires, you know asking for new, asking for a new house or a car or a partner is like asking for a few drops, when you could have the entire ocean! And it is kind of a disrespect to the practice itself. Okay, so that is what we should not be doing. So what should we be doing with the sankalpa? The sankalpa essentially can be anything that takes you closer to your true nature. Your true nature is pure love, bliss, Ananda. The highest sankalpa that a Yogi will make is one for enlightenment. May I be enlightened in this lifetime. May I attain samadhi, May I attain Nirvana, Liberation, Freedom, God-realisation, you know, whatever your path is and however YOU want to phrase it. The highest goal, is the goal. But, let’s say that you are just starting on your spiritual journey, and Enlightenment is a concept that is too far away from you. No problem. You must start where you are, right, you know, we all start from somewhere essentially. So maybe there is some inner work that you need to do first. (I mean we all need to do), and that is what the focus should be. So here are some other examples. You don’t have to pick yours from these, you can make it your own but I’m giving you an example. Okay. So the first one we looked at was “May I be enlightened in this lifetime” Another one could be “I will act. Peacefully always”, “I will act peacefully always”. Another one could be “I will attain Total Health” “I will attain Total Health”. Another one could be, “I will bring joy to those around me” “I will bring joy to those around me.” These are great sankalpas. These are great resolutions. They take you closer to your true nature which is pure love, which is bliss. Okay, and they cleanse you, purify you, and take you further, quicker, toward the goal, So do you see the difference there? Do you see the distinction between I want to buy a new house, I want to attract this partner — to I want to act peacefully or I will bring joy to those around me. I will attain Total Health. It’s a completely different perspective. You know in one you are essentially trying to fulfill your desires. And in the other you’re trying to nurture your very soul — Your Inner self. This is completely different and the beauty is that by doing the nurturing of your inner self, your desires get fulfilled automatically! That is a beauty of the practice. (Spiritual practice) So alright now that you know the context, a couple of pointers. The resolution should be a very short simple sentence 4 to 8 words. Otherwise, it’s not easy to remember. Otherwise, it does not penetrate into the subconscious mind, which is what we’re looking to do. Okay, so it needs to be a short sentence 4–8 words precisely. All right, that is what I wanted to cover. Now, let me just let me just summarise, you know, we’ve covered a few different points now I’ll give you three rules for your Sankalpa in Yoga Nidra and you will be on your way to creating one that’s right for you. 1) It should not be desire related. 2) instead. It should be something that brings you closer to your true nature. And 3) It should be a short sentence, 4–8 words maximum so it can penetrate your subconciious mind. That is it, okay and I’ll close by saying that — ask yourself what is it in my life right now that I need to change, that will that will benefit me. That will bring me more peace, that will bring me more purpose? Deep down. we all know. You may not get the answer immediately. Okay, but it will come. It may come spontaneously, you know in a few days, so give it some time. Look within and you will get the answer — and once you do, make a beautiful short simple resolution, a change that you wish to have in yourself, in your life. And then use that in multiple sessions of Yoga Nidra. Week after week, week after week. And it will happen, perhaps quicker than you think. Okay. So that is it. I really hope that this video was helpful. If you have any questions, you’re free to comment below and I will answer them, but apart from that, thank you for listening. Namaste.