A sankulpa (sahn-KUHL-pah) is an intention or awareness that you want to bring to the fore or develop further through your yoga practice. The Sanskrit term ‘san’ means connected to the truth or essence. The term ‘kulpa’ means a rule to be followed above all other rules. A sankulpa is a long-term, deep intention or awareness, far more so than perhaps we usually mean when we think of ‘intention.’

There are some rules for setting a sankulpa that also make it different than how we typically think of an intention. The sankulpa should be a positive and heartfelt statement. No shaming, no to-do lists, no self-loathing is allowed. The sankulpa should feel joyful and as if it is already true in your life. It should also be brief and easy to memorize so that you can call it to mind effortlessly.

There are two main kinds of sankulpas. The first expresses a desire to change or to do something new. Examples might be ‘I am contented’ if you want to nurture contentment in your heart, or ‘I am enough’ if your are trying to cope with frequent feelings of inadequacy.

The second sort of sankulpa focuses on healing. These are heartfelt truths that are often forgotten in the everyday happenings of our lives, and that, when remembered, support our healing. A healing sankulpa may be worded something like ‘I am luminescent and whole’ or ‘My true self is uninjured and complete.’

Choose and establish a sankulpa

To set a sankulpa, begin by writing out several ideas. One may come to you right away. But sometimes you need to try a couple on. So draft a few and get a feel for what might work for what you need.

The next step is to set it as a seed in your meditation. This is often done through a deeper and longer meditation than is typical. The audio below will lead you through a 20-minute meditation that is intended to ‘sow’ your sankulpa into your heart and mind.

If, after trying out a sankulpa, you feel a need to change to a new or revised one, that is ok. Sometimes it takes a bit to find the one that sits well with you now. But once you have found one, sit with it for at least a month before moving on to a completely different one. Indeed, it may be most productive to use the same sankulpa for a year or so. Sankulpas are meant to stir deep explorations and shifts in awareness. This cannot be done in a month or two.

Meditation to ‘sow’ your sankulpa

If the play button below does not work, click here to listen to the meditation (you will be routed to Spotify).