It's
that time of the year when making new year's resolutions seems to be
the thing to do. However, for more uplifting and long-term results, I
compassionately encourage the making of *intentions* rather than
resolutions.
At the beginning of every one of my yoga classes, I
invite my students to create a seed of intention (Sankalpa) for their
time on the mat and to plant that beautiful seed deep within the heart
to be nurtured and grown. This intention provides focus and direction
in how they approach and think about their practice during that hour on
the mat.
Intentions set our sights toward the life we want to
live. They are powerful seeds which yield abundant results along the
journey of life. They have a wider scope of uplifting effects and do
not hold hands with failure, as resolutions typically tend to do.
Intentions offer a lifestyle flowing with possibility, creativity and
positivity, whereas resolutions are demands from a hard task-master
which yell: "get this done or you are a failure!"
There are a
number of helpful articles on the internet talking about the differences
between resolutions and intentions. Here are excerpts from some
of those articles with the titles hyperlinked to the original posts.
