We had a snow weekend! Fortunately, we didn’t get as much snow as was predicted, and it’s not nearly as bitterly cold as was predicted either. Because of the snow and the cold, we held yoga classes online. It was so much fun to see who showed up for class, and I think some were encouraged by my “Zoom is not scary” email. 

Today I want to share with you a meditation I offered in restorative yoga class. Several people told me they found it to be meaningful and helpful, and I wish the same for you. 

As we begin a new year we are usually encouraged—even expected—to make resolutions or set intentions for the year ahead. These are always meant to be active projections for making our lives better, being more successful in our business, or working on relationships. And on the surface this doesn’t seem like a bad thing. Who wouldn’t want to experience better things in the coming months? 

But if you look below the surface of these resolutions you will see something concerning—they are built on the assumption that something is lacking in our life, or that there is some flaw in our character that we have to fix. A resolution or intention is really only needed if all is not right with our world.

As you look at the resolutions you’ve made in the past you might ask yourself two questions: “Am I better off for having made these resolutions in the past?” and “How quickly did I abandon my resolutions?” 

This year I recommend trying a different kind of resolution, one that is rooted in loving your life and accepting yourself. Here is how it showed up for me this week: The past two weeks have been challenging for me because we lost heat at the studio. We haven’t been able to meet there so I have had to cancel classes and appointments or move them online. And we had a major winter storm move into the area this week with all of the preparations that required. As a result, I felt anxiety amid the uncertainty. 

If I was doing a traditional resolution I could isolate anxiety as a character flaw I needed to work on. If I just work on the anxiety I’ll feel better, right? But is that realistic? I can pretty much guarantee that I will feel this anxiety again in another situation because no one escapes it! Instead, I accepted that anxiety was arising for me and tried to lean into it, get on the edge of it, peer into the other side. And when I did that I discovered it is not as scary as I thought it was. I set this resolution:

“I will allow anxiety to just be. I lean into it and accept myself as I am.”

Let’s meditate on this: Sit or lie down in a quiet place where you will not be disturbed. Think back over the past week or month and look for ways in which you felt overwhelmed or otherwise struggled with your life. Pick one thing that arises for you, something that you might normally want to “fix” because it embarrasses you or because you think of it as a character flaw. Rather than push it away or try to fix it, lean into it. Get right on the edge and peer into the other side. Set your resolution:

“I will allow _______ to just be. I lean into it and accept myself as I am.”

Remain here for 5-10 minutes, then take three deep breaths, slowly get up and move back into your day with confidence, acceptance and peace.

We’re continuing to explore “Rules of Yoga, Rules for Life.” We’re now on the fourth “rule,” so be sure to go back through the posts to remind yourself of rules one through three. Setting an intention is a common suggestion in a yoga class, but what does this actually mean?

The Sanskrit word for “intention” is sankalpa. It comes from two roots: kalpa means “vow” or “the rule to be followed above all other rules” and san which means “connection with the highest truth.” Sankalpa is a vow or commitment we make to support our highest truth. A sankalpa practice arises from the radical notion that you don’t have to fix anything within yourself; you already have everything you need to fulfill your life’s purpose. The challenge for most of us, however, is recognizing and claiming our sankalpa.

In a yoga class, our intention can be quite simple, such as “be present today,” “move in my pain-free range of motion,” “give in to relaxation and rest,” or “have fun” (please see rule #1). An intention can also be linked to big-picture living, such as “recognize when I am not listening to my body and gently bring myself back” or “live more fully in the present moment now and every day.”

My favorite time to work with intention is during the transitions in class. After I finish some writing and I sit down on my yoga mat, I pause in the transition between activities to set an intention for my practice. When I rise from savasana at the end of the class, I pause again to set my intention for how I want to show up for the rest of the day.

If you’re alert, you’ll notice that your day is full of transitions. As you move from one activity to the next, take a moment to pause and honor the transition between activities. If you set a simple intention at each transition, each activity becomes an expression of your vow and your whole life begins to support your highest truth.