Janus, the Roman God after whom January is named, has two heads. One looks back, and the other looks forward.
The start of January is often a moment when we make plans for the year ahead, perhaps we set a new year’s intention, and then …
But there is great value in looking back too - what did last year teach us, what are we taking into 2024 and how can that help inform the way we live this year?
We live in a world that likes to move on, to begin new things, to forge ahead, to be productive. In daily life, we are often thinking ahead too - what’s coming next, what will I do after this, what am I looking forward to, and so on. But everything has a middle and an ending, as well as a beginning - and we need to reflect on what has been before if we are to build on what life has taught us, to resist distraction, and to maintain our sense of direction. Otherwise, we tend to focus on the new beginnings, which often come with a burst of enthusiasm, excitement and energy. In that rush of something new, it is easy to forget to give ourselves time to look back and reflect, to re-orient ourselves, and to check we have not lost our perspective.
Resolve and purpose
One thing I like to offer students at this time of year is a meditation session on intention. It’s a space to reflect specifically on our intention for practice. This is not in the sense of a new year’s intention, where we resolve to give something up/do better somehow at something/improve ourselves in some way - but to gain more insight into the why of our practice, or to clarify what we seek through our practice. If we understand what it is that motivates us, and what we what to achieve through our practice, we are more likely to be able to move in that direction. If we don’t really know what we want, or we have conflicting desires, it is that much harder: we tend then to be driven by unconscious desires, urges and impulses, and to act from the familiarity of habit. Intention can change over time, of course, as we change - so it is also worth re-visiting at regular intervals.
The power of sankalpa
In the yoga tradition, there is a very useful concept and tool for change called sankalpa. A Sanskrit word, meaning resolve or intention - but for which we have no neat English translation - it also conveys a determination and sincerity and, significantly, a sense of direct. It expresses deep purpose, distilling what really matters to us into a short positive statement of intent, and therefore helping us to grow towards the change our heart seeks.
We use it in the practice of yoga nidra, mentally repeating it at the beginning and end of the practice, and it can also be repeated at other times, especially those fertile spaces between sleep and wakefulness.
We might have different sankalpas for different parts of life - for instance, at the beginning of a new venture, you might set a specific sankalpa for its duration. You might even set a sankalpa when you are meeting a friend, or cooking a meal - asking yourself what is the most important desire you have for this event, and what do you need to do to achieve this. For example, if I am going out for a walk and I want to make the most of it, I can ask myself what is it that I most want from doing this - is it to connect with nature, to clear my head, to exercise my body, or perhaps to connect with a friend? If I know what matters most, I can decide on a route, pace and length of walk to fit that purpose, and am less likely to be on auto-pilot, distracted and unfocused.
We can also have a long term sankalpa - and this is generally the one used in yoga nidra. This is the sankalpa that reflects our larger purpose in life, and it may be that we work with this one for years, or even for life. It may take a while to discover and then to refine it - and then we stick with it, until it has come to fruition or no longer feels relevant.
Value of a purposeful life
We know that to live with intention has a huge impact on mental well-being and healthy aging. If we can practise reflecting on our purpose in small daily ways, as well as this larger sense of our life’s purpose, it helps to combat the high levels of distraction that are around us all the time. Otherwise, these forces can constantly draw us away from ourselves and what really matters, and can find ourselves side-tracked, drawn back into the habits of our comfort zones.
If you’d like to know more about yoga nidra, meditation, and the power of intention, please do get in touch! We will be working in depth with this theme in our first monthly session of the year - Friday 12th January (7-8.30pm) - and all are welcome!
There is also a shorter weekly session (Monday mornings, on-line, 7-7.30am), in which we will explore purpose and intention this month. Do get in touch if you’d like to join either session.
Another wonderful offering, thank you dear Frankie and just what I needed to be reminded of at this time of year
Ah thank you dear Juliette! Glad it landed well, and happy reflecting :) xx