Setting an Intention

Sankalpa

I was hiking after work, and heard a man wailing in the woods.  He was crying out, “why, why, why”.  He was in despair.  I wanted to make sure he wasn’t hurting himself, but I wasn’t sure what else I could do.  So I stepped off the path and waited.  I waited and I witnessed.  After a while, he exited onto the path, head down, and hurried off.  

For the rest of my walk, I consciously sent healing thoughts his way.  I quieted my mind and thought only of him and the healing he may need.  He was not alone that day.

I’ve begun many yoga classes by setting a personal intention, a sankalpa.  A Sankalpa is a longing of your inner heart, something that will bring you closer to your own truth. It’s a phrase, a mantra, a prayer, or even an image.  As Anna Sugarman eloquently says, it is more grounded than a wish; more serious than a resolution; less complicated than either.   

Fixing my intention on an unknown stranger made me feel the very opposite of unknown.  It made me feel that he was known, and that I am known.  If we are being cared for by people unseen, imagine how much we are truly seen. 

Until next time, 

Laura