Connect to Heartfelt Desire
Sankalpa is a Sanskrit word used in yoga and meditation to help focus attention. Sankalpa is translated as “That which is born of the heart (San-) and unfolds over time (-kalpa).” In iRest meditation, we divide sankalpa into 3 steps or tools: Intention, Heartfelt Desire and Inner Resource. To read a bit more about intention setting check out last month’s article here.
My hope is that you find creative ways to touch into intention each and every day. Some seasons this is a breeze and at other times a bit harder to access. One way to make intention setting that more meaningful, easy, and potent, is to reflect on the “WHY.” The tool, HEARTFELT DESIRE is how we practice this in iRest meditation. Feel free to substitute heartfelt calling, mission, journey, value, purpose, or a word that makes it personal for you! (I will wait while you peruse through thesaurus).
Heartfelt Desire is the values, virtues or themes that bring a sense of purpose and meaning to life. What is most important to you? What moments in life do you really light up? Perhaps when you can be curious or learn something new? Be creative? Or express kindness?
Knowing your why and holding it in your attention helps identify action steps (intentions) that will bring you in alignment with heartfelt desire. If you know where you are going, you can create a plan to get there and celebrate each step in that direction.
Here is an example iRest Founder, Dr. Richard Miller, shared at a training. Part of his heartfelt mission is related to health and he realized that eating processed sugar interfered with health. He began to set very VERY small intentions to move toward alignment (removing processed sugar from his diet). Notice that I didn’t say he quit eating all sugar cold turkey….. He started by saying, “I am not eating sugar for the next 30 seconds.” He honored that intention and celebrated the win at the end of 30 seconds. Next, he reassessed and decided he wanted to increase it to a minute. Again, he was successful! He continued this setting intention, reassessing, and renegotiating the length of the time until he went for 1 year without eating or drinking processed sugar. In Richard’s example, he identified an action he was taking that took him out of alignment with health and shifted his actions over time to be congruent with his Heartfelt Desire. This also works by adding in actions to bring HFD to life in everyday moments, more about that in the practices below.
February is a particularly special month to discuss Heartfelt Desire because I celebrate a big anniversary. Two years ago, I opened Ananda Counseling and Wellness in order to express my heartfelt desire in a deeper, more meaningful, and aligned way. Since I opened doors on February 19th, 2018, I have met so many people and learned about the richness of their lives (past, present and future), led and practiced alongside groups of people invested in community, self care, healing and growth, and expanded my training and skill set by attending 3 iRest trainings and (now) pursuing certification. My heartfelt calling is centered around teaching, learning, curiosity and connection. Out of that calling, Ananda Counseling and Wellness was born (and is growing).
Here are a few practices to help you explore and breath life into your Heartfelt Desire:
Identify sensations - Reflect on moments when something you did, said or witnessed felt “right.” How did that feel in your body? What sensations do you notice and where do you feel sensation in your body?
Journal - Use prompts to reflect: What are you glad you have stood for? What have been the central guiding values and principles in your life? What qualities of your life have made you feel at peace with yourself and the life you have lived?
Values - revisit the Values in Action inventory in November’s article, or scroll down for a list of values in the resources section. Identify which are very important and narrow it down to 3-5. You may wish to rank them in order of importance or, in the event of a tie, compare 2 side by side to and choose which is most important.
State it - Make a present tense statement that highlights your Heartfelt desire. Affirming HFD in the present tells your brain this is the new normal and not a far off hope or dream.
Set an intention - Commit to being open to exploring Heartfelt Desire spontaneously. Keep it in your attention as you go about your day so when you meet a moment where things feel harmonious, in flow, or “right,” -OR- things feel icky, forced or guilty, you notice. These sensation and feelings are messengers pointing you to your HFD. Tune in to what’s happening, where you are, what you are doing (or not doing), who you are with, etc to explore aspects of HFD.
Take action - Every time you choose an action, say to yourself, “I am choosing ____ to honor my heartfelt desire of _____.” Find a variety of ways to bring HFD to live in everyday tasks. ie. I am going to yoga class to honor my heartfelt desire of connection. I am cleaning the dishes to honor my heartfelt desire of service.