Living With Intention: How Sankalpa Shapes the Path of Practice
In a world that moves quickly and demands our attention from every direction, intention gives us an anchor. In yoga, intention setting isn’t about creating a goal or fixing a problem, but about aligning yourself with the person you already are. This is the essence of sankalpa, a Sanskrit term that carries a deeper, more soulful meaning than a simple resolution. At Equilibrium, we weave sankalpa into our yoga practices, helping our community reconnect with clarity, purpose, and inner steadiness in their everyday lives.
What Is Sankalpa? (And Why It’s Different From a Goal)
Many people think intention setting in yoga means choosing a positive thought or a goal. But the meaning of sankalpa runs much deeper; sankalpa is not about striving toward a future, idealised version of yourself. Instead, it’s an affirmation of who you already are at your core. While a traditional goal says, “I will be kind,” a sankalpa says, “I am kind”. A goal might be “I will not be anxious,” whereas a sankalpa says, “I am calm”. Goals focus on doing, and Sankalpa focuses on being. This is why sankalpa sits at the heart of practices like Yoga Nidra - those moments between wakefulness and sleep where the subconscious mind is open and deeply intuitive. It’s here that intention quietly reshapes the internal landscape.
The Neuroscience Behind Sankalpa
Modern neuroscience echoes this ancient wisdom. The brain is remarkably plastic, shaped by repetition, attention, and emotional tone. When we speak or rest into an intention repeatedly, especially in focused yet relaxed states such as our yoga and meditation practices, we’re reinforcing new neural pathways. Think of sankalpa as rewiring, rather than wishful thinking; a way to shift mindset patterns, emotional responses, and even our sense of identity. When you choose an intention such as “I am resilient” or “I am worthy,” you’re actively strengthening the networks that support that belief. Over time, this becomes your default. This is why integrating intention setting yoga into your weekly practice, making a conscious choice to set sankalpa at the start of each practice, has such a powerful effect on the nervous system and behaviour.
Living Your Sankalpa Off the Mat
A sankalpa isn’t something you set once and forget. Just like all aspects of our yoga practice, it’s meant to be lived, a thread woven into daily rhythms. This might look like:
Pausing before a meeting to set an intention.
Embodying your sankalpa in your physical posture - standing tall in “I am confident”, or unclenching your jaw in “I am calm”.
This is where yoga moves into your life off the mat, not just your physical practice. By returning again and again to your sankalpa, you begin to make micro-choices that align with who you want to be. That’s the subtle alchemy of the practice: intention shapes your attention, and your attention shapes your world.
Sankalpa and Your Yoga Practice
Yoga asana, breathwork, meditation, and recovery practices all become more meaningful when anchored in intention. Every asana practice, from sweaty Evolve to soft Yin, is deepened with an intention; an anchor to draw back your wandering mind. When you walk into the studio with a clear intention, your practice becomes more than just movement. It becomes a pathway towards union; a way of refining who you are, and how you move through the world. This alignment between body, breath, and inner purpose is what gives yoga its transformative power.
Living With Intention at Equilibrium
Whether you’re deep in a yoga practice, training in the gym, or getting mentally strong in the ice bath, intention helps turn every practice into a moment of focus, and inner remembrance. If you’re ready to explore sankalpa more deeply, join us for our weekly classes and upcoming events designed to support mindful living from the inside out. Our yoga classes, events, and temperature-contrast recovery experiences create the perfect environment to anchor your intention and reset your nervous system. Step into your practice with purpose, and let your sankalpa guide the way.