download (3)New year, new resolutions. I hear it so often in my yoga classes – I must lose half a stone, stop smoking, stop drinking, I must change this or change that. Not the greatest start to the year, putting all these barriers between us and happiness?

Many resolutions fail because they start from the assumption that you are not good enough. They reinforce the mistaken belief that your happiness depends on getting what you want.

The yoga tradition offers a way to realise your heartfelt desires without asking you to change who you are. The practice of sankalpa, or resolve, starts with the belief that you already are who you need to be. All you need to do is focus, connect and let the magic happen.

Ok, so how on earth do we do that? It can actually be as simple as finding a space, breathing and letting go, both of things from the past and of your expectations for the future. Discovering your sankalpa is a process of listening. It’s not something you need to make up or go wildly searching for.

And if nothing comes up, just come back to space, breathe and let go. That may be all you need.

Filed under: Happy Coulson

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