Setting up your Sankalpa

Huge Gratitude

Wow! I wasn’t even sure we had that many people in Saugatuck / Douglas during December?! 😉

THANK YOU to each and every one of the 70+ people who participated in our Winter Solstice Yoga event. 

There’s something SO special, and powerful, about coming together in community to practice.. Through our breath, movement, and relaxation, we weave a fabric of support for ourselves and one another. ♥️

This event was extra memorable for Harvey, Teresa and I. Thank you 🙏🏽

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“Gratitude is not a passive response to something we have been given; 
gratitude arises from paying attention,
from being awake in the presence of everything
that lives within and without us.”
​
~ David Whyte

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Happy New Year everyone!

I know there’s a lot of energy and momentum towards resolutions this time of year. And, I trust most of us are sincere when we make our proclamations. 

But guess what? The failure rate for our heartfelt resolutions is HIGH! 
In fact, studies show that only about 9% of people actually achieve their resolutions. Most of us give up in the first couple weeks of the new year. 

Seriously? 9%?! 

As a former school teacher, I can’t help but translate that into a grade . . .  9% is an impressive F. 🫣

We must be able to do better? 
Or, maybe we could do different. ☺️

Instead of a resolution, how about looking at this through a yogic lens. 

The yogis use the concept of sankalpa. 

Sankalpa generally translates as a vow aligned with your deepest truth and purpose.

So, a sankalpa isn’t about getting that great new car or finding yourself on a fabulous vacation. Nor is it about the amount of exercise, calories, or pounds.  

A sankalpa is not something we simply wish for and hope will magically happen. 

A sankalpa is about knowing our deepest calling and living in alignment with that. It’s about our daily actions being in accordance with the person we are trying to be. 

That may sound daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. 🥰

In fact, I love this as a way to illustrate that yoga is not something we do on a mat. Instead, it’s a moment by moment, breath by breath practice. Life itself is a moving meditation. 

Here’s how. 

Maybe you’re not sure of your deepest calling. And that’s okay. 
But, what lights you up? 
What are you envious of in others? 
When do you feel most yourself? 
What fulfills you so that you have energy and desire to do it again and again? 

These are some of the questions you may want to spend time with. 

If those questions don’t quite hit the mark, how about this: what’s one word you want to focus on in the year ahead? One word that will help guide you, even when the going gets tough?

To help me uncover my one word, I spend time feeling into whatever it is I want to shift for myself. Most of us know areas in our life that are not optimal. We also can recognize  patterns in our thinking and behaving that are less than ideal. These help me find what it is I want to shift so I can continue evolving. 

Last year my single word was a tremendous guide. Just one word helped my daily actions be in accordance with my highest version of self. And, it helped me more readily recognize when I was getting out of alignment. 

And that’s yoga, my friends!

We CAN do this!! In fact, we can have a 100% success rate on establishing a single word that helps us with our sankalpa. 

Here’s to thriving our way forward in 2025.

Peace and love,

~ m

P. S. For almost all of January and February, I’ll be Coffee Hunting. Off to Honduras, Mexico, Vietnam, and the Philippines! Sadly, this means no Yacht Club Yoga until March. Stay tuned.

My regularly scheduled Monday 8:30 AM class @ Satya continues uninterrupted!
Satya offers classes 7 days / week . . . more yoga! 🥰