by Pilar Salazar
Sankalpa is the Sanskrit word for “intention.” A new year has arrived and it is time to set our resolutions. I have noticed that these tend to be personal in nature, such as enrolling at a gym, losing weight, or quitting something. While these are great and very important goals, the new year can also be an opportunity to create an intention for the collective good and for the world we live in. So let’s use this new year to practice improving our karma. Here are a few ideas based on the yoga philosophy:
• Develop or enhance our sustainability practices by changing our everyday habits. Together we can create a great impact: bringing our own recycling bags to the store, growing an organic garden, walking more and driving less, avoiding packaging, collaborating at a beach clean-up, and planting more trees, just to name a few.
• Slow down and take more walks into nature, and really feel the natural connection we have with it. Most importantly, leave our smart phones at home, so we can be more present and really see the beauty that surrounds us.
• Take time to meditate, even if we start with just ten minutes a day. Then actively use the results of these meditations to reflect them daily in our actions and words.
• Pay attention to the people that surround us — try to judge less and understand more. We have a tendency to talk more than we listen, so this year, let’s do the opposite and see what happens — how it affects our lives and the lives of those around us.
• Be kind, share the kindness, and recognize the goodness in people around us. Namaste!
