Anjali mudra

I first heard the word sankalpa when I was practicing yoga nidra (a deep meditation practice similar to sleep) in a group. The teacher told us to set an intention, make a commitment to change something, or a resolve.  The statement is set in present tense in the form of a positive affirmation. i.e. I move through life with joy and ease.

I may have heard the word prior to this, but I don’t recall. It wasn’t until many years later that I realized I had been setting a resolve in all my practices when I set my intention.

A mudra [a gesture or seal made with the body, i.e. anjali mudra (prayer hands)] can be used along with our resolve. 

Sankalpa mudra www.arunachala-ramana.org

Using a mudra enhances our vow because energy stored in our body is released when the seal is placed.
 
Do you need to use mudra? No. Does it help? Absolutely. 

Why? In sankalpa mudra the left hand crosses the midline (heart energy center) and rests palm open (receptive mode) on the right thigh. The right hand goes over the left with the right palm facing down in a grounding mode.

When we bring our hands together with the palms facing one another, it connects both hemispheres of the brain. All aspects of us–body, mind and spirit hear the commitment and can work together to make our resolve happen.

When? We can use sankalpa mudra whenever we are making a commitment to bring something into our lives or to let some thing go. It’s not to be used lightly on a whim or for every little thing we want.

Does it mean that everything we want will come to fruition? Not at all. The Universe is not Santa Claus and there are many things that come into play when we are manifesting and releasing–so much so that for centuries books have been written about it. People spend their lives attempting to manifest.

I typically use sankalpa mudra when doing a seated-meditation practice.

I will share a meditation practice with you next week so you can see where we use the sankalpa mudra. 

Please let me know if you have any questions or any information to add.