Setting Resolutions All Year Long!

I am writing this article on the precipice of a New Year, but by the time you read my ponderings it will be February. When February 1 rolls around, approximately 80% of New Year’s resolutions have been abandoned. If you are a member of a gym or yoga studio, you tangibly know how true these stats are. The classes are packed the first 3 weeks of January, but by February you have less of a chance of catching the latest flu strand, because once again you have your personal space.

Recently, I have seen many posts on Instagram encouraging their followers to abandon the practice of new years resolutions. Many of the posts offer the alternative practice of journaling about what you have accomplished in 2023, in lieu of making resolutions. Some psychologists argue this practice of focusing on your successes can boost your confidence and productivity, because it encourages people to not be so hard on themselves and affirm all they have achieved. I concur this is a helpful exercise, and yet I also believe setting resolutions is important because researchers have found compelling evidence that setting goals does improve your performance in life.
However, I believe we need to set resolutions more than once a year. Instead of doing one big goal a year, I invite you to consider making resolutions every day. If you want to be on a pathway of spiritual and emotional growth, each new day is an opportunity to consider who you are, why you are here on this earth, and how you want to show up in the world today. Unfortunately, new years resolutions tend to be strictly focused on physical evolution, but daily intentions give you an opportunity to evolve spiritually, physically, intellectually, and emotionally.

When I first started practicing yoga, I was confused when teachers invited me to set an intention for my yoga practice. I never felt clear what they meant by setting an intention. When I attended yoga school, I learned that the word intention comes from the Sanskrit word, Sankalpa. A Sankalpa is an intention you want to work on in order to become your best self and this resolution is connected to a deep desire in your heart. Recently, I made a list of 10 intentions I have set in various yoga classes, in the hope sharing this list with my yoga students would make the concept of Sankalpa more palatable for those students who want to set an intention. Often a Sankalpa is something you know you need to work on both on and off your yoga mat.

Here are 10 examples of setting an intention (Sankalpa) for your yoga practice:

1) I want to let go of something I am holding onto physically or emotionally.
2) I will strive to be compassionate to myself on my yoga mat.
3) I intend to slow down and experience rest and ease on my mat.
4) I will challenge myself to do hard poses.
5) For the next hour, I will pay attention to what I need.
6) I hope to release my anxious energy to the mat.
7) I want to release what happened this morning and all I have to do the rest of the day, and be present in this class.
8) My intention is to pay attention to my breath.
9) I will bear witness to my feelings during this practice.
10) I intend to be purposeful to let go of comparing myself to others during class.

As I have stated previously, the goals you set on your yoga mat are often related to work you might need to accomplish off the mat. For example, people who have the proclivity to compare themselves to others on their mat, probably tend to do this in life. Additionally, someone who struggles with trying harder poses on their mat, might also need to work diligently to accomplish complicated tasks at work. In my job as a marriage and family therapist, I encourage my therapy clients to try yoga or various forms of martial arts, because somatic movement is a pathway to healing your heart, spirit, and mind. If you can slow down and find more ease in your body, it becomes easier to be more gentle towards yourself and others in life.

If you are not a yogi and you are not interested in setting resolutions on a yoga mat, another option for you might be to see all the holidays as opportunities to set resolutions. For example, the new year could be a time to set priorities for the year ahead or make resolutions to care for your physical body. Maybe Valentine’s Day is an opportunity to prioritize loving yourself, your friends, or a partner. St. Patrick’s Day can be more than drinking green beer and could be an opportunity to be more deeply aware of the ways you have the luck of the Irish in your life. Ash Wednesday may lead you to consider your mortality and make a bucket list. Easter might be a time to reevaluate your spiritual life. Perhaps April Fools day is a time to make goals related to developing your humorous, playful, and silly side. Maybe the spring is a time to set resolutions related to spring cleaning and letting go of physical or emotional clutter that is weighing you down. Mother’s and Father’s Day might provide an opportunity to make goals related to parenting or they could be an opportunity to reconnect with family or memorialize family members who are no longer with you. The fourth of July may provide you pause to feel gratitude for the freedom we have in this nation, but also a season to set boundaries that would help you attain more freedom in your life. Since August is a month we celebrate kids going back to school, it could also invite you to consider the importance of finding podcasts and books that allow you to keep learning and be a student for life. Labor Day could be a time to reevaluate the balance you have between work and rest. As you watch the leaves fall from the tree in October, it might encourage you to be like a tree and let metaphorical leaves that are no longer serving you be released from your body. Halloween is a great chance to make goals connected to creativity, as you make your own costume or decorate your home. All Saints Day can help you pause to remember the living and deceased saints in your life. Thanksgiving offers an opportunity to be grateful for who you are, who you love, and all that you have. Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa are all seasons of light that can bring you back to the importance of cultivating the light within you and shining your light in the world.

Whether you set intentions on your yoga mat, in a journal, with the help of a therapist, or alongside the rhythm of the seasons, setting resolutions will be a pathway to growth in your life.

A version of this article was originally written for The Lookout Mountain Mirror.