The voice(s) we listen to

Most nights I go to sleep listening to a mediation I choose from InsightTimer. There are thousands to choose from on this (free) app, including way too many recorded by men with Australian accents (so not restful) and way too many recorded by women with whispery voices (just annoying) and more than a handful that are over-the-top woo-woo (I do not need to visit the Astral plain, thank you very much). But there are also some lovely, thoughtful, deep-breath-inducing reflections that help create the calm space between awake and asleep. I love that space. I may love it more than sleep itself.

Many of the mediations I listen to ask you to think of a sankalpa, the Sanskrit word for intention. (San means “to become one with” and kalpa means “time” and “subconscious mind.”)  And no, I didn’t know that. I looked it up. A sankalpa is a way to set intention. It puts into words—a simple declarative sentence—what you need or want or aspire to. But the “secret” is that it is expressed as, essentially, a done deal rather than a “gee, I hope…” statement. So, for example, if a certain person who will remain nameless (well, okay, not so nameless) had a rough, emotionally challenging day and is concerned that she will have trouble clearing her head and falling asleep, the sankalpa would be expressed “I will enjoy a deep and restful sleep” and not “I hope I can get to sleep tonight.”

Consider the difference between those two statements. One is optimistic and empowering. The other already sets you back on your heels and reinforces the difficulties you are imagining.

I have been sankalpa-ing for a while now, but just this morning I put together this practice with what I’ve learned about the “saboteurs”—that cacophony of inner critics who are determined to tell us what we can’t do, what we shouldn’t do, or what we should do that we shouldn’t do. Having a sankalpa allows you to catch those negative thoughts, then work on replacing them with this positive statement.

Believe it not, the sankalpa talks louder than the saboteur.