Sankalpa is one of those yoga concepts I had mostly associated with Yoga Nidra, but the more I learned about it, the more I realized there was so much more to explore. In this conversation, Medha Bhaskar and I unpack what sankalpa really means, where it comes from, and how it differs from affirmations, intentions, manifestation, and goal-setting. We talk about sankalpa as a deeper direction for our lives—one that connects with our values, our inner compass, and what truly matters to us.
We also get very practical about the process of finding and taking a sankalpa. We explore whether we can have multiple sankalpas, where they should come from, how to word them, whether language matters, and what happens when a sankalpa comes from fear or creates pressure. Medha shares a process of self-inquiry that can help us move beyond the surface-level things we think we want and discover what really resonates. She also explains why a sankalpa is a direction rather than a destination, and how even an “expired” sankalpa can still guide us toward deeper self-understanding.
Medha is the co-founder of Amrutha Bindu Yoga and has been teaching yoga since 2012, leading yoga teacher trainings since 2016. She holds a Master’s degree in Yoga from SVYASA and is an ERYT 500 with Yoga Alliance. Medha is also a certified Yoga Teacher and Evaluator (Level 3) under the Yoga Certification Board, Ministry of AYUSH, and serves as the Vice President of the Women’s Yoga Council. Her classes are experiential and infused with mind-body discoveries that enhance self-awareness. At Amrutha Bindu Yoga, she leads a team of devoted teachers and designs courses and workshops that use yoga as a tool for personal transformation.