Sankalpa: Why Intentions Often Fail — and What Yoga Has Always Known

TL;DR

• Many intentions fail not because we lack discipline, but because they don’t address the habits and conditioning underneath our behaviour.

• Sankalpa is a yogic practice that works differently from goal-setting or manifestation.

• It is a short, positive inner commitment, formulated in the present tense to speak to the subconscious mind.

• Sankalpa doesn’t override resistance — it reveals it.

• Resistance, doubt, or fear are signs that the practice is reaching depth.

• Sankalpa is used while we are still living from old behaviour patterns.

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At the beginning of the year, we often feel this pull to set new intentions.
It’s almost a ritual in itself.

We decide to stop smoking, eat healthier, or exercise more.
Gyms fill up in January, and by February, many of the classes are empty again.

And it’s easy to think:
Well, that’s just how it is. People try, and then they fail.

But I don’t think that’s the whole story.

I think the real question is: why do so many intentions not work in the first place?

Why Intentions Often Fail?

Most of our intentions are born out of habits. Habits that have been formed over years, shaped by our working hours, our meals, our stress levels, and the way we live our daily lives.

We eat lunch in front of a screen.
We override tiredness.
We move quickly from one thing to the next.

And at some point, those habits start to feel normal.
They feel like who we are.

Once something becomes familiar, we repeat it.
And the more we repeat it, the more comfortable it feels, even when it’s unhealthy or doesn’t serve us.

So, when we decide we want to change, we mostly stay on the surface:
“I want to eat better.”
“I want to have more energy.”
“I want to feel less tired.”

But we don’t always look at what’s actually underneath those wishes.

This is why we might be only successful for a few days, or even a week or two, until something happens, and then suddenly, we’re back in the old pattern.

And with that, another belief gets reinforced:
This is just how I am. I can’t be xyz. I am not good/disciplined/etc enough to …

But that belief isn’t truth.
It’s conditioning.

This is where Sankalpa comes in.

What Sankalpa Really Is (and Isn’t)

Sankalpa is an ancient concept in Yoga.

The word Sankalpa already appears in the Vedas, composed several thousand years ago, where it refers to a conscious resolve — often made in connection with ritual action.

In the post-Vedic period, particularly in the Upanishads, the emphasis begins to shift inward. What was once primarily an outer declaration of intention becomes more closely linked to inner alignment and the movement of consciousness.

Later yogic and tantric traditions continue this inward turn, working with Sankalpa as a personal, inner commitment rather than a formal ritual statement.

A Sankalpa is not a goal.
And it’s not a superficial wish.

It’s a commitment.

Almost like saying to life:
This is where I am. This is what matters now.

In my own yoga practice, Sankalpa was introduced in a very specific way.

It had to be:

• short

• positive

• without “I will” or “I’m going to”

• formulated as if it is already true

At first, that can feel strange.

Why would I say something as if it’s already happened, when clearly it hasn’t?

Why Sankalpa Is Formulated “As If It’s Already True”

But Sankalpa isn’t trying to convince the thinking mind.
It works on the conditioned, subconscious mind, the part shaped by repetition, habit, and lived experience.

That part of the mind doesn’t change through explanation or willpower.
It changes the same way it was conditioned in the first place: through consistency, safety, and felt truth.

This is why Sankalpa is often introduced in practices like Yoga Nidra, when the nervous system is calm and receptive.

Not to force change — but to allow it.

What makes Sankalpa different from ordinary intention-setting is that it goes deeper.

If we stay with the example of healthy eating, and we keep asking why:

Why do I want to eat better?
Because I’m tired.

Why am I tired?
Because I’m not living in an energy-efficient way.

Why am I living like that?
Because somewhere along the way, I stopped valuing myself enough. I feel I need to do xyz to fit in or be accepted.

Now we’re no longer talking about food.
We’re talking about self-worth.

And that’s where a true Sankalpa forms.

A Sankalpa is shaped carefully. As mentioned above,

• it’s stated positively

• it doesn’t argue with the mind

• it’s phrased as a present reality

Not because we’re pretending, but because this kind of formulation speaks directly to the subconscious.

When we repeat a Sankalpa quietly, once in the morning and once in the evening for one minute, something interesting happens.

Resistance can show up.
Fear can show up.
Doubt can show up.

And that’s not a problem. On the contrary — it’s a sign that the Sankalpa is reaching the right depth.

Asking “Why” Until the Real Desire Reveals Itself

Sankalpa doesn’t override resistance, it reveals it. It makes us aware of what still needs to change or be addressed — not so we can force ourselves forward, but so we can live in a way that actually supports who we want to become, or what we want to call into our lives.

These days, you often hear:
“You need to live your goals as if they’ve already come true.”
“Be the person you want to become.”
“Fake it until you make it.”

There is truth in this — but it’s often misunderstood.

Sankalpa was never about pretending or performing a better version of yourself.

It was about alignment.

It quietly asks the nervous system to notice:
Where does my life not yet match this truth?

And then it waits.

This is also where the Bhagavad Gita offers an important correction.

In the Gita, liberation doesn’t come from fulfilling every wish.
It comes when the mind no longer needs to project fulfilment into the future.

When all Sankalpas — all longings, wishes, and mental projections — fall quiet, freedom is revealed.

So, the Sankalpa is not meant to be practised forever.

It’s a skillful means - a bridge.

We use Sankalpa while we’re still behaving in the old ways — even when we know they don’t really serve us anymore.

And once our behaviour changes, once we’ve become that person in real life, the Sankalpa has done what it needed to do.

A “scary” Sankalpa is often a good one.

Because it usually touches something real.
Something that matters.
Something close to the heart’s true desire.

Not a wish to become someone else - but a willingness to stop living against ourselves.

Sankalpa doesn’t force transformation.
It patiently re-educates the subconscious mind.

Not by pressure.
Not by pretending.

But by repetition, honesty, and presence.

Until behaviour, identity, and inner truth slowly begin to match.

And when that happens, the need for Sankalpa itself begins to dissolve.

Final Thoughts

When intentions fail, it’s usually not because we lack discipline.
It’s because we’re trying to change behaviour without addressing the conditioning underneath it.

Sankalpa works differently.
It meets the subconscious mind where habits are formed.
It reveals resistance instead of fighting it.
And it stays with us only as long as we’re still living from old patterns.

Once behaviour changes, Sankalpa has done its work.

So maybe Sankalpa isn’t about setting better intentions.
Maybe it’s about listening more honestly.

An Invitation to Reflect

Listening to the habits we’ve been living from.
Listening to the resistance that shows us where change is still needed.
And listening to what really matters underneath our wishes.

If you’re curious about working with Sankalpa, I wouldn’t start by trying to phrase one straight away.

Instead, start by noticing patterns.
Over the next few days, observe where you keep repeating the same behaviours — especially the ones that leave you tired, frustrated, or disconnected.

You might find it helpful to write this down.
Not to analyse it, but to see it more clearly.

When you notice a pattern, ask gently:
“Why do I want this to be different?”

And then ask why again.
And maybe again.

Not to force an answer — but to let the deeper reason reveal itself.

Very often, what we think we want isn’t the real wish.
And what’s underneath is something much more honest.

That process — noticing, asking why, and staying with what comes up — is already part of the Sankalpa practice.

Sankalpa isn’t something to rush into.
It reveals itself when we listen long enough.

FAQs

Is Sankalpa the same as setting an intention?

No.
An intention often focuses on what we want to change.
Sankalpa goes deeper — it addresses why we live the way we do and works with the subconscious patterns underneath behaviour.

Why do so many intentions fail?

Because most intentions stay on the surface.
They try to change behaviour without addressing habits, beliefs, and conditioning that have been built over years.
Sankalpa works at the level where those patterns are formed.

Why is Sankalpa phrased as if it is already true?

Not to pretend or force belief, but to speak directly to the subconscious mind.
This part of the mind responds to repetition and felt experience — not logic or willpower.
The wording helps reveal where our current life doesn’t yet match that truth.

What if resistance, fear, or doubt comes up?

That’s not a problem — it’s part of the practice.
Resistance shows where something still needs attention or change.
Sankalpa doesn’t push past resistance; it brings it into awareness.