Understanding our motivations can be a powerful tool in creating a balanced life that feels aligned with our heart and soul. And when we consciously create intentions, we are empowering ourselves to guide our actions, words, thoughts and feelings in the direction of our choosing. Setting, holding and living our truest intentions is a life-long practice that can lead us to freedom in our mind, body & spirit.
Why set intentions?
In a yoga class, setting an intention at the beginning of practice provides the mind with an anchor to revisit if lingering worries or random thoughts begin to invade. It can also help to shift the experience from one rooted primarily in the body toward a practice that is experienced with and through your whole self. A yoga asana practice is a vehicle for self-exploration, and being clear about your intended destination – for the practice at hand or beyond – helps you to use it as a mindful tool to further your journey. Intention setting sets the stage for a very personal, and potentially profound, experience every time you step onto your mat.
In general, setting intentions – for the moment, the day or the year – offers a reminder of what it is you wish to move toward in your life. Whether you desire greater peace, wisdom, wellness, joy, abundance, ease, love or whatever makes your heart sing, creating and holding an intention around it reminds you of the power that you always have to choose what is in your best interest and feels most aligned with your heart and soul. Taking the time to acknowledge the direction in which you wish to travel can help to guide the journey in incredibly meaningful ways.
Suggestions to get you started.
~ Be honest with yourself. No long lists of faults, missteps or misdeeds are needed here, but a little self-honesty and reflection goes a long way toward creating an intention-setting practice that is meaningful and powerful. Mixed with a heavy dose of self-compassion, truth is a valued friend on any journey inward.
~ Make the choices that feel empowering. The key here is embracing that this is a choice that you are making for yourself. Framing your intentions in a way that feels uplifting and empowering to you can make a difference in your relationship with the practice. For instance, setting an intention to make more healthful food choices may feel more empowering than an intention focused on eliminating foods that you currently eat regularly and enjoy. What can I add vs. what must I take away. You may find what must fall away along the journey will fall away as you continue to make your empowered choices.
~ Don’t force it. Another great benefit of an intention–setting practice is that it offers an opportunity to practice allowing things to come to you instead of reaching, forcing and striving for them. There is a deep wisdom within you that knows exactly what you need to prosper on your journey. Creating the ideal conditions for you to tune into that wisdom is part of the challenge of the practice, but each time you set aside some time for stillness and inner reflection, you are strengthening the pathways through which that wisdom communicates with you.
~ Find ways to remind yourself regularly. Incorporating the words, phrases or images that support your intentions into your life is a simple and powerful way to stay connected with your practice throughout the day. Jewelry & clothing with empowering reminders, notebooks & journals with beautiful phrases and photos, favorite quotes written on mirrors, chalkboards or sticky notes around your home and office – these are all examples of ways that you can remind yourself of your “why” and the beauty of it.
~ Be with others. Seek opportunities to strengthen your connection to your intentions and the deep wisdom within by attending yoga or meditation classes, healing, community or women’s circles or other gatherings of people that feel aligned with your path. Gathering in community is always good for the soul, and connecting with like-minded people helps you to recognize that you are not alone.
A place to start.
Close your eyes and take a few slow, deep breaths to settle yourself. When you feel ready, ask yourself “How do I want to feel today?” Allow the answers to flow through your awareness with as little resistance as possible, like a list scrolling on a screen. As each answer to the questions presents itself, notice it and check in with how you feel about it. Does your heart seem to expand or contract at the thought if it? What happens in your gut – does it tighten? Make a mental note of the ones that feel nurturing and nourishing to you – the ones that uplift your heart, feel comfortable and fortifying in your belly and settle into your mind without friction. When you feel like you have a few nourishing choices, revisit them one by one. Repeat these words to yourself, maybe incorporating them into phrases like “I am…” or “I choose…” and see which one(s) resonate most with you. Spend the space of a few breaths repeating your chosen intention(s) to yourself, and let the practice go when it feels complete. Take a moment to write the words down – a journal or notebook works great – and read the list to yourself slowly and mindfully each day for as long as feels appropriate to you. You may find over time that one or more of the words change or rise or fall in their meaning and connection to you. Allow that process to unfold as it will. Revisit the visualization anytime that you would like – perhaps creating a new list or noticing how the experience evolves for you.
While intention-setting gets a great deal more attention at the start of each year, it is a practice that we can incorporate into our daily lives to help us create a more balanced relationship with our deepest desires and truest motivations.
Here’s a guided meditation to get you started ~
Interested in learning more? Sign-up for the Community Library today! It’s a virtual library of recorded meditation and yoga practices designed to support your desire to live soulfully. It is always free and open to everyone!