INTENTIONS WILL ENRICH YOUR LIFE
INTENTIONS WILL ENRICH YOUR LIFE
When I first started yoga I didn’t understand what it meant to set an intention at the beginning of the practice. When a teacher would offer this my mind would race around searching for something that had meaning to me. Setting intentions was not part of my daily practice. I set goals and targets, which is ingrained in most of us from work, but this is very different to intention setting.
Intentions are positive and uplifting affirmations that help us to be more aware of ourselves in the present moment. Goals are things we think about in the future, things to strive for and to give us drive, which is no bad thing.
Personally, I work with an overriding intention that I come back to for a significant period of time. Some days, in my practice, I’ll work with slightly different intentions depending on what I need. We can set intentions at any point in our life. Often people set intentions in relation to the moon cycle or the seasons.
Inspired by ‘The Art Of Happiness’ - an interview with the Dalai Lama, an intention I’m focusing on in my day to day is to be compassionate, and to really understand what this means from moment to moment, person to person and with different experiences.
‘Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive’. - Dalai Lama
‘In Buddhist teachings, setting an intention is a path or practice that is focused on how you are "being" in the present moment. Your attention is on the everpresent "now" in the constantly changing flow of life. You set your intentions based on understanding what matters most to you and make a commitment to align your worldly actions with your inner values.’
Setting an intention in our yoga practice acts like a metaphor to translate our practice off the mat and into our life. It is a vehicle that makes yoga an aspect of our lifestyle, rather than something we do just for exercise. Setting intentions in line with the yoga philosophy is a great way to integrate the philosophy into your life and to keep the teachings at the forefront of your mind. It’s important to set intentions that are positive with no negative connotations e.g. I intend to give off positive energy, I intend to spread happiness, I intend to be kind to all those around me including myself, I look for the best in everything, I am open minded, I am loved and share love.
Whether or not you’re practicing yoga think about an intention you might want to set for the week or month. Keep that in your mind and heart, throughout the day and make every effort to live by it. This practice will enrich our lives and those around us. If everyone were to set positive intentions and raise their internal vibrations think of the affects this would have on the world.