You finally step on your mat, and the teacher walks in. She says, “Let’s begin in child’s pose. Don’t forget to set an intention for today’s yoga class.” And just like that your mind is off. What is an intention? Is my intention good enough? Wasn’t showing up for class my intention?
Along with all other aspects of yoga, setting an intention–or in Sanskrit a sankalpa—should not be stressful. Yoga and setting intentions in a practice are meant to guide you through a peaceful and contented life. So let’s talk about 5 specific keys to take the stress out of setting intentions.
1. Start Your Intention by Staying Present
The first thing to keep in mind is that to determine your intention for a practice, you need to be in the present moment. As hard as it is sometimes, try to forget about what you were doing fifteen minutes before class. Let go of your to-do list for after class. Be mindful of your body and mind, right here and right now.
Baron Baptiste says in his book Journey into Power, “We are either now here or nowhere.” Just one small space makes all the difference in meaning.
Once you get into the present moment, you can ask yourself some important questions.
- What am I feeling right now?
- What do I want or need to cultivate in my life?
- What do I value about myself at this moment?
By tuning into the answers to these questions, you begin to find the basis of your intention.
2. Focus on a Positive Quality or Value
Another important aspect of setting an intention is that it should be positive. It might focus on a value that you’re working to harness, such as empathy. Additionally, it could be a positive quality that you already have that could be used to improve other areas of your life. For instance, you might be personable which helps you build community in your yoga practice.
After you have selected your value or quality, then create an “I” statement. This sounds like a selfish thing to do, but it’s really not. Before you can help others improve their lives, you have to be willing to help yourself. Think about the safety speech we have heard on every flight: put your own mask on first, then help others. Here are some examples of “I” statements:
- -I am compassionate.
- -I welcome grace into my life.
- -I embrace my mental and physical flexibility.
- -I am strong and focused.
3. Keep Your Intention Simple
The third key to setting an intention is to keep it simple. If your daily intention truly resonates with you, then you will be coming back to it repeatedly during your practice, and hopefully, throughout the rest of your day. It is something that reminds you to keep going.
For this reason, you don’t want it to be a long, rambling sentence. Trust me, there’s nothing more distracting than thinking to yourself in the middle of a sun salutation, “Um, what was I supposed to be embracing today? I can’t remember what I came up with.”
Five or six words are more than enough for an intention. You don’t have to name all of your good qualities or all of the values that you hope to build upon in one class. Hopefully, you’ll be back to your mat in the next day or two, so there will be plenty of time to get to everything you want to cultivate in your life. For now, keep it simple.
4. Be Authentic
The next aspect of intention setting is being authentic to yourself. Your intention is just that…yours. You don’t say it aloud or whisper it to the person on the mat next to you. It is all yours! Don’t worry if it sounds corny. Don’t worry that someone might judge you. The only aspect that matters is that your intention resonates with you. If it does, then it is authentic for you.
5. Work On and Off the Mat
Finally, an intention is a statement that you can carry with you throughout your yoga practice and throughout your day. After all yoga is a practice that is meant to improve every aspect of our lives!
When you find an intention that is powerful for you, your mind returns to it time and time again. You might be nailing Bird of Paradise when you hear “I am strong enough.” Or you might be making a huge presentation in front of your colleagues about the updated budget, and there it is again, “I am strong enough.”
Either way, your intention is there for you. This is honestly what kept me coming back at the beginning of my yoga journey(link to blog post). Without setting an intention, I might not have remembered why I was adding value to the world.
Conclusion:Make Your Intention Yours
Above all else, when you are setting an intention, remember there is no right or wrong. The five keys– staying present, focusing on positive qualities, keeping it simple and authentic, and working on it on and off the mat–are all specific to you. What is simple to me may not be to you. What I consider being present may be nothing compared to the zen moment you are able to harness. That is the power of the intention.
Do you have other tips for setting intentions or do you want to share a powerful intention that keeps you going through your practice? Please feel free to share in the comments below.
See you on the mat!
~ Teriane
P.S. Look for a future post on do’s and don’ts for some common yoga poses. Have ideas for future posts? Let me know in the comments or via the contact page. Namaste!
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