Have you ever felt lost when making decisions? Maybe you’ve felt unsafe or unsupported when navigating challenging situations, or perhaps you’ve felt as though you can’t focus and have no motivation?
It’s easy to get caught up in the “noise” of our lives and our society nowadays. With a constant influx of news, social media and the vortex of cat videos at our fingertips, it’s understandable that the only inner dialogue we can often hear is our ever-present to-do list. This continual outer focus moves us further away from our inner knowing and guidance as we search for answers, validation and direction from outside of ourselves.
This is where living with intention and having an intention practice is at its most powerful. With clear intent on what you want to do, become or where you want to go, you can discover direction, focus and strength. Intention becomes your compass, your anchor and your vitality.
On and off the yoga mat
In yoga, it is common to set an intention for your practice. The intention may be to stay present in class, to cultivate positivity of the mind or to send the energy of your practice to another being. It might also be something practical, such as to heal an injury. That intention is then your anchor point throughout the class. You’ll be guided to come back to your intention when there’s an opportunity to enter into a more advanced pose, you’ll draw on it for strength when the class becomes challenging, and you’ll follow its lead as a focus for your thoughts, movements and choices in each moment. In this way, the intention of your class becomes your guidance, support and source of energy. When you gift yourself the practice of setting an intention outside of yoga and meditation, you can connect with its same focus, strength and clarity in your everyday life.
Seeds for change
Living intentionally is an active choice. As you set an intention, you plant the seed for change and transformation. It’s vital to care for your intention throughout the day by watering and nourishing it with positive thoughts and healthy choices, and you care for it through the varying seasons or happenings of your day. As you nurture the seed of your intention, it responds just like a plant by growing and evolving. This is your point of change — as your inner work begins to flourish in your outside world. For example, if you plant a seed to “embody self-love”, you may commit to some nourishing self-care practices; if you planta seed to “be brave with your voice”, you might connect with the strength to voice your own needs or opinions; by planting a more practical seed to “reconnect with your passion for painting”, you just might discover a greater sense of self-expression. But to develop a way of living with intention, you must first understand the garden in which the intentions can thrive.
Preparing the ground
The most vital part of embracing a life steeped in intention is ensuring that your intention comes from a place of love. The ground in which a seed is planted is integral to how it grows. The Sanskrit word for intention is sankalpa. Sankalpa is an intention that is formed and found in the heart of your highest truth, to which you make a vow and commit to honouring. It is in this space that you find your seed. This means that the reasoning behind your true intention will be positive in nature.
Selecting the seed
For example, if your intention is to lose weight, consider why you want to lose weight as, with some inquiry, there might be a positive and constructive truth behind that desire. Perhaps your intention becomes a commitment to care for your body or to love and accept your body as it is. It might seem counterintuitive to say something to yourself that may not be real yet, but it is essential to recognise and set an intention as though it already exists.
Our minds work in wonderfully complex ways, and the most effective approach to bring your intention to life is to keep things simple, positive and in the present as our minds and bodies eventually rise to the repeated sankalpa. Speaking in present terms will also enable you to come back to the present moment each time you revisit it.
Nurturing the seed
To bring your intention to life, it must be nurtured through a practice of honouring it throughout your day. Return to your intention for guidance and insight when making choices. For example, if you have set your intention to spend time on art, when you’re asked to drop what you’re doing and catch up with a friend for a coffee, listen for your highest good. If your art needs a break for a couple of hours, then maybe you could accept the offer. But if you really need to stay with your work, your intention will empower you to turn down the offer.
The practice
Setting an intention is best done in the morning, as it will then underpin the rest of your day. You might like to discover and set your intention just as you wake up, as this is when your heart is believed to be at its most vocal, or perhaps a little later in the morning when you’re meditating or even over your first cuppa of the day. Alternatively, you may be a preparation master and set it the night before, letting it flow into your dreams. Whichever you choose, this is your practice, so do what you feel is best.
Create space. Whether you sit on your meditation pillow, at your kitchen table or in your car, create the space and prepare for your practice.
Breathe. Connect with your body and begin to take slow, deep breaths. Close your eyes if it’s available to you.
Bring your awareness inward. Notice your thoughts. Are they quiet and pleasant, or loud and manic? Just notice them without judgement and then let them go.
Tune into the wisdom of your heart. Consider the day ahead. Do you have a busy day and need to focus? Have you got the day to yourself and want to prioritise self-care? Spend some time here in your heart space and ask your heart what is the most important “seed” to focus on.
Find the intentions phrase. Once you’ve discovered what you’d like to focus on, verbalise it simply, positively and in the present tense. For example, “I am strong and safe to speak my truth” will support you to feel confident in voicing your needs throughout the day. Repeat the phrase three times, anchoring it in your mind.
Bring your awareness back to the present. Feel the intention in your body and mind as you return back to the room. Whenever you feel like you need clarity, focus or strength throughout the day, return to your intention as it will realign, guide and empower you.
Tree of intention
As your intentions grow, evolve and develop, they become the branches, leaves and blossoms of a flourishing tree. As it takes in new life with each intention, it begins to extend its life-giving breath to the environment in which it lives. To live with intention is not just an act of self-care, but also an act of service and love for others.
Hannah Sainty is a creative entrepreneur, freelance writer and intermedia artist. Drawing inspiration from nature and our intrinsic connectedness within it, Hannah explores the link between wellness and creativity.
