For me, setting an intention is like creating a road map towards whatever my goal is for that practice or day.
When I say “goal”, I don’t mean how hard I’m going to work physically or what I want to accomplish in my asana practice. It’s the bigger picture. Sometimes it’s a word that inspires me on my mat, like strength or peace. Sometimes I have the same intention for months at a time.
I’m using intention in yoga as an example, but intention doesn’t just start and stop on the yoga mat.
Why Are You Doing What You’re Doing?
There’s a lot of power behind knowing WHY you do what you do. It’s the quality of consciousness you are bringing to your words and actions. It’s the why behind the why.
For example, let’s say you want to buy a bigger house. There may be lots of reasons why you want a bigger house, and those reasons are the intention behind the desire. Do you want a bigger home because you’re growing your family? Or is your desire fueled by wanting to impress others? If it’s the latter, there’s a good chance that once you get the bigger house, that won’t be enough.
You might also end up needing a nicer car and fancier clothes. And even then, will you be satisfied?
Probably not.
Do you see the difference?
The consciousness behind the motivation is always going to determine the effect that occurs.
Here’s another example: Why do you exercise? Do you want to be “fit” because it makes you feel strong mentally and physically? Or are you working out so others will perceive you in a certain way?
There’s no right or wrong answer here, we are just bringing awareness to how intention can be used to create a certain outcome.
Intention is something that we can apply to absolutely everything we do in this life. Without a focused intention behind our actions and our thoughts, it is easy to lose sight of what we are actually creating for our lives.
As the great Queen Oprah says, “intention rules every outcome”.
Like Attracts Like
It might sound a little “woo woo”, but in my experience, the energy we put out into the world is the same energy that comes right back to us.
So if we want more love, we have to set our intentions to be more loving towards others. If we want financial abundance, we have to live from a place of abundance, not scarcity. Conversely, if we wonder why we are surrounded by negativity and angry people, we might need to take a closer look at how we are showing up in the world, the energy we are putting out, and the mindstate we live in.
Are you constantly having negative reactions to unpleasant situations? Like attracts like.
So how can we use the power of intention to create a life we want to lead?
First consider that what you do is not as important as HOW you do what you do, and WHY you do what you do.
What is your why behind what you’re doing or thinking?
Start becoming aware of your thoughts and desires. See if you can stop yourself every once in a while and think, “why do I want this? What is my intention behind this desire?”
Are you doing things from a place of love or from a place of “I’ll show you!”?
If we are not present with what our intention is behind everything we do and think, we end up wasting so much of our precious lives in competition and comparison. Always chasing the next best thing.
When we allow a deeper consciousness to guide us, something beneath the surface, or “intention”, we are fueled with a certain power that leads us in the direction of an outcome which is more than just external satisfaction. It fills us up from the inside out.
So the next time you’re in a yoga class, or standing in line at the grocery store, or having a conversation with a friend, think to yourself: What is my intention and why?
It might seem like a small detail, but this tiny bit of awareness shows up in very big and powerful ways.
Like Oprah says, “thought by thought, choice by choice, we are co creating our lives based on the energy of our intention.”
