Setting Intentions

Last week we practised yoga for “settling in”. The intention was to give us a bit of time and space to settle back into our Yoga practice after taking a long break over the Summer Holidays.

Getting back into the swing of things after taking an extended period of time away from our usual routine can feel a little difficult. But if we take it slowly and be mindful about not overdoing things too quickly, before we know it our usual routine has resumed, and we’re back to normality again (sometimes without even noticing)!

Settling in during our yoga practice - assessing the landscape of our physical and subtle bodies, taking some time to watch our breath and notice our thoughts, and figuring out what it is we need in that given moment - provides us with a fantastic opportunity to learn how to slow down and settle in gently to whatever situation might be presenting to us in our lives off the Yoga mat too.

It could simply be adjusting to the change in the weather again, starting a new routine, or perhaps it’s even a major life transition - whatever we might need to settle into, our yoga will provide us with the tools to learn how to be with what is, and take our time to navigate the waters again.

I mentioned in our sessions last week that as we enter into the new academic year, it feels as if we are not only settling back into our previous routines, but we are also given a chance to pause and reflect upon what’s already been and gone since the start of the year. We can then begin to settle into a new phase of our lives by perhaps making any necessary changes to our routines, schedules and ways of living/being.

September brings with it a new season, and this helps us to begin to release what is no longer serving us and figure out what we want for the last part of the year.

This is where our intention setting comes in particularly useful.

We set intentions for our Yoga practice every week so that we can find a purpose behind what we do on our mats - and this makes our practice so much more than just being about the physical shapes we create with our bodies.

This week, I would love for you to think about your own intentions as we head towards the last part of the year.

Consider the questions: what is it that I no longer need in my life? What can I let go of to create space to invite something else in? What am I experiencing right now and how can I sit with those feelings? What can I do to make things easier for myself? 

I know that more often than not, what brings us to Yoga is largely based on a physical intention - we want to increase our flexibility, feel fitter and healthier, more toned, help a bad back, etc. Or perhaps we want to feel more relaxed, reduce stress and anxiety and work on our mental well-being.

These are all fantastic intentions to set for your Yoga practice. But they are actually the icing on the cake, and just an added bonus of what our Yoga should be doing for us! 

For me, the practice of “Yoga” goes much deeper than this. 
Can you start to make it a deeper experience for yourself too? 

Set your intentions based on what it is you TRULY need right now. 

Here are some ideas for you:
​
“I intend to treat myself with more kindness and compassion”
“I intend to spend more time in nature”
“I intend to let go of what I no longer need”
“I intend to focus on more of what I truly need”
“I intend to live by my own beliefs and values, and not those of others”
“I intend to use my yoga practice as a means to get to know myself better”
“I intend to be of more service to others”...

And so the list goes on!

If you are struggling with setting intentions, give me a shout and we’ll work through this together because I would really love for you to start getting the most out of your yoga practice!

Namaste
xxx

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