Setting an intention: The Secret Sauce to your Success

Pia Shlomo
Dec 23, 2021
5 min read

Updated: Jan 3, 2022

How to choose an intention to create great RESULTS in your life?

Read to the end for 2 ACTION STEPS to create immediate impact

Every yoga class I teach begins by setting an intention after we Om in.

Simply put, setting an intention engages the single most powerful force you can use to control your life. That is the power of CHOICE click to learn more about that

Setting an intention helps you get crystal clear on making those choices. Examples of intentions often incorporated into a yoga practice are: creating space, holding space, clarity, compassion, service, gratitude, experiencing, becoming, creativity, love, connection, joy, acceptance, forgiveness, progress, control, breath, living in abundance, intuition, observance, freedom, letting go, and anything else that calls to you.

This week's intention is

🥁🥁🥁

INTENTION

🤗

Yup... Living intentionally in and of itself is an intention!

Acting with INTENTION means you make a conscious choice to

RESPOND INSTEAD OF REACT.

example please ? ok click here

Think of our weekly intention like the plot of your favorite sitcom. What was your favorite show growing up? (✋Growing Pains) Remember the once-a-week deal with tv shows??? We were riveted by the unfolding of a pithy challenge (which is what made it interesting ) and a solid resolution would work out in 26 minutes. Sometimes it ended with a “to be continued...” Your attention span was tested as you built the skill of patience because you had no choice but to wait until next week. Setting an intention provides every episode of your life with the challenge AND the solution all rolled into one. If you're thinking “pfft..why would I intentionally seek out a challenge?” Let's contextualize challenge as the path to your ordained growth and evolution. Choosing a meaningful intention at the moment may not seem like such a challenge. I invite you to consider what appeals to you about your intention of choice? What aspect of your life will get easier by integrating your intention into your thoughts about the situation? Right there is transformation at work my friends 🧠💡🤯😇

(Side note: Your factory settings include the adventure channel. It features the most riveting plot twists that lead to your growth and evolution and is a non-refundable part of your premium subscription package here on earth. You can’t receive any other channels without it. It’s in the rules!)

Growth and comfort don’t live at the same address. If you have spent as much as one week adulting you probably know, challenges; or growth opportunities, are usually never very far away. When you meet each challenge/opportunity with a clear intention you are giving yourself the chance to respond in a way that serves that intention. Unintentional living leaves us just going through the motions. This leaves us exhausted and frustrated which leads to impulsive reactions that often don't serve us. If life is an adventure you can try to survive it or tune in intentionally to navigate your own course .

More Real-life examples you say? Let's take an example of setting an intention of ACCEPTANCE in our yoga practice both on and off the mat. Acceptance is the willingness to let go of resistance. When you intentionally trade resistance for the discomfort you may be avoiding you are leaning into revolutionary acceptance. The result is a palpable sense of peace in your soul and profound CLARITY.

Let's examine your power of CHOICE: if you missed the day in school when they taught how to make healthy choices click here.

What to FOCUS on: Setting an intention of acceptance in the context of challenging physical poses and/or challenging emotional postures offers the opportunity to willfully engage in the discomfort of certain physical and emotional sensations.

What to FEEL: Acceptance of any challenge is met by a deliberate and mindful acceptance of the sensation that comes with it. This means you allow yourself to FEEL WHAT YOU FEEL, without judging and without trying to change it.

What to DO: Your acceptance offers a new perspective from which to move forward. Your next action step will come a lot more easily when you let go of resistance and lean in to your newfound CLARITY.

Often the episodes in the ongoing series of life aren't resolved in 26 minutes. When our stories are bookended with lots of “to be continued…” It’s easy to get distracted, disappointed, deflated, and derailed.

Setting an intention creates mindfulness that allows you to direct your energy, thoughts, and movement in one direction that will serve you at the highest level. That’s YOGA. In plain English, an intention is like your mission statement for the moment and gives you good stuff to focus on, good stuff to feel, and good stuff to do.

If yoga is the marriage of breath and movement weaving an intention into that union is the thought child that offers the relationships a direction growth and can remind them of a common bond should the sacred union be in jeopardy? Beyond connecting breath, movement, and thought on the mat, your yoga practice becomes thematic in all areas of your life. With practice, your intention will naturally begin to fuel your regular thoughts, feelings, and actions.

To sum it up in a math problem (because who doesn't love math & yoga combined???😇)

CHOICE (Thoughts + Feelings + Actions ) x Intention = Meaningful RESULTS

Action steps:

1) Get a pen and paper or a journal. Answer the following questions. Choose a meaningful intention. Consider what appeals to you about your intention of choice? What aspect of your life will get easier by integrating your intention into your thoughts? Why?

2) Take five minutes at the beginning of your day to set an intention for three specific parts of your day. Write it down. If you need help to remember as your day gets busy set a reminder on your phone.

3) Share your intention out loud over the course of your week in whatever way feels right to you. Bringing an intention to life by getting it out of your head and sharing it with others will catapult the idea to real action in your life.

Remember setting an intention is you making the CHOICE to take full control of your life.

What to focus on, what to feel, and what to do about it.

Ex. The intention of Intention:

Focus: RESPOND instead of REACT

A response means you make the choice to process whatever information is coming through. Take a moment to think before (re)-acting. In essence this is you choosing your thoughts.

A reaction is more instinctive and impulsive. Will reflect your visceral feelings but may not lead you towards the most effective choice in behavior.

Feel: Practicing an intentional response programs your brain to choose your emotions rather than just go through the motions of your life. It will allow you to step away from the hustle and stress that plagues your day and instead, experience the moment you are in. From within that clear space you can make a choice as to how you want to feel and how you want to act in the moment. Daily struggles will become easier by working through the moment with an intentional RESPONSE rather than an impulsive REACTION.

Do : (this is a generic example. You can use any situation) Be intentionally present during the morning process with your family (i.e. breakfast or drop off) without thinking of what has to get done later. Pay full attention to what is happening at the moment. Notice what you hear, smell, see, think, and most importantly, FEEL. If something goes differently than planned you have the ability to intentionally decide how to RESPOND RATHER THAN REACT.

YOU get to decide what to DO with the moment.

I hope you decide to embrace it, enjoy it and live it with full intention.

Remember Happiness is a Choice,

Om Shanti & Namaste

-Pia

🚨 Quote Alert:

🙏When you create space in your life with intention you can decide how to fill that space.

🙏When you cultivate your thoughts with intention you can decide what to think

🙏When you cultivate your life with intention you decide to live life ON PURPOSE, WITH PURPOSE