INTENTION

"In truth, it matters less what we do in practice than how we do it and why we do it. The same posture, the same sequence, the same meditation with a different intention takes on an entirely new meaning and will have entirely different outcomes." -Donna Farhi-


I am often asked why we set an intention at the beginning of every yoga practice. A simple answer is that is gives one a focus to move toward. Paul Dennison, PhD,a brain researcher and the co-founder of the movement based learning system, Educational Kinesiology, coined the phrase "attention follows intention." By taking a moment at the beginning of practice to set an intention, I am bringing my awareness to a particular feeling, movement, pose. It is a way of noticing. Setting an intention is bringing attention to a desired outcome. I may set an intention around feeling peaceful by the end of practice. More than likely, I set that intention because I wasn't feeling peaceful at the start of practice. Perhaps my hip has been bothering me, so I set an intention to gently work out the tightness in my hip. I am setting a goal for something I would like to achieve. Dennison explains that "Like a magnet, intention has the power to draw out of us the qualities we need to reach our goal." (BRAIN GYM(R) AN ME,2006,p.83)

I look at goal setting as a way to maximize my time in practice. As a teacher, my intention is to be clear, well prepared, playful and attentive. I am more apt to accomplish this if I make it my intention to do so.