Intention

I’ve been working with intentions effectively for a good few years now. Way back in the day when I’d set goals at the beginning of the year, never really think about them again until the December of that year, then wonder why I’d never really moved closer to the goal. It wasn’t until I found Yoga Nidra & learning more about the energy of the Lunar Cycles that I really tapped into the power & energy of setting intentions. 

With Yoga Nidra you set a SanKalpa, a short sentence, stating what you would like as if you’re already living it. In this yoga practice you work with the same SanKalpa every practice until it’s in your life. Which I loved, because when I was practicing Yoga Nidra 3 times a week I was bringing those words to myself each class, repeatedly throughout the practice. And actually even when doin other styles of Yoga, I would always repeat my intention during Shavasana. So it really became something I bought to every yoga class.

Learning about the phases of the moon and how the moons energy can support us in achieving goals, was also fun. Each New Moon, just after the stillness and reflection time of the Dark Moon, I would sit with my oracle or tarot cards asking them what will become of this new month, what did I need to work on, call in? From here I would use this tool as guidance to frame my intention. When it came time at the Full Moon, my practice would be to let go, move through or release what which wasn’t serving me & my intention for the month. There are 8 phases of the moon and each of them carries an energy to guide you in moving through your intentions. It’s really cool. I have a blog on the Dark Moon if you’d like to check that out. As for the other phases, I’m hoping to have these in a blog very soon.

So which works better? And believe me there are plenty of other ways to work with intentions. These are just two of the ways I connect to intention work. The answer however is: It’s completely up to you. I used to set a new intention every month in-line with the moon. But this year has been a little different. I’ve been able to really delve deeper into the wording and have been working with the same intention for the last 5 months. Sometimes I may change one word around, which was just last month. But at the root of the intention has been the same. 

I think it’s come from the fact that each month, for the past 7 months, I’ve also been checking in on my Values, and holding myself to living in alignment with those. Checking in regularly on my values means I’m reflecting on how have I lived those values. It’s a great sense check on the decisions I make, how I carry myself in all I do, and of course the intention I set for myself. Both, now I realise, are quite intertwined. Hahaha it took for my writing this to realise this correlation. 

So when do I work with my intention? As often as I feel I need to tap into it really. Daily I meditate with it. In yoga in Shavasana I repeat it to myself if I find my thoughts are going everywhere and anywhere. If I’m practicing Yoga Nidra: this is my SanKalpa. If I’m having a hard time getting to sleep, I repeat it over & over in my mind. If I’m overwhelmed or needing to make an important decision, I take a few breaths and repeat my intention quietly to myself.

The more I’m using my intention in this way, the more I feel it’s a way I come back to myself. It's a connection directly into my heart. Your SanKalpa is born from your hearts desire. And when I say I anchor into it, I feel because it’s a safe place for my mind to go, it’s become a practice where I can drop into myself at any point. It’s a body, mind & spirit connector. So when I feel detached from myself, stressed, unable to sleep or wanting to connect deeper into my practice.

My Intention is my gateway back to my Self

The intention I’m working with at the moment is: “ I am connected, in flow and trust my inner knowing’

I am: in the present tense. Saying it like I'm already living my intention:

Connected: this is a call to being connected: to my self, spirit, source, my body, my practice, my heart, my people.

In flow: is moving with flow, in my work, in my life, my decisions, flow for me = with ease, things are moving in the right direction, I'm true to my path.

Trust my inner knowing: is trust in my Self, my gut, my intuition. My inner knowing is the deepest, most honest, most vulnerable part of me. And my intention is to build the deepest trust in this inner knowing. 

Until I feel like I’m living this intention, I will be working with it as is. I may make a small change here or there, and that is so very allowed. As I share often, this Sacred Self Practice of working with an Intention is your practice and you do what you need to do with it. Try it, maybe start with the setting a monthly intention, either on the first day of the month, or if you’re into the moon work: then the New Moon is a great time to set your intention.

And as you know I’m never far from a crystal. So if you’re like that too, or have a crystal handy: this is a great practice to have something tangible and with form to set your intention into. Once you’ve worked out the wording, spend some time charging up a crystal with your intention. It could be as easy holding the crystal in your palm, visualising a golden light surrounding your palm and the crystal, take a few breaths, and bring the crystal to your mouth and whisper into the crystal your intention. For the moment any crystal will work: Clear Quartz is an amazing go-to.