Creating Intention in Yoga Practice

Many years ago one of my teachers said to me, “the way we enter a pose will influence our experience in it.” I recognized at the time that he was offering me more than one lesson, as I suddenly realized I was disconnected from my breath and being less than mindful about my practice.  As I integrated this instruction, I began to realize that this concept could be applied to more than just the manner in which I entered an asana, establishing a mindful start to practice and creating a relevant intention would support not only the practice itself but also other parts of my day.

Over time I have introduced this process of mindfully entering into practice and setting intention into nearly every one of my group and private yoga sessions. At the start of my classes I invite students to take a few moments to settle into their practice space and the time they have set aside for their self care. This can involve any number of techniques, but largely involves acknowledging where they are starting from, how they generally feel and what they would like to honor during their practice.

With regards to settling into practice, I often suggest that students first notice their body, perhaps how it meets the floor, how the air meets the skin, and generally how their body feels. Then I ask them to move their awareness to their breathing - its rhythm, its sounds and how their body moves while inhaling and exhaling. I might also invite students to notice if they feel sluggish and tired, busy-minded, or, perhaps, relaxed and present. Finally, I encourage them to notice their minds and any thoughts and feelings that might be up a that time.

This initial technique often helps to create a more mindful space, creating fertile ground for creating an intention for practice. To set intention for practice, I typically ask students to remember why they are choosing to do yoga and how they want to feel as they move through their practice. This can be anything from helping to heal an injury, to releasing tension, managing stress, building energy or promoting better sleep, just to name a few. A practitioner’s intention may also be the desire to integrate a certain quality, being patient, compassionate, loving, mindful or perhaps, feeling strong and empowered.  The use of intention setting allows each individual practitioner to reflect on why they practice and how they want to feel.

By affirming our motivation for practicing yoga on any given day, we are empowered to choose how we enter into our asana, pranayama or meditation techniques and reflect back to ensure that we continue to be aligned with our intention. As we foster this state of awareness and being in tune with our hearts in our daily practices, it can serve as a spring board for healing and growth not only in our yoga practice but in our day-to-day life.