Intention-setting in yoga

Sometimes in a yoga session a teacher might refer to setting an intention for the class ahead. The teacher might suggest an intention for the whole class or might encourage students to set their own.

I personally believe that yoga is a very personal experience and as such I tend to keep my intentions for myself, whether teaching or practising.

For me an intention is a way of bringing a quality I wish to cultivate both on and off the mat to my practice. Some examples of qualities I have used before include patience, gratitude, being present in the moment, awareness of breath, love, forgiveness, letting go, being open to receive, inner strength and many others.

I think intentions can act as a tool to bring our practice into the world and are a vehicle that makes yoga an aspect of our lifestyle, rather than something we just do to exercise.

I sometimes use intentions as mantras during meditation practice as well. Simply repeating a word or a sentence over and over again and feeling what it means to me during meditation, it seems like it becomes more real. I find this process deeply nourishing and helpful, especially at times when the going gets tough.

I’m curious about other people’s experience of this so, my friend, what is your experience of setting intentions and if you haven’t tried it before, why don’t you think about bringing a quality to your next practice?