The beginnning of a new year offers a universal and energetic space to set intentions with millions of others across the world. Positive vibes are high, and so is your motivation. It can be done any time but at this time of year, the energy is strong as we collectively assess our lives and how we want to move forward to live our best life.
You can set intentions at any time of the year. No matter when you decide to do it, setting an intention (Sankalpa) can help you realise your life’s purpose, meaning, and value.
It is also known as your Dharma in Sanskrit and is your guiding light in everything you do.
“These are heartfelt attitudes that we hold with our entire body and mind, which enable us to achieve our deepest aspirations in life.” - Richard Miller, iRest.
What matters is nurturing your intentions so they last and can be realised over time. One way of nurturing your intention is through Yoga Nidra. It helps to plant and nurture your intention by consciously directing your attention and energy toward helpful outcomes.
Setting intentions and combining them with Yoga Nidra is so powerful. Here are some of the reasons why:
- When we are awake our mind often tries to make a shift with intentions but this is not where the influences of our past are stored. What we try to will into reality with our mental body can often be sabotaged by past life experiences and mental impressions (samskaras).
- Yoga Nidra systematically guides you through each energetic layer (from gross to subtle) of your being (called Koshas).
- The most powerful place to plant your intention during Yoga Nidra is when your mind is completely relaxed. In Yoga Nidra this is called your bliss body (Anandamaya Kosha).
- This is where your mental impressions that do not serve you can be rewritten so is a very powerful spot to plant your intention.
- Then your intentions are infused into the physical body via a body scan.
- Finally, your intentions are reinforced as you come out of your Yoga Nidra.
Yoga Nidra is so much more than a body scan!
But how do you create an intention that lasts? Here are our six steps on how to begin and make a difference in your life.
1 - Create an Intention That You Feel in Your Skin
When you have the right intention, there should be a physical reaction that you can feel. It could be goosebumps, warmth or lightness, the sense that it has clicked in your body.
Thinking of your intention should give you goosebumps.
It is the intensity of this longing and desire that makes a difference in your life. Focus on how you want to be and feel, rather than material things.
Begin by having a quiet meditation session.
Create a peaceful atmosphere and sit down on your Meditations cushions.
Now, close your eyes, take a deep breath and ask yourself:
- “What is not working in my life right now? Lethargy, stress and anxiety, motivation
- “What habit do I have that contributes to this? Giving in, not speaking up, not feeling good enough. Not being honest with myself
- “How would I like to be in this situation instead? Empowered, centered, honest, healthy, strong, truthful,
- How would it feel if you where free from this? At peace, calm, grounded, empowered, loved, in harmony…
Pick the words that have power in them from the last two questions and start to create your intention.
E.g. I am empowerd to speak my truth, I am nourished in every part of my being, I trust the path that brought me here.
You must be vulnerable with yourself. Delve into your deepest desires and how you feel in the moment.
In the following table, we discuss the three best yoga poses for meditation to activate your intention:
|
Yoga Pose |
Sanskrit Reference |
Benefit |
| Cross legs - Seated | Sukasana | Releases tension in your nervous system for better relaxation and allows you to be alert but relaxed in contemplation |
| Corpse Pose | Shavasana | Calms the mind and allows you to completely relax the physical body |
| Kneeling | Modified Virasana | Takes compression from the knees and ankles when propped with a Calm Buddhi Meditation Set and allows you to be alert but relaxed in contemplation |
We recommend these poses because they help you deepen introspection. You become in tune with your inner voice and discover your intention.
An effective intention helps us experience the whole of life through a positive lens. So your intention should focus on an aspect of your life that you want to grow, or improve an aspect of life you're struggling with.
The beauty of intention is that it focuses on where you want to go and not on what you don't want.
What you put your attention on will grow stronger and what you withdraw your attention from gets weaker. Setting your intention with positive and powerful action words allows you to rewire your brain to the positive.
So, rather than saying something like, “I remove stress from the body” you say, “I am internally steady.” The latter is powerful, present tense and positive.
Likewise, you must be concise when determining your intention. Consider narrowing down your intention to just a few words. The shorter the better.
From there you can form personal mantras that are short and easy to remember.
To demonstrate, we could shorten the above to “Internally steady”. This mantra triggers positive action toward your intention to be calmer and at peace with daily life. From this calm and steady space, you will find yourself making positive changes in your life that contribute to this heartfelt desire of being internally steady.
You may find yourself doing more yoga for example and investing in tools that help you feel more steady and calm in daily life.
3 - Set Your Intention in the Present Tense
From the Ancient text, The Upanishads, is this wonderful quote:
“You are what your deepest desire is. As is your desire, so is your intention. As is your intention, so is your will. As is your will, so is your deed. As is your deed, so is your destiny.”
In other words you are what you think! So we want to ensure we say our intentions in the present tense with positive and powerful words. My teacher always said that we should say our intention with words that are filled with prana shakti (full of active and powerful energy).
The phrase “I am” is one of the most powerful when it comes to setting your intention. This phrase activates your mind to align with and feel your intention in the present moment. Other powerful phrases could include “I stand in, I radiate, I embody the full expression of…."
Completed with those words that invoke your desire which could include:
Love, peace stability, steady, nourished, secure, whole, presence, divine, power.
Say it as if it were true and already in action.
Imagine what your life would be like if you actively live your intention. Feel that in your body. It is what you really want, does anything else come up that may align more with your ultimate desire in life?
Take time to reflect and journal.
Here is a list of sample mantras you can use for inspiration:
“I am nourished in every part of my being.”
“I rest in the power within me.”
“I embody the full expression of love.”
“I am the emissary of light and love.”
“I stand in the power of divine presence.”
Expert Tip: Recite your new positive and powerful intention at the start and end of completing your yoga practice while using your grounding yoga mat. Initially, you are setting your intention before you move and nurture every part of your body. Your intention is why you practice. By reciting at the end of your practice, your mind is calm. You will gain mental clarity on the specific actions to take to achieve your intention the more you repeat it in daily life.
4 - Plant and Nurture Your Intention in Yoga Nidra (Deep Relaxation)
Yoga Nidra meditation helps your conscious mind actualise your intention with ease. It is further planted when you are in a deeply relaxed state (Anandamaya Kosha or bliss body).
Anadamaya Kosha is one of the divine dimensions of human existence and is closest to the divine.
When your mind and body are so quiet, you are free from controlling or managing your life experience.
Practise this daily to actively reflect on your progress.
So, how can you plant your intentions to achieve a blissful body state?
The best way is to practice Yoga Nidra using your Yoga Nidra and meditation comfort bundle. It provides the ultimate comfort so you can let go of your physical and mental body to help you actualise your intention.
"The quality is incredible, it's an investment in my well-being and my quality of life.” - Kirsten F., Calm Buddhi Client.
5 - Add Your Sankalpa (Intention) To Your Bedtime Routine
Turn off your light, get into bed, and close your eyes. As you feel your self moving to sleep, say your intention three times and feel it in your body as if it is true. Imagine what your life would be like living in this intention. Visulise it as you move to sleep.
Where are you? How does it feel in your body? Feel it.
You are planting this intention into your conscious and relaxed mind by saying it and feeling it before your sleep. Then your unconscious mind (while you sleep) will marinate in your intentions for 8 hrs and this can help you to realise your intentions and actions to realise them in daily life.
“In a dream, in the vision of the night, when deep sleep falls upon us, whilst slumbering in our beds we open the ears and seal our instruction.” - Book of Job 33:15-16.
You can wind down for sleep in these 3 yoga poses for deep and restorative sleep:
- Reclined Supine Spinal Twist (Supta Matsyendrasana)
- Legs up the Wall Pose (Viparita Karani)
- Supported Bound Angle Pose (Supta Baddha Konasana)
Incorporate our Eye Pillows to melt you deeper into your practice and calm the mind. Each pillow has a cooling flax filling and optional essential oils like lavender and bergamot that:
- Calm the mind
- Soothe tired puffy eyes
- Quell nightmares and send you into sleep in a relaxed state
6 - Let Your Intention Govern Your Responses
Pause before you respond when you’re in a state of reaction. You cannot control life situations, but you can control your responses.
You have the power.
Take a break and think of how to adapt your intentions to fit the situation. Case in point: If your intention is “I am internally steady” repeat your intention and take a conscious breath before reacting. Even if you realise later that your reaction was not as intended, the reflection will remind you next time.
Journaling regularly on how you are living your intentions will formulate actionable steps to forming a path towards realisation.
Set Lasting Intentions to Live Your Dream Life
You are the main denominator of your life.
At Calm Buddhi, we base our philosophy on the Upanishads scripture that says:
“You are what your deepest desire is. As is your desire, so is your intention. As is your intention, so is your will. As is your will, so is your deed. As is your deed, so is your destiny.”
Setting an intention is a tool to direct you towards the life you want to live. And what better way to do it than setting up your Nidra nest with our Yoga Nidra and Meditation Futon Bundles?
We make sustainable yoga products and accessories that deepen your meditation comfort. Your happiness, the environment, and our group of skilled artisans are at the core of our mission.
Visit our product page today to enhance your meditation intention practice.
Angela Knight
Calm Buddhi Ma
Yoga, Meditation and Yoga Nidra Teacher