An excerpt from my dialogue with Paul McAleer on our podcast Designing Yourself, Episode #11: Good Intentions (originally aired March 3, 2014), with minimal editing for readability.
At the beginning of a yoga class, when all of us are sitting on our mats, taking our initial deep breaths, getting centered and trying to be in the present moment, some instructors will vaguely say, “Set an intention for today’s class.” Sometimes you just have to sit there and think, “Well, what is my intention today?” It doesn’t always come.
Other times the instructor is less vague, and they’ll say, “In setting your intention, think about someone that really needs positivity in their life right now.” Or, “Think about someone who you’re really grateful for.” The instructor gives you a theme to go with. And then you’re setting this positive intention for someone else.
As you’re doing the yoga practice, that person is with you the whole time. I’ve found that it makes the practice easier physically. It also keeps me more present mentally. When I start thinking about my work, and my brain is outside of the room for a moment, I somehow remember my intention and I’m brought back to the room. To the mat. It’s a way to keep you focused.
Then at the end of the practice when I’ve done all that hard work, I bring back to mind what my intention was and there’s a deeper sense of pride than had I just done the yoga practice and then quickly scrambled — rolled up my mat and ran out the room, got back on my phone, and got back to my day. There’s something that puts a period on the end of the sentence because you set an intention in the beginning. It’s like, oh, I have closure in this, and I can recognize the power and the importance of what I just did.
And just that moment of recognition integrates it in a way that without the intention otherwise might not have.
An excerpt from my dialogue with Paul McAleer on our podcast Designing Yourself, Episode #11: Good Intentions (originally aired March 3, 2014), with minimal editing for readability.
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