Set Your Intention

The "famous" yoga instructor started our session seated comfortably on the stage with a beautiful inviting smile on her face.  There was a sigh of relief from many of the participants when she said that there would be an hour of lecture, then an hour of yoga.  Many of them had already completed several two hour sessions and possibly a whole day of yoga before that during the conference and the thought of one more downward facing dog, (a yoga pose in which your hands and feet are on the floor and your hips are lifted so you resemble an upside down V), was daunting.  To be able to sit and just listen for an hour to a number of delightful stories was a welcome rest.  The instructor shared how the "Aim True" theme had become her mantra as she started with her fascination with Greek gods and goddesses as a child to the explanation of the tattoo on her arm.  She reminded us of the practice of setting our intention before a yoga class.  What were we doing the class for and what did we want to get out of it?  Were we there to relax our bodies?  Were we there to heal some injury?  Were we there to practice for those that couldn't, or send love and positive energy to those that needed it?  It is important to set your focus before the class begins so you can direct your energy.

It is also important in life to set our intention so that we are able to get the most out of moments.  If we have a business meeting planned, what happens when we don't set our intention?  We probably have productive meetings but there could be so much more evolving from them.  What if we set our intention to really listen and hear what people were saying beneath their words or connect with a person in the meeting that we don't really know?  How would that change the outcome?

I have presented classes on subjects that attendees usually have some experience in.  I had one young woman attend my project management class and she had already obtained the Project Management Professional designation.  This fundamentals class was going to be everything she already knew.  But she approached the class with an open mind to see what else she might gain in project management knowledge.  She shared with me after that the class was very valuable and she learned some new things she could apply directly to her work.

Set your intention and see where it takes you.  It will create more meaningful experiences for you.