Often at the beginning of a yoga practice we are invited to set an intention. To be honest, sometimes it stymies me. For this next 60 minutes….I intend…..what, just to be present! not to fall on my butt! not to look like a fool! Sure, any of those things work for me. But often through the tone of the request I imagine the teacher is inviting me into something more profound but what I am able to accomplish in 60 minutes doesn’t feel all that profound. Eventually, I realized that I needed a bigger intention. I needed something that would extend far past the 60 minutes on my mat and into my life. I needed something that would undergird everything I do, be the reason for everything I do…..and be a mantra to help me remember when life’s distractions and chaos get too close. After trying on several different intentions, I settled on Joy, Courage and Abundance!
Joy…..because it’s a choice! With everything that life dishes out, it can be easy to slip into negativity and even a little darkness from time to time. And, without a compass to bring me back to center, a little slip can become a habit. Joy is part of my intention because it’s a choice I make every day, over and over again. Some days I do better than others, some days I am more joyful and sometimes exhaustion and darkness creep in but every time I state my intention I remind myself to choose JOY!
Courage….because in order to risk, to think outside the box, to be willing to try new things, I need courage. Sometimes I need courage just to stand in front of a yoga class and teach; to get beyond worrying about who will like me or what will happen if no one laughs at my jokes. Courage helped me get to and go through teacher training. Courage is what made me believe I could teach people to be teachers, write a book, inspire others. Courage is everything behind opening our first studio in Naperville and then stepping out in faith to head into Lincoln Park as well. I can’t imagine where I would be without a daily dose (sometimes hourly dose) of courage!
Abundance…..because scarcity thinking is just plain crazy! The world is a place of abundance and I need to remind myself of that on a regular basis. I have everything I need! And everything I could ever need is already available to me. Love is abundant, grace is abundant, forgiveness is abundant, resources are abundant, energy is abundant. If I try to do it all myself, those statements become far less true and I begin to believe that there just might not be enough, but when I rely on others, on God, on the Universe to show me the abundance in my life….I am overwhelmed by all the gifts that surround me.
Joy, courage and abundance! I say it daily, it’s in my head when I meditate, some form or another are always part of my computer log-in because I want to type it daily….many times a day…just to be reminded over and over again. What is your life’s intention