Have you ever been in a yoga class where the teacher invited you to “set an intention for the class”?
I’ve been there, many times. I usually take a moment to think of an intention…strength, calm, peace…something like that. I’ll admit that I don’t always live up to the intention I’ve set, but it helps to come back to the word throughout the class.
I’ve used the word “intention” many times in my work. I’ve hosted intention-setting workshops, and I’ve asked coaching clients to explore their intentions. But it’s only recently that I’ve come to understand the true power of consciously setting an intention.
Earlier this year, I read somewhere that the energy you bring to a situation will come through to others, no matter what your words or actions might be. For example, if you go into a situation with judgement in your mind, that judgement will be seen and felt by the other person, even if your words don’t portray that judgement.
I wish I could remember which wise person wrote this information, because it’s helped me immensely ever since.
I started playing with this idea of setting an intention for how I wanted to be in situations or conversations. In some cases, this thinking brought me to a deeper understanding of the outcome I truly wanted. Setting an intention helps me to rise above my first reaction and bring more thought and wisdom to the situation.
I’ll give you an example. In late February, my sister’s husband died suddenly on PEI. I immediately made plans to travel there. I was shocked and sad that my brother-in-law was gone, and I wouldn’t have a chance to say goodbye to him. It also triggered my anxiety around death, and I could feel myself getting upset about the other members of my family, and even myself. He was only 71…what if I die at 71?
I could feel all of these emotions and thoughts spiraling inside me as I prepared to travel east.
I took a few moments from packing my suitcase to sit down, close my eyes and breathe. I thought about how I wanted to show up for my sister and the rest of my family. I imagined how I wanted to feel when I looked back at this time. The words “wisdom and compassion” came into my mind, and I knew that was my intention for this trip. I wanted to be a person who brought wisdom and compassion. This wasn’t the time to talk about my own fears about death or really about any of my own concerns.
My intention was to be completely present, in service to the people around me.
Throughout the week of my visit, I kept that intention front and centre in my mind. It guided my words and my actions and helped me make decisions. I felt so calm and light, and I think that that energy was helpful to other people.
I wasn’t perfect – but that’s not the purpose of setting an intention. It just acts as a guidepost.
Since then, I’ve used this practice to ground myself in conversations and circumstances. It’s helpful to get clarity on what I really want and push aside the emotion that may cloud my thinking and impact my words. It clears my energy so that the people I’m interacting with don’t get mixed messages from me.
If this practice catches your interest, I invite you to try it. The next time you’re entering a potentially challenging situation or conversation, take a few moments to get clear on the intentions you’re bringing. Imagine how you want to feel after it’s over. Bring a word or phrase into your mind and anchor yourself throughout the experience.