Pic from Unsplash

Intentions have always been an important part of my life. I reflect during the New Year on how I want to align with my intentions for the upcoming year. I contemplate the year before on my birthday, what I learned, and what I want to let go of in the next year of my life. I focus on my business intentions of how I want Seed Yoga Therapy to flourish and thrive. I pause on the new and full moon to notice what has unfolded in that last sequence of waxing or waning energy. When my cycle comes I honor it as a time of death and an upcoming birth into an opportunity to clarify my intentions within myself, my body, relationships and the world.

Intentions can be important anchors to ground me in my why. I just finished a yearlong practice of chanting the Bhuvaneśvarī Trailokya Maṅgalam Nāma Kavacam, which is a Mahāvidyā, great wisdom, goddess associated with the space element. There is so much to say about this incredible goddess, and if you want to learn more about her I would highly recommend my teacher’s self-study course to explore the incredible wisdom and practice associated with this goddess while learning how to apply it to your daily life. In this year long commitment I had the intention of creating space in my life. Creating space meant many things:

1. Creating space for my emotions to be as they were instead of trying to manipulate them (i.e. allowing anger or fear to arise without trying to make unpleasant feelings go away).
2. Creating space for others to be as they are with acceptance and not trying to change someone because I believe I know better (i.e. how that driver in front of me “should” be driving or how that person “should” be interacting with me).
3. Creating space in my life by decluttering things I don’t need (i.e. the clothes I haven’t worn for a year because I “might” wear them or the activities I do out of habit instead of actual desire). 
4. Creating space to bring in the new things I’m excited about (i.e. collaborating with colleagues who are doing great work or traveling to new places). 

Whenever I commit to a new practice at some point I hit a roadblock. It took me a long time to memorize this chant and the first several months I was attached to the recording and my piece of paper with the words. There were times I became frustrated with myself for not being able to memorize it easily and there were other mornings where my day was rushed and I didn’t have the time to dedicate to the chant. It would linger in my mind all day until I found that 10 minutes to sit down and do it. There were times I felt I was actually contracting instead of feeling more spacious internally and externally. I wondered what is the point of doing this chant when I still seem to be stuck in my habitual ways of being? However with each day I went back to my intention. Can I create space for even this? Frustration, old patterns and busyness along with joy, new insights and time slowing down.

When I don’t have a clear intention I tend to get lost in the whims of my mind. I’ll do a practice for a little while and then I’ll fall off because I get distracted, bored or believe it isn’t working. With this mindset I notice I can never really reap the benefit of a practice (whether it is meditation, lifestyle changes, exercise, journaling, etc.) because I am not truly committed. 

In The Heart of Wellness my teacher, Dr. Kavitha Chinnaiyan, talks about committing to an intention wholeheartedly for a minimum of three months to give that desire time to grow roots in order to impact your life, nervous system, body, mind and heart. 

Anytime is a good time to reflect on why you want to do something, and spring is a potent time to reconnect with what you want to plant and grow. In honor of spring I’ve created a yoga nidrā for you to explore your seeds of intention. 

Once you set your intention, write it down and put it somewhere you can see every day. If you have an altar, put it there as a reminder of your why. Say it every morning when you wake up and every evening before you go to bed. As you reflect on your day before falling asleep, think of at least one way you aligned with your heartfelt desire. In the morning commit to one action you can do to honor this resolve throughout your day. Slowly but surely like the seeds that turn into saplings that turn into trees that eventually bear fruit, our intentions, when planted, watered, nourished and given space to grow, can transform our lives inside and out. 

After a year of chanting this beautiful chant that felt both ethereal and incredibly embodied I have noticed significant shifts within myself. Many of them didn’t happen overnight or in a dramatic fashion. Similar to the vegetables planted in our garden I usually can’t see the growth process day to day, but without even realizing it that seed eventually turns into green beans and beets I put on my plate. When I stop and contemplate the growth process it brings me to a state of awe and wonder. We are all in that growth process all the time, but it can be hard to see! When I do an intentional practice for a year it helps me observe the changes more easily because I can compare my reality from this spring to last spring. I have experienced more space within and outside myself, and even though creating space is something I will explore for the rest of my life the seeds planted have and will continue to bear fruit.