Why should you set intentions ( vs resolutions ) for the New Year?
An intention ( in Yoga, called a Sankalpa) , is a vow or heart felt desire.
Please enjoy the following readings from Three Teachings:
Whether or not you plan to set New Year’s resolutions for 2021, the beginning of the year is a natural time to reflect on your goals, habits, and the changes you’d like to make in your life.
One powerful way to bring our lives into alignment with our deeper aspirations is to work with intention. An intention is the motivating force behind a particular action. Unlike a goal, which has to do with achieving a desired future outcome, an intention is something that we practice in the present moment. When we set an intention—like cultivating compassion or reducing stress—we continuously align and realign ourselves and our actions with that which we wish to create.
Setting intentions can also support us in our spiritual practice. When we have a clear understanding of our motivations for a particular action (like getting up early to meditate for 20 minutes), it’s much easier to mobilize ourselves towards that action and to sustain our efforts over time.
“By having an intention, we know why we’re [meditating], and we can keep reminding ourselves of that on a daily basis,” says meditation teacher and psychotherapist Mindy Newman. “The benefit that you derive from meditation will be based on what your intention was.”
In this week’s Three Teachings, we offer guidance on how to set effective intentions, translate intentions into sustainable motivation, and purify our intentions for the benefit of ourselves and all beings.
Setting an Intention With Mindy Newman
What’s your intention for meditation? Whether it’s secular (reducing stress) or spiritual (being of service), your intention determines the benefits you receive from your practice, says Mindy Newman. In this video, she explains how to bolster your practice through the power of intention.
Two Exercises for Turning Intention into Motivation
By Thupten Jinpa
Setting intentions is a first step towards bringing our lives into alignment with our true aspirations. Thupten Jinpa offers two exercises for strengthening our conscious intentions by harmonizing them with the not-so-conscious motivations that drive our thoughts and actions.
Purify Your Motivations By Joseph Bobrow Roshi
Good intentions aren’t enough; we must also pay attention to the impacts of our actions. Zen teacher Joseph Bobrow shows how to work skillfully with your motivations by focusing on the ideals of dhyana (meditation), prajna(wisdom), and sila (ethical conduct).
To me, intention is meant to be an internalization of your emotional, intellectual and physical desires for your life. Thanks for reaffirming that for me in this enlightening post.
A very inspirational message!