The new year is fast approaching and the time to set a New Year's Resolution is here. I propose something a little different, more in line with a yoga mindset of compassion...setting an intention.
A resolution, at least the way it seems to be done, is to say, "I'm going to workout 3 times a week." Then you buy your gym membership, do it for two weeks, start to slip and by February the mindset is, "screw it." It seems to be a more black and white thinking, either you 'do it or you don't' mentality, which I have found for myself to be unsuccessful. Because changing habits takes time and you will falter, and that's okay. Just get back up and try again and you will slowly move towards changing habits.
I encourage setting an intention that is more about the internal instead of external because the external is not something we have control over. For example, instead of "I will exercise three times a week," creating an intention of "I will live a more healthy lifestyle." This not only includes exercise, but also what you eat and how you treat yourself and others. That way when you have a day that is difficult to get to the gym, you can still focus on eating healthy and being kind to yourself, as well as just going for a walk around the neighborhood. When you have an urge to skip the workout, eat five cookies, or lash out at someone, the intention of living a healthy lifestyle can help guide you to make a more conscious choice. "I'm tired, so instead of the to gym workout, I'm going to go for a walk." "One cookie is enough and I'm going to savor it...or maybe I'm just going to eat and apple instead." "I'm really upset what that person did! I'm going to go for a walk and let it settle and decide how to address it." An intention can help to slow our impulses down and more consciously decide about what action we want to take.
An intention fits better in working towards something using a more compassionate mindset. A compassionate mind set is one that includes kindness to self and others, remembering common humanity and mindfulness. These are three traits that Kristin Neff of www.self-compassion.org has found to be key in creating self-compassion. With an intention, if there is a day of struggle, instead of feeling like a failure and giving up, a compassionate mindset allows for exploration. Use mindfulness to get curious. Why do I feel unmotivated today? What do I need to do to take care of myself so that I can come back to my intention? I am a human being and that means I will have ups and downs, I will make mistakes and that is okay. How can I learn from the ups and downs and mistakes to move forward?
I've used setting intentions for the past few years and at the end of the year, it's been amazing to look back on the journey and see how far I've come to that intention. It's been uplifting and empowering. The first intention I started with was a sentence from my first yoga teacher training with my teacher, Prasad Rangnekar. "I'm 100% responsible for my life." I kept saying this to myself, had it posted up to read every day and remind myself of it. When I had to face a challenging situation or felt emotion rise up in my body or noticed a thought of judgement, I came back to this sentence and it helped me to go inward and learn more about my own patterns, rather than just blame others and get bogged down in anger and resentment. It's still one of my main practices and has served me well. I know that I have control over how I meet every situation and it has been empowering. Since it was an intention rather than a resolution, I've stuck with it and I keep coming back to it because it is a practice not a perfect.
May you enjoy setting an intention for the new year!
A resolution, at least the way it seems to be done, is to say, "I'm going to workout 3 times a week." Then you buy your gym membership, do it for two weeks, start to slip and by February the mindset is, "screw it." It seems to be a more black and white thinking, either you 'do it or you don't' mentality, which I have found for myself to be unsuccessful. Because changing habits takes time and you will falter, and that's okay. Just get back up and try again and you will slowly move towards changing habits.
I encourage setting an intention that is more about the internal instead of external because the external is not something we have control over. For example, instead of "I will exercise three times a week," creating an intention of "I will live a more healthy lifestyle." This not only includes exercise, but also what you eat and how you treat yourself and others. That way when you have a day that is difficult to get to the gym, you can still focus on eating healthy and being kind to yourself, as well as just going for a walk around the neighborhood. When you have an urge to skip the workout, eat five cookies, or lash out at someone, the intention of living a healthy lifestyle can help guide you to make a more conscious choice. "I'm tired, so instead of the to gym workout, I'm going to go for a walk." "One cookie is enough and I'm going to savor it...or maybe I'm just going to eat and apple instead." "I'm really upset what that person did! I'm going to go for a walk and let it settle and decide how to address it." An intention can help to slow our impulses down and more consciously decide about what action we want to take.
An intention fits better in working towards something using a more compassionate mindset. A compassionate mind set is one that includes kindness to self and others, remembering common humanity and mindfulness. These are three traits that Kristin Neff of www.self-compassion.org has found to be key in creating self-compassion. With an intention, if there is a day of struggle, instead of feeling like a failure and giving up, a compassionate mindset allows for exploration. Use mindfulness to get curious. Why do I feel unmotivated today? What do I need to do to take care of myself so that I can come back to my intention? I am a human being and that means I will have ups and downs, I will make mistakes and that is okay. How can I learn from the ups and downs and mistakes to move forward?
I've used setting intentions for the past few years and at the end of the year, it's been amazing to look back on the journey and see how far I've come to that intention. It's been uplifting and empowering. The first intention I started with was a sentence from my first yoga teacher training with my teacher, Prasad Rangnekar. "I'm 100% responsible for my life." I kept saying this to myself, had it posted up to read every day and remind myself of it. When I had to face a challenging situation or felt emotion rise up in my body or noticed a thought of judgement, I came back to this sentence and it helped me to go inward and learn more about my own patterns, rather than just blame others and get bogged down in anger and resentment. It's still one of my main practices and has served me well. I know that I have control over how I meet every situation and it has been empowering. Since it was an intention rather than a resolution, I've stuck with it and I keep coming back to it because it is a practice not a perfect.
May you enjoy setting an intention for the new year!
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