“Change the way you look at things and the things you look at change.” ― Wayne W. Dyer
Raise a hand if you agree with this statement. Now raise a hand if you use mantra every day!
It’s amazing that it’s so widely recognised that the mind shapes our experience of life, but yet we do not make full use of this tool everyday.
What does Intention mean to you?
The process of Intention Setting for me has a few simple components and I would love to share my analysis on this topic.
So read below for my three steps or pillars of Intention Setting…
The 3 Pillars of Intention Setting
by Natasha Kerry
The First Pillar - Recognising the Power of your Mind
Day dreams, thoughts, worries, cares, hopes, dreams… the mind is the soil for everything we grow.
Your day dreams are a huge part of how you create your energy field and shape your life. This process can either be Unconscious or Conscious. We are unconsciously setting intentions when we worry or fret for example. We are creating in the realm of the subconscious and then what we focus on begins to manifest in physical reality.
People are more intelligent and intuitive than they realise. As a human being, we are unconsciously repelled and attracted to many things on a daily basis; certain activities, people, places and situations. We are also affected by the energy fields of those around us, all of the time. This is what makes us human and part of nature, our sensitivity to our environment and the people within it. And the nature of the unconscious mind is to be attracted or repelled. To find affinity with or to judge. To be in conversation with or to deny. To move towards or to move away from.
On the flip side, this means that many people or opportunities are attracted or repelled by OUR own energy field.
The thoughts you are having on a daily basis create an energy field around you which then attracts things of the same vibration.
So if you are attracting something or a type of situation to your life, maybe it’s something that keeps showing up time and again, then you have to check in with what you are putting out. Consciously or unconsciously.
This is where INTENTION comes into play. What we put out into the universe and attract back is a mixture of intention and action. But it starts with our thoughts.
“Change the way you look at things and the things you look at change.” ― Wayne W. Dyer
The Second Pillar - Awakening
Once we have an understanding that we are shaping our reality unconsciously, the next step is to become CONSCIOUS.
To operate on a level of consciousness that serves us.
This simply means, being more aware of our Self and those around us.
We use the tools and techniques of Yoga and Meditation to begin to wake up to all of our human being traits and qualities as well as readdress any “old records” that are playing in the background. These could be in the form of “I am not good enough” or “ I am unloved” or “I’m not worthy”. These are unconscious intentions that often affect our energy field and how we come across.
Through Yoga and Meditation, we learn to watch and notice where we are coming from at any given moment. Are we coming from a place of Fear or Ego? Or are we coming from a place of Love and Abundance? Do we feel lacking or is there a scarcity mentality to our thoughts? Or are we coming from a place of gratitude for all that we have already and anything else is just a bonus?
This is where the third pillar comes in.
The Third Pillar - The Use of Sankalpa and Mantra
A Sankalpa is an Intention or RESOLVE.
I love the translation of RESOLVE as it implies the discipline and the strength to go beyond our usual way of Being or Thinking and apply a sense of Willpower.
The definitions for Resolve are:
The Verb: decide firmly on a course of action
The Noun: the firm determination to do something
So this tells us that a Sankalpa or Intention is actually a DECISION.
NB: I love this even more than the word Intention… because Intention sometimes sounds wishy washy… like that party you ‘intended’ to go to but then decided to stay at home and eat ice-cream instead haha.
So the DECISION aspect in an intention means that it is really a chosen mind-set.
For example, your intention could be “Strength” or “Courage” or “Discipline”. “Patience”, “Love” or “Compassion”.
It could also be a Resolve. “I resolve to run in the park everyday”. “I resolve to commit to a daily practice of Yoga.” “I resolve to get out of my house and connect with others.”
The Use of Mantra:
Mantra: the sacred sound used in yoga philosophy and practice to produce change in your consciousness
Can be translated as “man” (mind) and “tra” (to transport or liberate). So “Mantra” means “to liberate or transport one's mind”.
We also get words such as travel, transport, transcend from the root Tra. So Mantra is a tool or instrument to transport the mind into a different state.
To cement a new way of Being or Thinking in our conscious mind.
Mantras are short, powerful statements that carry meaning and are relevant to something you would like to create or manifest.
Think of Mantras as powerful affirmations that help you to invoke a positive shift in your mental state. They can be as long as you would like and repeated as often as you would like.
Stay tuned as I will be writing more on Affirmations and Mantra as well as sharing my personal favourites in my next blog posts!
To learn more on the Power of Intention Setting, come along to my next workshop...
And finally, I would love to hear YOUR thoughts on this blog post in the comments below!
With all my love,
Natasha xx
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