intentions

HOW TO SET INTENTIONS

Pick a Timeline

People all have different timelines they suggest sticking to for your intention setting practice, but remember, progress is perfection. I’ve switched up my timeline a bunch of times. I used to do monthly but after chatting with Ezzie Spencer from Lunar Abundance I’ve switched to moon cycle intentions.

Some options: The first of the month, the new moon cycle, yearly intention setting, daily intention setting. Pick a timeline that works for you.

Pick your intention(s)

I like to pick 3-4 intentions to work with each month. That’s just my personal preference. Some people like working with one because it feels like they can invest more energy into that one. You can also change it up so one month you work with one and another you work with five. You could also set a couple yearly and a new one each month. Totally up to you!

Write in the first person and in the present tense

Write your intentions as follows: I or I am…

I am present

I am creative

I nourish my body with ingredients that make me feel vibrant

Writing in the first person and present tense is a powerful technique to remind you and put out energy of abundance rather than lack. “I want” indicates something you don’t already have or a sense of lack within your own identity, you want to manifest what you already have or value from within.

Check in with your intentions

The point is not to set it and forget it. You must work with your intentions and check-in to see where things are at. Maybe it’s daily or weekly or monthly for yearly intentions, but set aside time to reflect on your intentions and add some notes on areas of resistance or ease.

Reflect

This is my favorite piece of intention setting! Getting to look back and see how you were able to manifest or work in accordance with your intentions. I think you’ll be surprised to see how effective they can be, even just within a single day! Think about how your intentions affect your yoga practice…same idea!

Make it your own

This is essential. If you’re super creative and love to draw, draw! If you’re a writer and prefer to keep things private, leave all the colorful pens in the drawer. There is no one way to do an intention setting practice. For my whole first year I just wrote out a list in my journal. This year I’ve been playing around with making it more colorful and drawing more because one of my 2018 intentions is creativity and tapping into my creative spirit. Get rid of all comparison and just embrace what feels natural to you. Don’t let perfection hold you back. PROGRESS. Just do it!