Setting Intentions

Its been a long while since my last entry. Occupying my time with other activities, and or procrastination, and or indecisiveness about what to write kept me away for a while. But in spirit of the topic for this entry, I have set intentions of consistency...... time will tell.

A BRIEF summary of the last few months, and subjects to come later:

*my "meatlapse" and mindful eating, what IS the right thing to eat, and what diet is best for me??
*the ultra marathon that never happened and the success of backing out.
*rediscovering yoga, and falling in love OM style.

But for today, I would like to touch on the subject of setting intentions. In my daily spiritual practice of trying to maintain a spiritual practice, I often will be inspired to repeat an activity that has impacted my well being in a particular way, enough so that I have the desire to do it EVERYDAY! We all know how that sometimes goes...everyday turns into every other day, into once a month, into a forgotten dormant practice. Hence the use of the word PRACTICE! I am of the strong belief that we can be extremely "healthy" individuals in the physical sense. With diet, exercise, rest, and balance infused into our daily lives we can live a life of vitality. However some of us often forget the aspect of the spirit. I believe there is a tri-fold to our well beings, which encompasses our metal, physical and spiritual health. If one of these is off kilter, the others suffer.

 How do we maintain spiritual health?
Next time you are at your favorite book store, take note on the isles upon isles of "spiritual" readings. In my quest to find, and maintain spiritual health I have acquired many many texts on this subject, some better than others. I attend groups, meetings, meditations, yoga classes, go on retreats, create art, and "find myself" by getting lost in the forest on the trails.....all of these activities feed my soul in one way or another. Then I get to PRACTICE what I have learned in my everyday life, which is where the ultimate test lies. Basically for me maintenance of my spiritual health consists of learning/re-learning a particular concept, absorbing this concept, practicing this concept, and repeating.

While drinking my coffee yesterday morning and reading one of many Buddhist texts, I am struck by the concept of setting intentions. I have been exposed to this concept many times over in Yoga classes, group meditations, and readings, and for whatever reason yesterday it resonated in my soul. I was immediately drawn to the simplistic, yet impactful act of setting an intention for oneself. I realized that this concept is very different than our western ideas of having expectations for our self. Expectations stemming from our own ideals of how we should be, or how we think others think we should be.....
Societal expectations, familial expectations, the list can go on forever.

in·ten·tion

 

noun

1.

an act or instance of determining mentally upon someaction or result.

2.

the end or object intended; purpose.



So what was my set intention yesterday?


To engage in activities that are good for my soul, and that favor the greater good of all. 

Seems lofty? Well, it is. But what happened after I purposefully set this intention for the day ahead, is I walked through the day with a greater sense of ease and peace. I was able to soften in heart and mind when confronted by the daily stresses that sometimes will blow every ounce of serenity I had before walking out of the door. I was more aware of the acts of compassion preformed by others. I became an observer of my thoughts, and noted the unreasonable expectations I will often place on myself. I was more attentive to my clients. I made it to my Yoga class, which lately seems to be a bit of a challenge to go, and I felt like I had made a difference, a small one, but I had contributed to the greater good.

So, now the challenge for myself and those of you reading this is to set a daily intention for yourself, or multiple ones, depending on where you are in your life and your spiritual journey. And take note of what happens when your state a purpose for your actions on any given day. Take note of what happens when you don't.

Thank you for reading,
Lisa



"May bodhichitta (awakened heart), precious and sublime,
Arise where it has not yet come to be;
And where it has arisen may it not decline,
But grow and flourish every more and more."

-The way of the Bodhisattva