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How intentional is your intention?


It's that time of year again....the cool air begins to settle in....time for fires, warm coats, and toy catalogs!  Do you remember the old Sears Catalog?  I loved it's arrival...with it's heavy weight and smell of fresh paper.  I would circle every thing that I thought I remotely would like to see Santa deliver come Christmas morning.

Yesterday the Target Toy Catalog arrived and my children descended on it in similar fashion.  My daughter in very similar fashion to my own technique circled everything that did not move.  Anything pink, purple, or girlie!  My son on the other hand crossed out a ton, narrowed the field of toys down to a few, and then finally concluded that he just wanted this one particular robot.  I bet you know how this story goes....he'll get the robot.  He was precise.

Intentions are very similar to the toy lists.  When we are specific about our intention we are much more likely to see it come to fruition.  For instance....one intention may be that we want our focus to be contentment.  That's great and can come in lots of forms but we could be more precise by saying which areas of our lives we would like to see contentment.  Perhaps we would like to be content with our yoga practice or content with our relationship with food or another individual.  

What is your intention?  Are you circling it with a big red magic marker or flagging the entire catalog?

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The Importance Of Setting An Intention For Your Practice

If you’re like me, you attend yoga as much for the mental benefits as the physical ones. I’m a busy bee by nature. I spend most of the day devoting my time to someone or something other than myself. Yoga is my hour of freedom. One hour a day where I can truly relax.

Many yoga classes begin with the instructor giving you an invitation to set an intention for your practice. An intention can be anything you want. It can be a quote, to get yourself through the next sixty minutes, to send your positive energy to a loved one who needs it, to focus on stretch, strength, balance or your breathing, or even something like intentionally letting go of a situation that is worrying you. There is no “right” intention. Your intention is for you, and you alone.

When I first started doing yoga, I honestly wrote this part of class off. As I grew in my practice, however, I realized how rewarding setting an intention could be. Because I’m a worrier by nature, the hardest part of my practice is often shutting off my inner dialogue. Most often, my intention is to let go of all my worries for that hour. To “be a warrior, not a worrier.”


During my practice, every time the instructor says “return to your breath”, I repeat my intention. When it’s the toughest moment of the class, I repeat my intention. When my mind begins to stray from the task at hand, I repeat my intention. My intention keeps me in the present moment. It helps me hone in on what exactly it is I want to focus on during that hour.


Try setting a thoughtful intention and returning to it throughout your practice today. I promise, you’ll leave class feeling truly at peace.


Namaste y’all!


Kelly Hall

Studio South Social Media Guru

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