After many years of practicing yoga, one of my favorite learned habits is that of setting an intention.
This intention can last for an hour, a day or a lifetime but today's goal is to set a daily intention.
A simple short term goal that will hopefully lead to a long term change.
In yoga, the teacher will often guide the class to set an intention from the outset.
Sometimes they give everyone the same intention and sometimes it is up to the individual to set their own.
Mine are usually something short like "relax" or "happy" or "strong.
" These are easy words to constantly refer back to throughout the course of the class.
If something pulls me away from my intention I take a break and go back to my word or phrase and then rejoin the class.
Outside of yoga, I use the same approach.
For example; last Saturday I set an intention to eat more slowly all day.
I have a bad habit of eating without putting down the fork.
I often over eat as a result of cramming food down my gullet too fast.
Not very mindful.
I ended up doing this all weekend, although my usual Sunday morning fish tacos (Mark in San Diego makes the best in the world) were gone in about one minute.
In the long run I will still find myself eating too fast on occasion.
But setting a short term intention will serve as a memory of how it felt to eat slower and hopefully remind me to do so in the future.
Every goal starts with a step in the right direction.
This practice can be applied to any arena of your life, from eating to business to sports to parenting.
Pick one thing that you want to change and make that your intention for the day.
When you get stressed or caught up in your daily grind, take a deep breath and remember your intention.
Some days I'll use a simple word like "smile" or "lucky.
" This will help put whatever I am doing into perspective.
Whether your intention is simple and general or something more specific and complex, it will help you remain present in your daily endeavors.
Little efforts add up to make big changes.
A daily intention might not seem like much, but it can have a powerful effect on any and every part of your life.