Intention and manifestation

Intention setting is a huge part of my self-practice, and something I encourage my students to do.

With an intention, we channel energy like a river in the direction of our dreams.

Where we reap the benefits of this intention depends on where we direct the intention.

At the beginning of my asana practice, I’ll set an intention that is either self-based or dedicated to something or someone else – but as we know, there is no separation between the individual and other so it’s all same, same.

When applying it to practice, intention can be broken down into two types – neither superior to the other because whether they seem to be expressed outwardly or inwardly, they both involve cultivating a flow of giving and receiving.

In a self-based intention, I generally get clear on a bhavna or feeling state that I wish to evoke, often related to my values as a yogi. For example, I may wish to set an intention to feel ‘light’. The idea, then, is that I take this word and bring it into my practice in such a way that I embody it. I like to imagine that if anyone were watching me, they’d be able to see that I’m practising ‘lightness’. Light in the way I move, breathe and sense things. Light in the way I react to falling out of a posture or not quite nailing something I could do well last week.

I embody it.

And because there is no clear line that marks where my practice begins and finishes, from mat to ‘real world’, I take this intention with me. Then all my decisions – who I spend time with that day, the words I speak, the actions I take – are all in line with this intention to cultivate ‘light’. The giving in this experiment is that I share ‘light’ with those around me. The light becomes my act of service and how I give to the world and those around me that day.

My intention is my devotion.

When practising this kind of intention and being disciplined enough to stay aligned to it, we see just how creative we are as human beings. We can imagine something, a state in this case, and we can either have it in our hands or feel completely surrounded by it. We’ve manifested it. And that’s pure magic.

The self-less kind of intention, if set before asana practice, could be that I’m dedicating the next hour on the mat to someone who really needs it. Perhaps I have a friend who’s going through a hard time and needs some extra support. I’ll dedicate practice to that person and perhaps infuse it with a bhavna or feeling state like ‘love’ or ‘comfort’ or ‘joy’, whatever I feel, intuitively, that they need.

You don’t need the four corners of a yoga mat for setting intention, however.

You can wake up each day and decide how you’re going to feel and what or who you’re going to be of service to that day. All it requires is a quiet moment to ground, an awareness of your connection to all things and your quiet words of dedication.

And your dedication doesn’t always have to go deep – especially when it feels forced, or a strain.

If today, you just intend to endeavour to be calmer and more grounded, then so be it. Simplicity is often key.

If you practise Ashtanga and your intention is to, over a period of time, advance from ‘Ashtanga Primary’ to ‘Ashtanga Intermediate’, it will happen one way or the other.

If your intention is to become stronger, master the most difficult asanas, hold your breath for more than a minute, and release toxins through the practice, it will definitely provide you with these benefits, too.

Aim for what you need on that day – just always remember that the practice of yoga is much more than the physical. So set the physical goals, if that’s what’s calling you. But perhaps also get clear on the desired feeling as an outcome. Not only will this kind of intention bring you more fulfilment, daily, but you may have a chance of reaching that physical manifestation more quickly.

Why?

Because if we’re conscious of attracting that intended feeling and staying close to the reason why we want to feel that way, it’s a practice in magnetisation. Cultivating that feeling state, day by day, brings you far closer to the manifestation.

A practice without intention is empty. A practice with intention towards a physical or material goal is limited to only that.

A practice with intention towards a spiritual goal is unlimited in its possibilities.

Yoga is a path to freedom or moksha (a term in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism that means liberation or release). It’s a path to balance our emotions, health and mind. It helps us to feel good about ourselves and ultimately transforms the body. But above all, yoga means union – a merging with the divine. It is a spiritual practice to transform all aspects of our lives in order to merge with something greater than our limited sense of self.