A Lesson on Intention
Chocolate Chip Cookie
Mmm, my chocolate chip cookie was so good -
"was" being the operative word here.
Why does the chocolate and the cookie have to
taste SO good, and yet be so bad? I want another one. The second
I give in to my sweet craving, which I do quite frequently, my
mind goes through the following process: give me more, more,
more, I want more, and finally, when my tummy starts to hurt, my
brain agrees that more is not such a great idea anymore.
Thinking of my intention to live well and feel
well helps me talk my mind into stepping away from jumping off
the cliff and into all of my chocolate chip cookies.
What is Your Intention?
We talk about intention a lot when we practice
yoga asana, but what does it really mean? We set our intentions
for whatever we want to achieve in a moment, with an action, or
in a broader scale, our lives. Whatever our intention is, we
want to live that intention fully.
So, if we've decided to do laundry, we have
set our intention to fold that laundry, (my most dreaded task!)
As we are folding the laundry, we embrace our intention to
complete this task, trying to avoid thoughts like: "I'd really
rather be doing something else," OR "maybe only 6 more pieces
and then I'll go do something else," OR "I hate doing this, why
doesn't my husband come fold his own laundry?"...these thoughts
create anxiety and unrest.
Embrace Your Intention
Instead, embrace your intention to do the
laundry, and simply be okay with completing the task.
Next time you're faced with a thought that
goes against your intention, whether it's a simple task, or
a life goal, take a moment, ask yourself, "What is my goal,
what is my intention?"
Take a moment to think and embrace your
intention, allow the monkey mind to grow silent, and move
on.
Most importantly, remember, life is a
journey.
We will falter, but it's how we get back
up that makes all the difference!
This article was written by Yoga
Instructor, Timarie Mikolasek, who operates a Yoga studio
near Dallas, Texas.
