So often we go about our day to day lives in a passive state, almost like we are on autopilot. Because the cognitive resources of humans are subject to depletion, this mental state was necessary for the survival of our ancestors. For example, when spending an entire day foraging for food, our survival as humans depended on our ability to make a split-second decision when stumbling upon a venomous snake. If we were too mentally fatigued from foraging for food, we would be less likely to have the mental capacity to get past the snake. While autopilot can be exceptionally helpful for humans, it can also lead us to make choices that, perhaps, we aren’t making thoughtfully. Sometimes, these choices can steer you away from living your best life. Mindfulness is one way to live consciously in the present moment. According to mindfulness pioneer, Jon Kabat-Zinn, intention setting is the first core component of mindfulness. The practice of intention setting goes all the way back to the time of the ancient yogi’s, the Vedic Rishis. The Vedic Rishis would use a sankalpa to pave the way for their yogic life practices. A sankalpa is a statement or vow that a practitioner declares and one in which the practitioner revisits time and time again. This vow allows a practitioner to draw their own mind back to their dharma when the mind has strayed. Sankalpa’s were used to honor the deeper meaning of life.

Demystifying Intention Setting

You may have found yourself racing into a yoga class, ready to move and sweat, only to be asked to take a moment to slow your mind and then invited to set an intention prior to beginning your sweat session. This may catch you off guard and leave you wondering what your intention for the class should be. Modern yoga classes are often rife with the notion of ‘intention setting’, but it’s not always clear what that means. Setting an intention first requires you to tune into your deepest hopes and aspirations that lie just beyond your conscious awareness. Using that information, you can create a guideline for living that allows you to align your daily actions to your ‘highest self’. In other words, intention setting requires that you quiet your mind to find out which personal values or qualities you can instill in your daily life that will lead to true happiness. Rather than being goal oriented or becoming attached to specific outcomes, intention setting allows you to gently focus on your own personal values without judgment. Some examples of such values that may be used in intention setting include mindfulness, forgiveness, presence, gratitude, love, resilience, inner strength, stability, letting go of negativity or acceptance. Intention setting in a yoga class may look different for everyone and it may differ for you personally from one class to the next, depending on where you are in your life. Maybe you are someone who struggles with trying to maintain control over every aspect of your life. Perhaps this is interfering with your contentment on a day-to-day basis. Your intention for the class may be one of letting go of control or that of acceptance. In the context of yoga, this may look like accepting that you aren’t as flexible today as you may have been in the previous class. Because yoga is centered around mindfully aligning your mind, body, and spirit, it is the perfect place to cultivate such awareness. You may find yourself revisiting that awareness and reminding yourself of your intention throughout your day.

 The Science Behind Intention Setting in Yoga

Intention setting and mindfulness have been used for centuries in Eastern traditions. Recently, the practice has been backed by researchers in the field of psychology and neuroscience. Dan Siegel, a renown psychiatrist and bestselling author, is a staunch supporter of the practice of mindfulness and intention setting. According to Siegel, by regularly engaging in these practices, the mindset shifts they foster become an automatic aspect of your personality. It all starts with consciously setting an intention that aligns with the deepest, most authentic part of your psyche. By regularly recalling that intention and orienting your own mindset and behaviors around such intention, actualizing that intention gradually happens automatically. The more you do it, the less effort it requires. Some people call this manifesting. It may sound like a new-age concept, but it’s actually backed by neuroscience. Science also supports the notion that intention setting in a yoga class is especially beneficial. Social psychologists embrace the concept of embodiment, which refers to the assumption that thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are grounded in sensory experiences and bodily states. In other words, because yoga invites you to move your body while you recall certain thoughts, feelings, and behaviors you wish to manifest, you are more likely to adopt such mental orientations. What’s more is that when you orient your mind toward more positive and flexible thinking, which yoga helps to cultivate, your mind’s potential for transcendence becomes even more likely. Arnold Schwarzenegger once said, “where the mind goes, the body will follow”. If that’s true, yoga has the potential to make both your mind and body capable of wondrous things!

Taking your Intention off the Mat

With their practice of sankalpa, the ancient Vedic Rishi’s seemed to be really good at living mindfully and with intention. For many of us modern folks, finding the time to slow down and tune into our highest selves may not occur as often as we’d like. Yoga is the ideal place to nurture such awareness and plant the seeds of change we wish to sow in our lives. Think about it; from the moment you wake up and until you close your eyes at night, there is so much that needs to be done. Intention setting may not make the cut for what ‘has’ to get accomplished in a day. However, because movement is essential for your health, perhaps your schedule allows for a block of time that can be reserved for yoga. By giving yourself this time, you grant yourself the opportunity to move and flow in ways that go far beyond just your physical body. By setting an intention at the beginning of each yoga class, you allow yourself the space to reflect on the ways in which you want to think and behave in your life. When you leave your yoga class, you can tap into this intention throughout the day. If you do this enough, over time, this type of orienting of your mind will flow into every aspect of your life. Science has shown that this has the potential to increase your happiness and well-being substantially.

While the tendency for humans to go on autopilot has certainly served its purpose in contributing to the survival of the human race, it can sometimes get in the way of living mindfully and purposefully. Mindfulness and acceptance are two of the many benefits that a practitioner of yoga may experience. With the help of yoga, we can view our own inclinations to go on autopilot from a place of gratitude and non-judgment. This will allow you to gracefully return from a straying mind back to a mind that aligns with your intention, both on and off the mat. By making intention setting a regular part of your yoga practice, you may find that your mindset shift is making a positive impact on your overall life. Next time you are in a yoga class and are asked to set an intention, try taking advantage of the silence and stillness that is available to you in that moment. You may find yourself feeling happier and more content throughout the day. With enough practice, you may also notice that this positive mindset is showing up in many other aspects of your life.