I have had a cold since Boxing Day. Having been celebrating my apparently indestructible immune system in the lead up to Christmas, I fell at the first hurdle and have been limping ever since. My friend and colleague Sarah tripped on New Year's Eve and fractured her fifth metatarsal. Our workshop could not be better timed...
'Shattered but still whole' has been something of a mantra for me at different times: the challenges life throws at us can often feel to shatter the bodymind, mindfulness has helped me to remain connected to a sense of wholeness, come what may.
The opportunity to practice alongside others is always a privilege. Yesterday's workshop which we had given the title 'Let it Begin with Me' at the dawn of the new year was a particular pleasure, and I enjoyed the opportunity to reflect on what we do when we set our intentions - both for our practice and beyond.
Intentions, like seeds, are what we plant, in the service of an eventual yield. In this way they are concerned with the actualisation of a goal and it is possible therefore to distinguish between a goal and an intention: Goals, I think, are preceded by intentions. Intentions can prepare the ground for our goals.
Our intentions stem from our cognitive will, or volition. A goal may result from this, as a product, but it is the process, I think, that deserves our attention: this is a crucial cognitive process by which we decide upon and commit to a particular course of action.
The better we can come to know this process, the more likely we are to arrive at a decisions that feel considered which in turn drive actions which might truly feel truly intended.
As animals with this capacity for purposive striving, I feel passionate about expanding my understanding of the process by which we strive, and how we might maximise the purposefulness of that momentum in order to set ourselves moving in directions that are most likely to be beneficial and fulfilling.
I shared with the participants my sense of this 'intention-ing' to act as the mind's 'Chief of Staff', responsible for gathering and coordinating all other mental factors, to achieve a purpose. Mindfulness, in this way, might be seen as an opportunity for the Chief of Staff to call a meeting during which the mind's agenda might be reviewed and, if necessary, reset.
As we become more mindful, we may in this way become more aligned to our intentions. In this way, we become better able to gather and direct other mental factors, to optimise and streamline performance.
Thus the energy of intention, much like that of a seed, has the power to manifest results both in the present, and in the future. As we know, a small seed may in time bring about a huge tree, which may bear a great many fruit.
So, here's to planting our intentions with wisdom and with care...
The opportunity to practice alongside others is always a privilege. Yesterday's workshop which we had given the title 'Let it Begin with Me' at the dawn of the new year was a particular pleasure, and I enjoyed the opportunity to reflect on what we do when we set our intentions - both for our practice and beyond.
Intentions, like seeds, are what we plant, in the service of an eventual yield. In this way they are concerned with the actualisation of a goal and it is possible therefore to distinguish between a goal and an intention: Goals, I think, are preceded by intentions. Intentions can prepare the ground for our goals.
Our intentions stem from our cognitive will, or volition. A goal may result from this, as a product, but it is the process, I think, that deserves our attention: this is a crucial cognitive process by which we decide upon and commit to a particular course of action.
The better we can come to know this process, the more likely we are to arrive at a decisions that feel considered which in turn drive actions which might truly feel truly intended.
As animals with this capacity for purposive striving, I feel passionate about expanding my understanding of the process by which we strive, and how we might maximise the purposefulness of that momentum in order to set ourselves moving in directions that are most likely to be beneficial and fulfilling.
I shared with the participants my sense of this 'intention-ing' to act as the mind's 'Chief of Staff', responsible for gathering and coordinating all other mental factors, to achieve a purpose. Mindfulness, in this way, might be seen as an opportunity for the Chief of Staff to call a meeting during which the mind's agenda might be reviewed and, if necessary, reset.
As we become more mindful, we may in this way become more aligned to our intentions. In this way, we become better able to gather and direct other mental factors, to optimise and streamline performance.
Thus the energy of intention, much like that of a seed, has the power to manifest results both in the present, and in the future. As we know, a small seed may in time bring about a huge tree, which may bear a great many fruit.
So, here's to planting our intentions with wisdom and with care...Soak up the sun
Affirm life’s magic
Be graceful in the wind
Stand tall after a storm
Feel refreshed when it rains
Grow strong without notice
Be prepared for each season
Provide shelter to strangers
Hang tough through a cold spell
Emerge renewed at the first signs of spring
Stay deeply rooted while reaching for the sky
Be still long enough
To hear your own leaves rustle
- Karen Shragg
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