Ever wondered how to set up intentions and why it’s done daily?
Short answer: It helps set up your day, week, month, or year the way YOU want it!
A more in-depth explanation below the video.
“Let’s start today’s class by setting an intention.”
Have you heard yoga teachers start a class this way? For a long time, hearing this made me roll my eyes. Why, you ask? In retrospect, I didn’t get it. I didn’t know how to set an intention let alone what a good one would be, so why waste time with this–I just wanted to get moving.
It took me a lot of trial and error to ‘get it’ and after a long time of feeling like it had to be this complex thing, the realization came that it can be quite simple.
What is an intention?
An intention is a quality in which you want to create in your life — both on and off the mat. An intention can be a step toward a larger goal. Any intention that you choose should be something that’s really true to you – not just something you think you should do. Let it be some quality or goal youwant.
????A note on this: Do your best to set up your intention to support you positively. i.e. “I flow easily with new experiences” instead of “I won’t be so awkward in new situations”.
Why set one?
Setting an intention goes beyond the physical practice and brings more awareness to our spiritual selves. It provides the opportunity to bring another level of mental energy to change our mindset. Even if you only do it for the duration of a meditation or an asana practice, that energy and thought process carries on after you’re finished.
The best part is you can set one at any time! You don’t need to wait for New Year’s or another special occasion. Start now!
Here’s how.
The hard part is figuring out what you want. This decision can be a short term one, like setting your energy & emotions up to perform well in a presentation or it could be long term like a major goal you want to reach in a year.
Once you decide on a goal, then there’s a few questions to ask yourself to aide in visualizing and bringing the intention to life:
What kind of energy do you want to have today?
How do you want to show up emotionally?
What does this feel like? What does it look like and sound like?
How do you talk to yourself? How do you talk and interact with others?
Set up a period of time to quietly visualize yourself going through your day with this intention. You can do this with me for 5 minutes in the video ????. To reiterate: visualization plays a big roll in all this intention setting.
Now here’s the REALLY important thing: You need to do it consistently. Every morning. 5 minutes is all you need but you can go longer!
Why do it daily?
It builds momentum! Envisioning it before it happens is key for the end result to come to fruition.
✨Believe it to see it.✨
There will be days you won’t wanna. There will be days you think you don’t have time. Do it anyway. Do yourself the favor and show up for yourself — Do it for you.
I hope this process helps you become a better version of yourself.
Enjoy! Be well.
Remember to breathe.
????????Namaste my friends????????
If you have Covid, are post covid, or have some other respiratory illness to recover from, this Post Covid Yoga practice supports lung health with 3 types of pranayama to increase your oxygen.
Even if you don’t have the ‘vid, this class is fabulous for slowing down this holiday season and taking some time for self-care. The more you care for yourself, the more you can care for others.
There are no standing poses and this class uses gentle asana with 1 min Yin Yoga holds focused on opening the chest and rib areas.
This can easily be done in bed if you’re not feeling well enough to move onto your mat. Just use your pillows as your supportive props.
As you move through this class, if you become tired or out of breath — stop. Take as long as you need to rest and come back to it when you feel ready.
FYI—I’ll be performing this practice Inversion Free but you do you.
???? Grab some props; Blocks, Bolster, Pillows, Blankets, etc. ???? Good for ALL Levels.
Affirmation offered in this video:
???? I trust my body’s natural healing intelligence ????
Repeat it until you believe it.
Enjoy! Be well.
Remember to breathe.
????????Namaste my friends????????
I’d love to hear how you felt after this post covid yoga class, so please contact me and let me know how you felt after practice. Have a wonderful day and I’ll see you next time.
Have you ever just felt like if you could have a quick ‘something’ to get you going, you’d be able to do x, y, or z?
Yeah. Me too.
This is where this gem of a flow came from. It’s a little bit like a shot of espresso or a cup of tea. The first sips are warming, familiar, and soft but a bit bitter. Once you’re mid-cup the bitterness isn’t so bitter anymore and you start to feel the zing of that sweet blast of excitement ‘cause you know the energy is coming. Finally, once you’ve had the last sip – in our case Savasana – the energy balances out for that feel-good buzz.
Buh-bye sluggish energy, Hello new found energy!
Enter my new Energy Pick Me Up Yoga flow that happens to be Inversion Free. In this energy boost, you can forget about the crash that happens after the caffeine wears off. At 15 min, it’s easy to slip into your day whenever you need a pick me up!
For those of you who can’t live without your coffee or tea…I get it. I have a cup of hot green tea every morning and if I miss it…ugh…the sluggishness and lack of focus is amazing. So have your favorite cup of caffeinated beverage and add this to it…see what happens.
E.N.E.R.G.Y!!! Wooooo! Note to self: Maybe I need to cut back a little. ????????
The Details:
All poses will be held for 3 or fewer breaths to make sure to keep the energy moving. I’ll be performing this practice Inversion Free but you do you. To stay within 15 min, the Savasana is 1 minute. If you’d like to Savasana longer—Do It!!
???? No props needed. Only for Savasana if Inversion Free (or if you want to use ‘em) ???? Good for experienced practitioners. ✨ Inversion Free means no downward facing dog, no head stand, no poses where the head goes below the heart. Great for those with glaucoma, cardiac issues, vertigo, acid reflux, or if you just don’t like going upside down.
An affirmation to help this energy boost:
My body and my mind are energized and ready to take action.
Repeat it ’til you believe it.
This flow was a fun one to do; it certainly lifted my energy. Hope you got a boost after this practice too!
Enjoy! Be well.
Remember to breathe.
????????Namaste my friends????????
By special request, a Hands Free & Wrist Free Yoga flow. No props are needed unless you are inversion free. There’s no wrist bending and the hands are not used.
Cheers to happy hands & wrists! ????
This flow has planks, balances, twists, stretches, core work, standing poses, shoulder openers, and hip openers…all hand free and wrist free! A feel-good flow in 30 minutes.
???? No props unless you want ‘em. ???? All levels welcome
If you are Inversion Free, please make sure you have props handy to ensure your head stays higher than your heart.
As always, this flow has some creative ways to be hand free and wrist free. In fact, I found this quote which will now live on my vision board because it is right on the money.
“Life is a continuous exercise in creative problem solving.”
~ Michael J. Gelb
Maybe you feel the same way? If I have a lack of enjoyable problem solving, like making these fun vinyasa flows, I find I get bored, sad, and a little depressed. Although, I’ll admit, the problem solving I don’t like so much adds up too — it keeps life interesting even if it’s not my favorite problem to solve.
Happy yoga-ing! Hope you enjoy this creative vinyasa flow.
Enjoy! Be well.
Remember to breathe.
????????Namaste my friends????????
Hit me up with any requests for classes via email. ✨Have a wonderful day and I’ll see you next time.✨
This 25 Minute Full Body Yoga Flow works into a fun, full body standing sequence. Back and arm work lead into a gentle forward fold and calming twists. Inversion Free options are provided; remember to keep the head higher than the heart!
???? Blocks are helpful for balances and if you’re Inversion Free
???? Experienced Level
✨ Inversion Free means no downward facing dog, no head stand, no poses where the head goes below the heart. Great for those glaucoma, cardiac issues, vertigo, acid reflux, or if you just don't like going upside down.
