Yoga Is All About Intentions: Here Are 3 To Set During Class
It's all in the goals you set for yourself
By Carissa Wong -
When it comes to yoga, intentions make up a large part of the experience. It helps you focus and brings your practice to a higher (or deeper) level. It calms the body and helps you narrow your attention to what you want to achieve from your session.
Now picture this: You lay out your yoga mat/towel and get into a seated position as you wait for your class to begin. Then, your instructor tells you to close your eyes and “set an intention for today’s class — something you’d like your practice to be guided by, a single word or a phrase”.
Let's talk a little more about why intentions are so important: By creating smaller, simpler, more achievable goals throughout the day, you’re aligning yourself with bigger goals and helping yourself to focus on what you want to achieve.
This is extra powerful when done during yoga because you have set aside time to train your mind and body. It’s easy to get distracted by ambient sounds, your reflection in the mirror, and a busy mind — and that’s where intentions come in.
By choosing a word, phrase, idea, or even a feeling, you’ll be able to focus on that one thing and come back to it whenever you feel yourself drifting away.
Want to stay grounded? Here are three simple intentions that you can set for your yoga classes.
This intention is all about honouring your body, how it feels, and how it wants to move.
When attending a yoga class, it’s easy to compare yourself to others, or even to your own body on a different day.
If you’re tired of feeling distraught, discouraged, or annoyed when you’re not able to achieve a certain pose, you may want to focus on the act of moving, rather than the act of posing.
By following your body, you will gain more body awareness and learn how to move in ways that make your body feel good.
Don’t be afraid to modify poses and flows — yoga is an individual practice that is meant to help you go within.
Sometimes, your thoughts may fly around and feel out of control when your mind is in overdrive. On days like that, it can be difficult to calm your mind even during a meditation class.
If you’re feeling distracted, try focusing on your breath. You don’t have to tell yourself to quieten your mind, but rather, you’re just letting thoughts come and go.
Extending your inhalations and exhalations can help to relax and re-centre your mind and body, and paying attention to your breath can help you to feel more present.
Whenever you feel distracted during class, return to your breath and focus on deepening it.
You can even close your eyes and listen to the sound of your breath to deepen the sensation of letting go of all your busy thoughts.
For days where you’re feeling lost and don’t want to listen to your mind and body, go within and listen to your heart.
If this is your intention during your yoga class: Do what you feel like doing, don’t second guess yourself, and simply move or stay in any way that feels right.
It’s easy to let outsiders, expectations, or even your vision of yourself dictate how you should move and feel.
Our intuition is a powerful tool that will become dull if you continue to ignore it. Sharpen your intuition by listening to your heart.
By being mindful of every move you make and every breath you take, you’ll learn to be more in tune with yourself.
Now that you know what to do, it’s time to learn how to do it.
Setting intentions doesn’t have to be a complicated process. You can just sit on your yoga mat, close your eyes, relax your body, and focus on the intention for that day (or even just that hour).
They can be instructional phrases like the three mentioned above, or single words that you want to invite into your life (energy, love, peace, calm, gratitude). If it’s your first time setting an intention, choosing a simple and actionable phrase may be easier to focus on than something that’s broader or more vague.
You can repeat your chosen mantra a few times as you breathe deeply. Remember to use it to guide your practice and help you stay in the present moment.
Carissa Wong is a 200h Certified Yoga Teacher who focuses on alignment, mobility, and strength. She started practising yoga in 2016, and has been teaching since mid-2020. Currently, she teaches private 1-on-1 yoga classes (online and in person) and creates personalised stretch and strength plans.
You can find Carissa on Instagram (@MovewithCarissa), and her e-books “Form & Alignment” and “Banishing Back Pain” here.
Text by: Carissa Wong/HerWorld