I realize that for many of us change can be a dirty word. We avoid it, ignore it, and try everything we can to keep it from happening. Yet, as yogis and yoginis perhaps we might begin to look at change as something positive – maybe instead of using the word change, we use the word transformation… Sounds much more intriguing doesn’t it? Probably sounds a bit less frightening and maybe even something we’d like to be a part of!

For the next 7 weeks in the yoga classes at OmYogaFitness, we are going to work with this idea of transformation. We are going to work on transforming the negative into the positive. Whether these are behaviors, attitudes or habits, we are going to use our work on the mat to help move our lives from the negative column into the positive column. Using our yoga practice as a microcosm of our lives off the mat, we will use yogic ideas such as fearlessness, awareness and intensity to not only transform our yoga practice, but to also set a firm foundation for change in our lives as well.

For this month, I’d like you to look at the idea of ‘intention’. When we step on the mat to begin our yoga practice, we set out intention. Why do we do this? Setting your intention sets the tone for our practice – it gives us focus and allows us to gear our practice toward something deeper than simply going through the asana practice. How does this apply to our life off the mat? Well, imagine if upon waking in the morning, rather than sleepily dragging yourself out of bed and into the shower, you took a few moments to greet the day with some deep belly breaths and then set your intention for the day. How would that change your experience of your day?

Each day you have the opportunity to decide what your focus will be. You can decide that instead of just going through the motions, you will have a deeper intention – something more meaningful to direct your experience – something to help keep you in the moment. This can be something as simple as remembering to breathe consciously when you have the chance or you deciding that rather than daydreaming you are going to try to stay in the moment and truly experience each task of the day. When you get off track, simply remind yourself of the intention you set and come back to it. This is the first step in the transformational process!

What is your intention today?