Intention not Resolution

In the beginning of each January there is an onslaught of press about making a resolution for the new year - Lose weight? Quit smoking? Be nicer? – you know what I mean.  For me, the problem with a resolution  is that it doesn’t stick.  I think that’s because the resolution is about one thing (like losing weight) and not about how I will live my life.

For the past few years, an acquaintance of mine has started the year off with a word that meant something important to her and that she could act on in everyday living.  I liked this approach so much that for 2019 I chose the word unencumbered (not having any burden).  Last year I spent time, removing as much as I could that was stopping me from shifting from corporate marketing to teaching yoga. 

For 2020, I chose the word intention, because I want to make sure that my choices reflect and support my goals.   Global yoga teacher Janet Stone writes, “When used wisely, intentions are the engine behind daily choices and the compass we can use to orient ourselves. They can help dissolve the puppet strings that might have us acting out a life that’s discordant with what we truly long to get up to. “ 

Since leaving my marketing career and following my calling, my vocation, to teach yoga, I’ve been focused on paring down the many choices available for studying and teaching yoga to those that are  truly meaningful to me.  My intention to focus on creating yoga offerings that support people who recognize the benefits of yoga but haven’t taken that first step has to drive my choices when it comes to teaching and training.  

For example, As I was brainstorming in December about workshops and special classes I want to offer in 2020, I thought about creating a program for golfers to stretch and strengthen before Spring arrives.  It’s a good idea and probably would be well received, however it takes me away from my main purpose which is working with those folks who really need yoga for emotional, mental, spiritual, and of course physical - benefits.  So instead of creating this 4-part series, I’m updating, expanding and promoting my Yoga to Soothe Your Soul, Work-Place, and Grief & Loss Yoga classes and programs.

Could I have made a resolution to only work on programs that are for my ideal student population?  Sure, but one resolution like, “only work on programs for your ideal students” didn’t feel right.  It feels limiting.  Intention feels on-going, expansive, and integrated whereas resolution seems singularly focused and wouldn’t capture all of the other ways I think about teaching or practicing yoga. 

When I start building a sequence for a weekly yoga class, I now have my Intention to use as a compass, a guide, to make sure I stay true to my purpose.  I’ve noticed a difference in my teaching too – I feel more confident but also feel like I am really focusing on what my students are looking for when they come to a class.   

In 2019, I fulfilled my desire to focus on my yoga vocation and set up my new website, teach and sub weekly classes, and offer 3 new workshops because I was able to shed anything (including my corporate marketing job) that wasn’t serving me.  I became unencumbered.   Intention is my guiding principle for 2020 and I look forward to continuing on my path to help aspiring yoga students to find their path.