New Year, New Mind

The pressure is on. It’s the New Year, and that means a new resolution to guide your path forward for the coming year. But if you’re like the majority of us who set resolutions, 92 percent of us to be exact, that resolution loses steam by the end of January, if not before, and falls into the graveyard of forgotten resolutions. Statistically, only 8% of those who make a New Year’s resolution actually keep it. For many, resolutions for the New Year start with a fitness goal, breaking a bad habit, getting organized, or managing finances better. But what if we thought about resolutions as intentions, like those we set in yoga? Perhaps we let those intentions become our goals for the year, not just in yoga practice, but in life practice?

An intention is a higher-consciousness of a thought, a thing, a goal, and using it for a higher purpose. Intentions provide you with an agenda to help you set your priorities and expectations. By consciously setting an intention, you are saying to yourself, and the universe, that you are committed to this thought, this thing, this goal. Making your intention clear also helps you become more mindful when it goes off track, so you can quickly self-correct.      

Mind over Matter

47% of resolution makers set count self-improvement as their goal. Reducing stress in their lives is a big part of that category. The day-to-day stress can cause illness and even interfere with cognitive capabilities. Just like the calm you get from an hour-long yoga class, strive to maintain that “mind over matter” experience  outside of your practice to combat the everyday stressors at work, school, or at home. Take a quiet time out whenever you get a chance, whenever you’re feeling tense or frazzled.

What You Think You Become

Buddha taught, “The mind is everything. What you think, you become.” If you think you are successful, you will be successful. If you think you are a quitter, you will be a quitter. According to some researchers, the average human has between 50,000 and 70,000 thoughts in a single day. Imagine if the majority of those thoughts were negative. What if we all wasted our thoughts on worrying about things we can’t control, or worrying about the future or the unknown? What if our thoughts are complaints or criticisms? What you focus on has a dramatic impact on your reality, so think positively and train your mind to ignore the negative thoughts and focus on the unlimited potential you can unlock.  

Manifesting Energy

Remember, your thoughts and energy create your reality. Through positive thoughts and energy you can manifest your desires, success, and wellness. Move this positive energy you create inside of your body to the outside where you can experience it, share it, and become more aware of it. When that energy – the negative thoughts - stay inside, you aren’t as likely to hold yourself accountable for it. You can manifest this energy through writing your thoughts down, drawing them, or painting them. Then, send them back to the universe to manifest your goals!

Setting an intention will not only bring your yoga practice to a deeper level, but can bring your daily life to a deeper level. Try making these intentions everyday habits without the pressure of a once-a-year resolution to help ensure your success in maintaining them.

Did you know…that yoga is a practice that you carry with you throughout the day, long after your time on the mat has ended, so it’s the best place to set a daily intention? Check out Movement Works Winter Yoga schedule to find a class that meets your needs.