The Art of Setting an Intention in Yoga Class, 2016
Video taken from the channel: Yoga Alliance
Short Intention Setting for Your Yoga Practice
Video taken from the channel: Emily Jacobs Yoga
Setting an Intention for your Yoga Practice (Take 2)
Video taken from the channel: turtleflow
Episode 55: How to Set an Intention When Coming to Your Mat | Yoga Hacks Podcast
Video taken from the channel: BrettLarkinYoga
Setting an Intention for Yoga Class
Video taken from the channel: Ashley Hagen Ashes Yoga
How To Set An Intention In Yoga Class
Video taken from the channel: Kara Lydon, RD, LDN, RYT
How To Elevate Your Yoga Practice
Video taken from the channel: Yoga with Kassandra
How to Set an Intention. Set your intention right at the beginning of your practice. First, find stillness. Notice your breath, in through the nose and out through the nose. Now, think about your intention and sit with it for a few moments.
To set an intention, bring your awareness to a quality or virtue that you want to cultivate more of in your life.An intention can keep you in the present moment during your yoga practice and help you focus. It can also stay with you throughout the day, giving you a sense of purpose, peace, or clarity and helping you think about what you value.
Setting Your Own Intention If your teacher doesn’t offer an intention, by all means, feel free to set your own.The first thing the teacher said in the first class was, “We’ll start by taking a moment to set an intention for your practice.” I drew a total blank. I had no idea what setting an intention meant. I intend to get better at yoga.
I intend not to look like a fool in this class. I intend to pick up a latte on my way home.Setting an intention for your yoga class is an important part of your practice. It gives you something to focus on throughout the class, and can be used to bring you back into focus if you get distracted or if your mind begins to wander.
Before a yoga class, you might choose to set an intention to practice with the Yama Ahimsa or ‘kindness’ and ‘non-harming’ to yourself, or Satya, meaning ‘truthfulness’, both of which are derived from Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, and have echoed their importance throughout thousands of years. Intentions are different from ‘goals’.The Power Behind Setting An Intention In Yoga Written by Ahlia Hoffman Setting an intention or dedication for your yoga practice acts like a metaphor to translate your practice off your mat and into your life.
It is a vehicle that makes yoga an aspect of.Having both a clear intention and clear goals is critical for your success in sports and in yoga practice. Without intention, it’s easy to crumble when the going gets rough.
Intention serves to inspire and focus you mentally and spiritually. Goals, on the other hand, help.You might set an intention of cultivating strength, both physically and emotionally, to carry with you off of your mat at the end of your practice and into your world. Balance, groundedness, clarity, compassion, peace and inspiration are all beautiful ideas as well. Choose anything that resonates with you in.
At the start of most yoga classes, the teacher asks you to call to mind your intention—someone or something to help inspire your practice. When you do this, it acts like an inner compass, guiding your attention to whatever quality you’d like to embody as you move through your asana.Setting an intention is a way of making a commitment to being on the mat. It stops you from the hustle and bustle of thinking (come on, we all are still deep in thought, mind racing, especially at the beginning of a yoga class) and gives you an opportunity to make a deliberate connection between your practice and a way of being.
Setting an intention for your yoga practice is meant to help you get the most out of your time on the mat. Whatever your intention is, it’s meant to help guide you throughout your yoga practice. Just like your yoga practice as a whole, setting an intention is a very personal practice. You look within and determine what you need most that day.
Why set an intention for your practice? Setting an intention helps you create direction for your yoga practice. This can extend into your day and ripple out into all aspects of your life. How to set an intention. At the start of a yoga class, the instructor might invite you to set an intention for the class.
Setting an intention can bring your yoga practice to a deeper level. An intention can guide your practice in the classroom as you stretch through increasingly challenging asanas, or poses. Over.Itwill make your yoga practice a powerful tool for change in your life. At the core, your purpose gets past the fluff of a lofty aspiration as it involves asking yourself some deep questions, being honest with yourself, and being open to the answers you find.
Once an overall intention is decided, crafting it into a simple statement to practice in a yoga class can help make it easier to incorporate into the practice. Intentions should feel realistic and possible. If creating an intention that feels unauthentic or impossible, change it to something more achievable so it feels possible and attainable.
List of related literature:
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from Yoga and Body Image: 25 Personal Stories About Beauty, Bravery & Loving Your Body |
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from Self-Awakening Yoga: The Expansion of Consciousness Through the Body’s Own Wisdom |
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from Yoga Nidra: The Art of Transformational Sleep |
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from Methods of Group Exercise Instruction |
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from Tantra: The Path of Ecstasy |
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from Yoga for Warriors: Basic Training in Strength, Resilience, and Peace of Mind |
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from Pop Culture Yoga: A Communication Remix |
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from Mama Glow |
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from Krishnamacharya: His Life and Teachings |
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from Hatha Yoga Illustrated |
51 comments
Loved this! Glad you’re making it more of a regular thing. And thanks for the tips! I’ve been consistent with my practice only because its not about physical results for me but my over all well being; mentally, spirutually, emotionally. Of course physically is automatically included because that’s a given. Also, I second the closing your eyes tip. It TOTALLY changed the game for me when I started adding that to my practice. Makes me feel so much more in tune. But I never thought about taking classes to be certified to evevate my practice I will definitely be checking that out
<3 yes yes! will definitely get back to this video more often.
i’ve done yoga almost everyday for… i think around 7 months. then i just stopped doing it all of a sudden. now im getting back to why i started: gettingmy mind and body aligned. in the end i was just doing ‘workouts’ and that was just not something for me.
anyone have more yoga channel suggestions that are more about the mind/soul than the body?
(i love yoga with adriene and kassandra! more like these)
Thank you so much for this tips. I didn’t know I needed this so tanks
Thanks Kassandra! Can you expand a little more on an intention vs affirmation?
Love this video! Thank you for the tipsI will definitely be trying to implement these in my practice
I really loved these tips, It helps a ton even for a teacher. Thank you so much!
Yes!! I love what you said about going to your mat for the emotional and spiritual aspect moreso than the physical!
I was wondering about this a while ago and figured it out. I did not feel confused or reject the idea but I wanted to know the best way to do it. I like the idea of asking a specific question. Thanks:)
Hey Kassandra, I love your tips to elevate your yoga practice; every single one! I’m looking forward to your next coffee series video and I’m excited for you that you’re pursuing something you’ve wanted to do.
Wonderful!!! Thanks, and please keep doing your coffee chats:)
Love the idea saying affrimations during practice. I try to do affrimations throughout the day but never thought of incorporating them with yoga. Making noise is so freeing especially for someone like me who is more quite.
The dog made me laugh and smile so much. Loved everything you said too of course
really enjoyed this video:) (like all of yours)
also: 1) be present with yourself during the practice (sometimes we tend to do it in an autommatic way); 2) embrace whatever you feel during the practice (because it happens and we can feel glad, we can have a boost of energy, but we can also perceive that we are really tired, or sad, or anything else in the middle of a practice and it’s ok; however we may feel, it’s ok)
Want to know how to elevate and deepen your yoga practice? Here are my top 10 tips. Share yours below!
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Loved these tips. I have been doing a lot of mediyoga where the eyes are closed the whole time. Such a good feeling. Greetings from Norway.
So grateful you made this video! I learned a lot and am going to be trying some of these ❣️
Thanks, Kassandra, I am at a bit of a plateau at the moment, I think I just need to practice harder or smarter, but I’ll definitely try out some of your tips!
Excellent advice. Have been doing some already but not all, and yes the filming one is a challenge! Would like to see more of these. Thanks Kassandra!
Great tips, thank you! I’ve been thinking about doing some of these, I just have to do it!
This would be great in a podcast setting… just a suggestion
thank you for this.. I am a yogi into my 2nd year of practice.. never really understood how to set an intention until this video.. Namaste
Love more of this kind of tips and tricks. Yay for coffee chats
I loved this:coffee chat”, and I’m so excited that this will be a regular thing! I have been practicing yoga for a pretty long time, and one thing that helps me to elevate my yoga is to always keeps a “beginner’s mind”. When I practice with a beginner’s fresh eyes, I can experience the poses and the flows in a new way each time I roll out my mat.
I loved all of the tips you gave here. I am especially interested in trying out practicing with closed eyes, and also WITH a mirror. I think these 2 options alone will open up so many new experiences for me in my yoga life!
Thank you Kassandra, you’re awesome! I hope that someday I will have the opportunity to practice with you in person. You are one of my main yoga teachers
These are some great tips and tricks! Love this idea of a coffee chat!
Girl Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis is a great self help/memoir to help elevate your own thinking and confidence.
Your puppy is SO Cute, So Adorable, he keeps movin around, lol
Thank you Kassandra, your tips are very useful to me. I never practiced outdoor and I’d like to “try” the new little park near where I live, but honestly this make me feel a little unsure beacause I live in a very small city and thinking of people I know staring at me while I practice make m feel scared and unsure.
Love this chat so inspiring:) Could you recommend what equipment i would need to start filming myself? can not wait for the next chat. I am super excited I have joined your monthly membership x
I love the idea of the coffee chats! There are a few people that have just come to the 200 hr training that I am doing for personal development reasons rather than to teach. It truly is like a personal development workshop in many aspects. Especially when you get into breathing, movement patterns and the chakras. Love your tips. You’re such an inspiration Kassandra! Thank you!
really enjoyed this coffee chat idea Kassandra, your just such a lovely person
I love practising with the eyes closed and I enjoy your videos involving positive affirmations. Luna is adorable:-)
Brett, you nailed this!! This has always stressed me too because I felt like you (just wanted to relax and not think anything). So this is very helpful and you made this way easier now on what/how to set an intention. Thanks!!!
You are SUCH a Beautiful Soul, You’re the BEST, I love you So Much Kassandra, thank you, Namaste
Yes, i Do want to elevate my prav!Yes Love ( and i, also wanna teach, like You Love) and i Really want to Meet you ⭐
I live in Singapore where yoga teachers barely correct you. They do not touch you and they just tell their class without giving you feedbacks. So I stopped paying a fortune going to yoga studio here and tried to find MY yoga teacher online. The first that were recommended to me didn’t find a resonance with me. And finally I found you!! What a pleasure to follow your classes and your chats. I am 47 and I love yoga for the relieve that I get from my practice. I love challenging myself but as I am aging some postures are getting more complicated to do. But it is so great to practice every day with you. Too bad I am not in Ottawa, I would have certainly come to your classes 😉
I had set an intention for a real life beginner hatha yoga class I attended today, which was to demo that dancing dog routine and some split mode ahead of class. And so I did, it went ok…
Also more short videos 10-15 minutes or short meditation ones 10 mins would be great!
When i took a yoga class there were a lot of people there who brought all their emotions, motivation, intentions and made the class more difficult!. People became irritated, competitive and overly “spiritual”. Though not as fun or motivating, i find doing random asanas throughout my day or alone is better.
Good morning Kassandra. I have tried a few different YT yoga channels and then I found you. I really enjoy your videos, I resonate with your teachings. I meditate before yoga every morning, I find this practice really gets me into a great place to benefit from my yoga practice. Thank you for sharing and keep up the great work!!! Blessings………………………….
Yay I love this!! I’ve being doing your 55 min lower body flow into the splits video every day this week because I cannot get enough of it..usually I get bored doing any yoga video twice in a row but I could seriously do it every single day!!! I just love love love all your content and the variety of it!! Thank you so much lady, you’re amazing!!! xx
Hi Kassandra♀️ I’ve done yoga with you for 2 years, Also I tried so many teachers on YouTube But You are my best about yoga So I’m so curious about that I do yoga whenever I want,It’s morning sometimes or evening etc. Is that okay? What do you think about time to do yoga?I really appreciate if you answer me♀️
Nice coffe chat nd cuuuute dog. Regards from our Akita Inu Eren
Thanks for this. I watched this yesterday and used your tip to keep the eyes closed today during one of my favorite 1 hour vinyasa videos you have up today. Felt very different, but also good at the same time. It helped me become less distracted and more focus when I was doing the workout.
Awww,Sweet Puppy, Luna, i LOOOVE YOU!!Sweet baby!
Aww, Cutie Pie, hims got his Tooooy, how Cuuuuute!!
Thank you Kassandra for your advices (and all of your work:) ). Namaste
Very nice and clear explanation!:) Thank You:) I find intentions are the game changer for me in my practice. So good to focus on right mindset everyday.:)
Great explanation of setting an intention in yoga practice! Namaste
Great tips. I too have a youtube channel, so I’m used to watching myself. Recording my practice one of these times is a really good idea, especially since I practice at home with you, Tim, or Erin several times a week.
You mentioned taking a teacher-training; a yogi friend at work said the same thing to me when we met. Definitely something I need to keep in mind when my life is at a place that will allow this.
I do tai chi outside, why not yoga? (Watch me fall)
Luna is what makes the show! No offense, she is just SOO CUTE!!!
It is funny that you brought up filming yours because I am a photographer and a friend recently challenged to take some yoga self-portraits, and when I did I saw what I need to focus on in Wheel pose. I had no idea that was happening, but now I do and am working on improving in it.
Can’t wait for the next coffee chat.
Great explanation! I have always been a bit confused about this and thus reluctant to use it in teaching my yoga classes. I think I can do this now with confidence. Thank you, Brett.