5 Intentions for 25
I spent a whole afternoon looking back at the beautiful moments, memories and lessons learnt throughout my year of 24, which you can read here. I’m also super into the idea of setting intentions at momentous times like birthdays and new years, as well as setting smaller (but just as meaningful) intentions each time I sit, meditate or lie in a lush yoga nidra.
The point of an intention, or a sankalpa, is to think of a statement that you wish to be true with all of your being. This can be little or large, specific or general - but not too focused on one exact detail. If you’re wishing for a relationship, for example, you shouldn’t make your statement about one particular person. Instead, you can list everything you deserve and more in a connection with someone: a person who is honest, generous, loving and dedicated.
Personally, I like to centre my intentions about things I am manifesting within myself. For example, ‘I am enough, I am loved, I am loving, I am creative’… You get the idea. However, when it comes to my birthday or new year, I like to set bigger intentions and goals alongside my usual statements - things I’d like to say that I achieved at the end of the year.
#1 Teach yoga & continue learning
I have already partially ticked this one off! But I would like to continue to teach yoga regularly, exploring different flow styles, continuing to create groovy playlists, listening to yoga nidra for inspiration, continuing to read so much more and explore the world of yoga. It is vast, it inspires me so much and gives me an inexplicable feeling, as well as gaining a better understanding of the inside of my own head.
#2 Host a yoga brunch and/or supper club
This one requires some planning! Fab and I have been talking for as long as we have known each other about hosting a supper club together; we both love to host, he’s a whizz in the kitchen and I love to pour a good drink. Therefore, getting people we love or humans we don’t know at all, around a table to chat, discuss and celebrate life and food, sounds like the perfect idea! Combining this with a yoga flow to warm up on a windy beach, or to snuggle down into relaxation before cracking open a delicious bottle of wine, is my ultimate dream. Stay tuned for our flow & feast evenings, coming soon to an island near you.
#3 Continue the creativity
This sounds super general and non-specific, but there are a lot of areas I’d like to cover within this. Paying more attention to this little corner of the internet, getting my thoughts down on virtual paper and sharing my adventures (even if only with a few people) during the time of Covid has really helped my mind deal with the situation. Furthermore, I’d like to take way more photos in different ways and learn more about editing. I hope to stay creative with my yoga flows, with my hair each day, with the clothes I already have: literally, this goal is more to be creative with what I already have around me and within my own head. Writing, reading, singing, dancing when I’m feeling’ it - anything goes.
#4 Keep on cooking
Although I mentioned Fab is already a masterchef in my eyes, his absolute passion for food has inspired me so much to walk away from my previous bland, ‘safe’ diet of toast and daal. I’ve discovered a love for prepping tiny herbs and mincing garlic, experimenting with different vegetables and methods of cooking, and in particular working out which flavours, herbs and spices go together well. Later tonight, I’m planning to cook up a rich, tomato-y chickpea stew with a pan-baked take on dauphinoise potatoes, baba ganoush and cucumber ribbons.
#5 Remain present and minimise worrying
This has been a goal of mine for a long old time; last year I even took some neurolinguistic programming sessions to try and work on my understanding of this (although I’m not the best at making this a daily practice, which I’d definitely benefit from!) I’ve recently also fallen back into some old ways of negative thinking, so am looking back to NLP for some extra support. From simply not knowing initially if I’d have a job this summer, my list of worries has grown as long as my arm - although ironically I do know now that I’ll have a job in Jersey. Other questions include: where will we live? Will we be able to afford life on the rock? Should I sell my car? When will we be able to head back? Should we even head back? This endless circle of questions in my head, when really I know a simple solution is to let go, focusing on the present moment, being grateful for all that is and all that is coming, breathing and being so thankful for our own, friends’ and families’ health. I got so absorbed in my worrying that I’ve overlooked the many simple rituals I have developed to deal with the chaos. I’d love to go into more detail in a future post, although this will definitely be when I’ve got it locked down as part of my life again.
Do you have any rituals you like to follow when your birthday comes around? Have you set any intentions since the world has fallen into lockdown? I’d love to hear them, and about your experience setting sankalpa in your daily lives and practices.
Big love x