What’s your intention?

There’s a chair that I move around my garden. Sometimes it sits next to the Rowan tree that Graeme planted, other times it sits next to my blackcurrant bush, and this week it has been sitting underneath the tree that has been shedding leaves. The chair acts as a reminder for an intention I have set. The intention changes as the seasons do. Sometimes it is simply to have that cup of tea outdoors, or to sit and spend time in the memory of Graeme and his care for me. Other times it is to be with the blackcurrants so that I don’t forget to pick them before the birds get them. And most recently, it is to savour the majestic colours of Autumn.

We speak a lot about intention in the world of mindfulness. Setting an intention at the beginning of a meditation practice sets the direction in which we would like to go; it’s like an archer taking aim. We hope that our arrow hits the bullseye, but it’s OK if it doesn’t. We’re simply increasing the odds by setting up the shot, and while we may need to take a few shots, it’s reassuring to know that we’re on the path.

In this way, Intention can be seen as the care that we take in creating the conditions for something to happen. We can’t stop at just stating the intention, there must be an action to accompany it. If we go back to my example of the blackcurrants, I may know that I want to pick the fruit to eat (my intention) but I also must remember to keep an eye on the fruit to know when they are ripe enough to pick them (action). Hence, the chair (my support for remembering). This is the process I have employed to move towards my target.

Interestingly, when I look up the meaning of intention, it states that, yes, intention is an aim or a plan, but it also can be defined as a course of healing. Reading this definition brings a smile to my face. Spending time with the Rowan tree helps to heal my grief, the blackcurrants nourish my family’s health and the Autumn leaves soothe my soul. Just as my mindfulness practice is a resource for wellness, so is my chair strategically placed in the garden.

In this way, living with intentionality can be seen as an important means to ensure that we are setting the stage to thrive and be well. Setting intentions empowers us. They help to move us from a place of worry to enjoying the journey. They also help us to be present in the here and the now and to act from that space, rather than sit idle in rumination or anticipation.

As we move deeper into the season of Autumn, and as we turn our gaze to Winter, we can ask ourselves: what parts of us feel like they could use a bit of care? It might be that we have neglected the idea of a balanced diet, our sleep, or maybe it is that our attention has waned from some friendships, or our groups and clubs. What intentions can we set for healing? What supports might we put in place?  

This Tuesday at the Sanctuary’s online community meditation sit, I am going to guide a mindfulness meditation with a reflection around intention setting. In our meditation practice, our intention is to be mindful and our support is the breath/our senses and the body. We can practice the process and then reflect on how we might apply this to our life. If this interests you, why not join us?

-Jane

Click here to join me at the Sanctuary’s online community meditation this Tuesday at 10am.

Click below to listen to and to do an Autumn reflection on the season’s intentions: