When I was teaching I never raised my voice in the classroom unless I did it with intention. It was always preplanned and what I was going to say was well thought out. It comes from a place of love and results in teaching the children something valuable. A teacher raising her voice as an immediate, knee-jerk reaction to the children’s behavior is a loss of control and isn’t good for either one of them. It comes from a place of fear – the teacher fears losing control of the class and this results in a frustrated teacher and unhappy children receiving negative messages.
In yoga we are taught to come in and out of each pose with intention, taking our time going into it and retracing the steps coming out of it. When done with intention we show respect for our bodies and it comes from a place of love and appreciation for ourselves. When we fall out of poses, flopping all over, smacking our limbs on the floor, we use a lot of extra energy, causing the breath to go awry. Panic and fear can be the result.
In life, we sometimes have to let go of people or things. If it is done with intention, it is done calmly and within the context of a good feeling, and comes from a place of love. If we are forced to let go against our will, it comes from a place of fear, causing anger, hurt and anxiety.
Intention is a good word to live by. It causes you to think before you speak or act. It keeps impulsivity in check. Intention has taught me to move more purposefully through life. 52 times a day, five days a week, coming in and out of each pose with intention trains the brain to move after taking a moment to think and visualize where you want to go.
And so, as another day goes by, it is with intention that…I have written.
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