As yoga teachers, we hold the unique opportunity to create a space that not only nurtures the physical asana practice but also encourages mental, spiritual, and emotional growth. One powerful tool in our teaching arsenal is the concept of setting an intention, or Sankalpa in Sanskrit. Intentions help to guide the energy of a class, providing both teachers and students with a focal point that can enhance the overall class experience. Here’s how you can effectively guide students to set intentions in your yoga classes.
Understanding Intentions (Sankalpas)
Intentions are different from goals or resolutions. While goals and resolutions are often about achieving a specific outcome, intentions are about creating a mindset or an attitude. They serve as guiding principles that can shape our thoughts, behaviors, and experiences. The Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health defines Sankalpa as the “Sanskrit word for intention. San means “to become one with” and kalpa means “time” and “subconscious mind.” In LifeForce Yoga, we use sankalpa as a way to set an intention, to connect with your heart’s deepest desire.” Learn more about Sankalpas from Kripalu here.
When students set intentions, they are encouraged to cultivate a deeper awareness of their practice and their lives. They can be personal or universal, ranging from themes of self-love, gratitude, letting go, or whatever your theme for the class may be.
Why Set Intentions?
- Fostering Mindfulness: Setting an intention invites students to be present and mindful. It encourages them to connect with their breath, body, and mind, enhancing their overall experience.
- Creating a Safe Space: When you set an intention for your class, you create a safe and welcoming environment. This allows students to feel more comfortable in exploring their emotions and thoughts during practice.
- Enhancing Focus: An intention serves as a beacon for your students, helping them to focus on something that truly matters to them in that moment. This can lead to a more profound and connected practice.
- Building Community: Shared intentions around a class theme can foster a sense of community among students. When everyone is focused on a common theme, it can create a powerful bond that enhances the collective energy of the class.
How to Offer Intention Setting During Class
- Begin with Reflection: While preparing for your class, take time to reflect on what you want to offer your students. Consider what themes resonate with you, the time of year, or what challenges you believe your students may be facing in the world or in the community. See How to Theme a Yoga Class
- Communicate Clearly: When you introduce the theme at the beginning of the class, communicate it clearly and concisely. While presenting the theme, offer the students time to set an intention for their practice. Students have the option to set an intention or to skip it.
- Encourage Personalization: While you provide the general theme and idea for the intention, encourage students to personalize it. They can take a moment to set their own intention that aligns with the theme you’ve introduced, but they are always welcome to customize their intention. They can dedicate their practice to someone or something else. They are free to set their own intention – or not. It is completely optional and their choice. You can frame the intention setting with wording such as “perhaps, set an intention to…” or “I invite you to take this time to set an intention..” or something along those lines. You can offer different suggestions for intentions around your theme.
- For example: A theme focused on Change might invite students to “maybe set an intention to be open to a new practice, or to allow yourself to go inside and find peace in this present moment.”
- Or a theme focused on Freedom might invite students to “perhaps set an intention to make their practice uniquely their own by exercising the freedom to modify, skip postures, or take a child’s pose whenever they wish.”
- Integrate Throughout the Class: Refer back to the theme or the intention throughout the class – maybe once or twice. Without overdoing it, you have the option to remind students to come back to the intention they set earlier in the class. One way to do this is by offering mantras or affirmations relating to the theme or intention, for the students to say quietly to themselves. You can choose an active posture or child’s pose to present this reminder. An asana that gives them time to reflect and for that intention to resonate once again.
Close by Bringing the Theme and Intention Back to Mind
Like metaphorical bookends, presenting the intention setting at the beginning and revisiting the theme at the end, creates a sense of cohesion and a more resonant experience for students. You can do this while moving into, during, and/or after Savasana. A guided meditation, poem, quote, or reading can draw the intention back to mind, bringing the class full circle.
Want to learn more about intention setting? Here are a few resources:
Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health
https://yogamedicine.com/how-to-set-a-powerful-intention-for-your-yoga-practice/
