So you are in your favourite yoga class and you have just settled in with some pranayama and you have quietened your mind and the teacher says… “take a moment to set your intention.” What is your first reaction? Do you have an intention? Do you reach for the first word that pops into your head? Do you have a favourite that you use? Did you think of something on your drive to the class?
Setting an intention for me, is a very important part of a yoga class. When we transition from rushing, doing and thinking our minds slow down. Our brain waves can be measured and they can be seen as erratic and ‘messy’ which is called Beta brain waves when we are busy. When we slow our breathing and focus on one thing (this is called Dharana in yoga – one pointed focus) we can then shift into an Alpha brain wave state. When we are Alpha, the waves are slower and more even. This is a relaxed and creative state of mind. It is a state of ease. This is when we have access to our subconscious mind as opposed to operating in Beta and from our conscious mind.
This is the perfect state of mind to actually re-wire our subconscious mind with an intention. It is like reprogramming a computers operating system. We cannot reprogram in Beta. Access is denied. We are too busy. In the Alpha state the mind is open and receptive. Set your intention and then you can let it run your operating system from the subconscious mind when you leave class and have to focus on your to do list.
There is nothing more important than our internal environment. If we are not in a state of ease we may fall into a state of dis-ease. This is the second reason for having an intention ready for when you go into Alpha during yoga. Epigenetic’s is the most up to date science regarding genes and disease. Epigenetic’s tells us that it is our internal and external environment that affects our internal environment that switches genes on or off. This means that if you have a cancer gene in your family it doesn’t automatically mean that you will get cancer. It is your internal environment that switches that gene on.
This makes creating a state of internal ease imperative.
You can control your internal environment through yoga, meditation and other healthy habits. You can gain more control over your internal programming by setting an intention in an alpha state of mind. Write the programs you wish to operate from not the ones society and parenting have installed without your permission or knowledge.
