Meditation: set an intention
In many of the “Steps to Make Any Move a Meditation,” you will notice the word “choice.” When you choose your movement form, interval, and object of meditation, you have set an intention.
I could have called intention “Step Zero” because it influences the other choices and your mindset as you start to practice.
For each session, you choose parameters. They become your aim, setting the tone for that interval. You’re not claiming them or visualizing an outcome. You’re not creating a checklist of things to accomplish. It’s more like selecting a type of workout. Will you practice your serve or your return? Will it be speed work or long, slow miles? You intend to do it, and you’ll see how it goes.
Generally, meditation intentions are large and universal, beyond any individual goal.
They help us see how we are connected to the rest of the world and how each of our thoughts and actions have consequences.
Ask yourself what’s important to you. What do you value? You might set an intention to see ways to be more effective in your community or the world at large. But an intention can also be personal, such as intending to adopt more gentleness toward yourself and compassion for your family or coworkers. Or it could be as simple as not throwing up during football mat workouts.
In movement meditation, several levels of intention come into play. You’re not only curious about improving your golf swing but also about the nature of reality. What is all this swinging about anyway? Perhaps, in meditating as you swing, you will become a more caring person, one who is more effective not just at golf but in the heart of everything. This too is a choice.
For a more detailed discussion of intention, read Chapter 9: “Cultivating Mind States” in Make Every Move a Meditation.
YOUR TURN: INTENTION
The next time you engage in your preferred movement form, follow each of the steps to make any move a meditation. But first, set an intention, individual and universal. Aim for kindness, graciousness, and peace—as well as your version of hitting them straight and long.
I have included more than twenty “Your Turn” exercises in the book Make Every Move a Meditation.
This excerpt is from Make Every Move a Meditation by Nita Sweeney which is available now through Amazon and Mango Media.
