The Power of Intention and Gratitude
Two simple mindsets to make every day more productive and valued: having an intention behind everything you do, and being grateful for all that you can do with the 24 hours you’ve been given. Time moves on. Our days, let alone each moment spent against our life’s time, cannot be retrieved. Time is an expiring precious commodity. We can’t save time or deposit time into our days, but we can add value by thoughtfully anticipating and reflecting upon our daily experiences.
As I go about my days, I am continually amazed at how easy it is to be both mindless and mindful about my activities. Choosing to be present defines the difference. Awareness connects us to what’s here now. Life is short, as it’s often said, so fill your life with intentional and meaningful moments. I can get bored and uninspired by everyday mundane tasks, but when I choose to feel joy and give thanks to God for so many ordinary things throughout my day, my gratitude practice naturally transforms my standard routine into extraordinary “I get to,” and “I can do,” blessings.
Vinyasa Flow - Grateful to be able to move and breathe with intention.
More than ever, now that I’ve entered my 60’s, I have so much gratitude for my continued ability to do what I love - teaching and practicing vinyasa flow yoga. Yoga is an intentional practice and discipline. The word vinyasa is derived from the Sanskrit terms, nyasa - to position or place, and vi - in a special or intentional way. To me, a yoga class contains a life cycle of movement beginning in child pose and ending in corpse pose. I let my participants know it’s my intention that we all share a compassionate yoga experience - as in, we will suffer together. The suffering is real! For the next 60 minutes, each of us will individually discover our edge, by intentionally positioning and moving our bodies through a sequence of ups and downs, twists and turns, on the quest to strengthen our minds, bodies and spirits together. It’s both a shared corporate and uniquely personal epic journey. We practice when to push and when to obey our own boundaries.
I have deep gratitude and hold strong intentions behind my “why” for practicing and teaching yoga. The power of my intentions and gratitude is particularly felt as I conclude each class in corpse pose (savasana) with these words:
“Lay this body to rest - the one you walked in with. In a few moments, you’ll rise again with a new body more revitalized for having spent time on your mat today.”
I talk the class through surrendering our bodies in corpse pose then:
“Roll to your left side. Stack your knees. Land in the innately familiar fetal position, the pose in which you were created, divinely woven and knit together for a unique purpose and specific plan by the hand of God.”
“Giving thanks for all that we can do with our divine equipment on our mats today, take a deep breath in, press up, and rise again into a comfortable seated position.”
“Bring your hands together at heart center. Pausing here, grateful that we can control the way we move and breathe on our mats, which means we can control the way we live our lives off the mat.”
“Giving thanks that we can feel the tensions and strengthening we’re creating in our bodies, so we can manage the tensions life holds to strengthen us.”
“Grateful that we can fill our lungs deeply and empty them completely, and that we’re capable of renewing ourselves with each inhale, and surrendering ourselves with each exhale;
and, giving thanks that our hearts are healthy, and beating strongly with purpose.”
“Thank you for sharing this yoga class with me today. The divine Light in me honors the divine Light in each one of you. Namaste.”
My closing remarks haven’t changed much for decades. My inflection has. With time, these words have become even more meaningful having been stitched together from three transformational human experiences:
Jason’s extraordinary life changed mine one Sunday morning at church while I watched his mom lift him out of his wheelchair as his dad held his legs. Together they sat down and held their son’s outstretched 16-year old body lengthwise between them. They took up the entire row in front of me. As they settled in, I watched, mesmerized by the way they all swayed in harmony - flowing together with the uncontrollable movements of Jason’s body. Jason’s mom cradled his head over her shoulder, and Jason and I faced each other during most of the service. His focused eyes, handsome features, and serene facial expression seemed to convey a “knowing” and sweet surrender to what is despite the chaos his body was creating. Right in front of me was the most beautiful vinyasa flow I had ever witnessed. As mom and dad harnessed their son into his wheelchair, I learned Jason had Juvenile Huntington’s Disease that caused his brain to increasingly lose control over his body’s movements and functions as he grew.
Kristi’s extraordinary life changed mine while she was a patient at UNC Hospitals. I was a volunteer serving as her Stephen Minister - a compassionate caregiver. Kristi was just admitted for her long-awaited lung transplant. At 21 years young, she was beautiful, vivacious, and very pale. It was the first time I was in the presence of so many monitors, tubes, and equipment sounds surrounding a patient who should be completing her college degree. The vast amount of help Kristi needed to inflate and deflate her failing lungs due to cystic fibrosis made a lasting impression on me. I hadn’t given much thought to the privilege of breathing in and out on my own until this experience. Kristi was full of life despite living with near vital organ failure. Her donor match came through as she was already at the critical stage of her illness. We spent one day together post lung transplant. She had color in her cheeks. She had hopes for her future. We ate ice cream and chatted about her life’s plans after recovery. Kristi, unfortunately died the next day.
My son, Chad’s extraordinary life continues to transform me. Chad was born with a rare and severe congenital heart anomaly called hypoplastic left heart syndrome. His incredible story is told in my “Try Again” blog. Chad’s sweet, short life has served to awaken in me a keen awareness to every chamber, function and beat of my heart both physiologically and spiritually. I am, therefore, vitally grateful for the strength of this life-pumping muscle and pulsating organ.
Over the years, students have asked me to repeat what I say during my class closing because it’s “so powerful.” It’s powerful because it’s a tribute. It’s an expression of my gratitude for the vital fundamentals required for me to be able to practice and teach yoga. It’s spoken with intention to honor the extraordinary lives of Jason, Kristi, and Chad, who have each contributed value and deep meaning to my own. Jason’s brain, Kristi’s lungs, and Chad’s heart were also divinely woven and knit together by the hand of God for their unique purposes and plans for their lives. I am grateful for the vital intricacies that brought our lives together and set our lives apart. I’m grateful that my heart can oxygenate my bloodstream. I’m grateful that I can control the way I move and breathe thanks to the functions of my brain and lungs. I intend to practice and teach yoga embodying these powerfully unforgettable human experiences with gratitude.
Intentions and gratitude focus and fuel my mind, body and spirit. Let the power of these two practices do the same for you.
Time is an expiring precious commodity.
Life is short and full of unknowns. As we’re closing out another year and welcoming a new one, let’s be intentional with our time and grateful for a few vital fundamentals: the miraculous functions of our brains that produce our achievements, our hearts that pursue our passions, and our lungs that make each moment a chance to renew and restart our lives.
