Welcome to back to Camryn's Tea Time! It's so kind of you to join my tea party. For me, today is more of a cappuccino vibe. I can't resist giant mugs with decorated foam on top! What can I say, there's something about cafes that gets me all excited and makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. It's cliche, but I feel like cafes provide the best writing inspiration. Plus the smell off coffee and sweets put a smile on my face. For those of you who don't know, I'm a dessert addict. I also have an extensive mug collection. Cafes feed both of those addictions for me.
As we sit here together cozy cafe corner, I thought I'd talk to you about intentional living. It's something I've been working on and thought it would be lovely if we could work on it together so we can hold each other accountable and lift each other up. What is intentional living you ask? Setting an intention is setting a goal that affects us throughout our day. They help connect us to the present and make our days much more fulfilling.
Personally, I incorporate intentions in my yoga practices. At the beginning of each class I teach, or even my own practice, as I bring my participants into a guided meditation, I ask them to set an intention. For those of my subscribers that have lovingly attended my yoga classes, you know what I'm talking about. :D I allow my participants to set an intention so they make their time on the mat as personal as possible. Throughout our session, we reconnect to our intention and our breath.
There's an infinite amount of intentions to chose from. That intention could be sending out healing energy to a friend, to receive focused energy to finish an assignment later or to manifest courage. It could be a mantra such as "where I am today is exactly where I'm meant to be" or "I relax and let go". An intention could be a quote or a word that has meaning to you. The intention could be as simple as connecting to the breath for the whole practice. Maybe your intention is to focus on a color, such as indigo, which coordinates with your third eye chakra. Intentions are endless!
Setting intentions allows us to manifest positive energy to carry out through the practice and hopefully off the mat as well. My goal is to set intentions throughout my day and I'm welcoming you to join me! Intentions allow us to feel calmer, in control of our thoughts, shift our perspectives, and become more connected to the universe. We can easily manifest positive energy into our lives.
I was inspired to this after listening to an episode of my favorite podcast, Rise with Rachel Hollis. The episode featured Brendon Burchard, author of High-Performance Habits. Brendon talked about how he has triggers that remind him to ground himself throughout his day, such as doorways. Every time he goes through a door, he mentally checks in with himself and preps himself for what's to come next. One example he gave was telling himself to listen to his wife's perspectives before he entered the room. He noticed if he didn't set this intention, it often caused arguments to grow unnecessarily bigger. I thought it was such a powerful technique to use doorways as a reminder to be intentional. We go through doorways constantly! And that's the point. We should link our intentions to routines and habits we do every day, that way, our intentions are always prominent.
Now let's discuss ways to start living intentionally!
How can we make our living more intentional?
~Post it notes everywhere!
Writing little notes with our intentions reminds us to reconnect. I've put post its in drawers I frequently open and on my laptop. They say "breathe" and "you are powerful".
~Reminders on our phones
In the podcast, Brendon Burchard said that phones can be a massive distraction or a tool. Using intentional reminders is super beneficial because we check our phones all the time. If we have reminders going off every day, multiple times a day, we're constantly encouraged to reconnect to that intention and carry it with us in our day to day activities. Set your reminders to go off at the same time every day! Examples you could use are "have I checked in with my body? Am I holding tension anywhere?", "Stop, breathe, and take a sip of water", "You're capable of incredible things", "Take five minutes for a break", or "Let go of what's holding you back". There are so many possibilities for what you can write!
~Setting an intention each morning
I try to make my mornings as mindful as possible. I do my best not to check my phone right as I wake up. Most of the time I stick to this! Other times I get distracted, but hey, it's a process. Before I check my phone, I get up, drink some water, make my bed, make a cup of tea, and get dressed. Then, I take the time to write my gratitude list. I'm working on setting my intention along with writing my gratitude list! I think to myself, what do I hope to get out of this day? And write it down to cement it. Some intentions I've set have been to be as loving as possible to everyone I interact with that day or to drink four liters of water. Some days my intention is to have the focus to complete all of my homework without any distractions. Other days it's to allow me to be open to new opportunities. If I have a presentation that day, I intend to create an impact on my audience.
~Downloading intentional apps
A few weeks ago, I downloaded Head Space, a meditation app. Little did I know that when I downloaded it, it would send me notifications with affirmations or mindful tasks each day! The notification that stood out to me the most was to take a breath right before posting something on social media and check-in with how I feel. I'm not one to post often on social media, but now with this blog, I think about taking a breath before posting. Another app I downloaded the other day is Eternal Sunshine. This app also sends little reminders throughout the day with mantras, intentions, and uplifting quotes. These are the two apps that have been on my radar lately, but I'm sure there are tons more. Use your phone as a tool for an intentional and mindful living!
~Doing one mindful activity
I'll definitely talk more in-depth about mindfulness during another one of our tea parties. Anyway, doing one mindful activity a day sets a tone of calmness and positive. It can allow is to connect to intention or even to just what our mind and body need. Doing a mindful activity means focusing on one thing. For example, drinking a cup of tea! Allow yourself some time to focus solely on your cup of tea. Put all of your screens away and place all daunting tasks to the side. This is your time to just be. Tune into how the mug feels in your hands. Is it warm? Piping hot? Focus on the smell of the teabag and how the tea feels each time you take a sip. Just allowing yourself to explore this cup of tea.
~Developing your own triggers!
As I said before, Brendon Burchard discusses triggers often. Any time you experience a "trigger", take a moment to reconnect with your intention or establish an intention for what you're about to do. For example, maybe your trigger is opening your laptop. Every time you open it, maybe you pause for a moment to intend to be focused and diligent with the work you're about to do. If your trigger is washing your hands, maybe you take a moment to check in with your body and remind yourself that you're a powerhouse! Trigger equals intention.
This was a lot of information! But these are all options for you to take with me. I've been gradually incorporating these things into my life over time. I hope you do the same! Right now, what I'm honing in on are my intentional triggers. My challenge to you is starting by writing one post it in a place where you'll always see it! Make it an empowering message for yourself.
There's no pressure if this is difficult for you at first. It's so easy to become distracted or frustrated. Some days you might forget to be intentional and that's okay! Other days you might remember to be intentional and you try so hard but you're so frazzled that your intentions don't stick and that's okay too! It's all about perseverance and consistency. Please let me know if you've tried any of the suggestions I've provided for you. I would love to hear if I've helped you live a more intentional life and have impacted you in a positive way. :)
This is the Spotify link to Rise by Rachel Hollis, episode 75 with Brendon Burchard. Let me know if you're going to listen to it and comment below if it spoke to your soul! I'm also including the link to Brendon Burchard's audiobook (it's on Spotify for free!!), High-Performance Habits. I haven't finished it yet, but from what I've listened to so far, I'm obsessed.
I would like to shout out some of my tea party guests. Thank you to my first few subscribers, who are always ready to sip a cup of tea with me, even before I started this blog. I appreciate all your support and thank you all for always being there for me! The next tea party guest I would like to shout out is the man who generously took me out to enjoy my cappuccino. Thank you!
I hope you enjoyed joining me for a hot drink and a quality conversation! Maybe the next time we meet, your intention will be to enjoy our cup of tea without distraction. ;)
Please like and comment on this post and if you just loved it so much, share it with others! And if you haven't already, it would make me squeal with delight if you subscribe. :)
Lots of love,
Camryn