“Your intention determines your trajectory – choose to be more conscious and intentional during the day. Life your life ‘on purpose’!”
Dear Integral Meditators,
This week’s article & video explores the concept that ‘intention determines trajectory’ & looks at practical ways you can start to explore it mindfully in your daily life.
If you enjoy the article, then do check out the upcoming course that will be starting in September on Meditating with the power of intention.
In the spirit of the intentional,
Toby
Watch Toby’s video on Mindful intention:
Article: Intention determines trajectory – Aspects of integrated mindful intention
Intention is one of what I call the ‘three pillars’ or ‘holy trinity’ of integral mindfulness: awareness, attention and intention. These three are what I call pre-skills, meaning skills that, if you develop them, they will help you to develop any other skill or capacity that you want to in life. The better you become at them, the more confident you will feel in the face of life’s challenges.
Intention determines trajectory
The statement ‘Intention is destiny’ might not be true in the absolute sense of the word, but it holds true on many levels in the sense that our intentions determine our motivations and actions in life. The intentions that we hold in our mind consistently are continually influencing what we do, where we go, what we say, what we choose. Its not difficult to see for example that someone who’s conscious intention is to contribute to society and make it a better place is going to have a very different life path from someone whose intention is simply to fit in with the prevailing norm, and not look too dumb. Given this understanding, the intention to make your intentions in life conscious is a good place to start!
You always have an intention
Something else about intention is that you always have one. It can be a conscious intention such as the intention to act to achieve a goal, or it can be an unconscious or instinctual intention, such as the impulse to eat an attractive food, or say something in a moment or reactivity. So, a second practice around intention is to start to notice and be mindful around the intentions that you are having thru-out the day. Notice them coming and going. Notice the ones that are deliberate. Notice intentions that you tend to hide from yourself, or suppress awareness around. “What is my intention for doing this?” is a question that helps you both to become aware of existing intentions, and for clarifying your intention, aligning yourself with the best intentions that you can muster.
Three levels or octaves of intention
Three ball park intentions that I practice on are simple and as follows:
- The intention to be of benefit toward myself today
- The intention to turn up well for my close circle, friends, family, colleagues
- The intention (Partly by doing intentions 1&2 well) to be of benefit to humanity and the Planet
I call these ball park intentions, because they hold space well for the other more specific intentions that I may focus on in the day. They create a benevolent intentional space for my activities, and clarify the way in which I direct my energy. I often start a meditation with these three intentions, but they are equally important for:
- Family interaction
- Business transactions
- Social activity
And so on…One thing to notice about these three levels is that we are aiming to create a harmonic between them, get them working together as a team. By benefiting myself I can become stronger, which helps me to turn up better for my close circle, and the enhanced interaction with my close circle ripples out into the world. You get the idea!
Practice points around mindful intention:
- Be curious about the intentions, conscious and unconscious that you have during the day, witnessing them and noticing patterns
- Choose to be more conscious and intentional during the day. Life your life ‘on purpose’!
- Notice how your intentions determine your trajectory in life, both in the short, medium, and long terms
- Generate and center around the three levels or octaves of intention regularly. Practice motivating yourself from these powerful, core intentions
Related reading: Intention, dedication, meditation
Fourteen levels of mindful intention
Article & content © Toby Ouvry 2024, you are welcome to use or share this article, but please cite Toby as the source and include reference to his website www.tobyouvry.com
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