Lição 1
Creating an Intention Space
In this introductory session, we will learn to relax and settle our mind, in order to drop beneath the continuous chattering commentary and hear our authentic voice. By becoming receptive, we bring intention and attention together in the present moment. We will identify ways to measure success, and access the sources of our own happiness. Rather than setting specific future goals, we explore how heartfelt aspirations serve to guide us, moment-by-moment.
Lição 2
Excavating our Experience
In this session, we will gaze back in time to connect with experiences that allowed our experiences of joy and happiness to arise. We will build on the settling practice in order to explore pleasant, neutral and unpleasant events. These provide insight into our deeply held values. We will then learn to tune in to our unique set of core feelings. These provide us with inner guidance for the remainder of the intention setting course.
Lição 3
Time Travel
In this session, we will learn to look forward and imagine an ideal future, where our core feelings are constant companions. We will open the gateway to our unconscious mind, and unearth the things we’d like to have and do, or who we would like to become. By contemplating the end of our life, we learn to choose our legacy, and to live more fully in the present moment. This process prepares us for living our life purpose.
Lição 4
Listening for our Sankalpa
In this session, we will find a way to describe our overriding life purpose, bringing together the intentions we unearthed in the previous session. A sankalpa is our unique intention statement, or vow, which helps keep us committed to utilising our skills and talents for our own benefit, and the benefit of others. The sankalpa becomes a focal point to return to whenever we get taken off course by life’s inevitable distractions.
Lição 5
Balancing our Intentions
In this session, we will take the time to group our list of intentions, in order to bring balance to our life. By using a model of the brain, we understand our different hard-wired needs, and attend to them skilfully. These include safety, connection and self-actualization. When we learn to bring balance to our life, we can ensure we care for ourselves, while also caring for others.
Lição 6
Staying Motivated
In this session, we will learn to manage our energy. In order to cultivate new habits and keep true to our intentions, we must find ways to stay motivated and energized. This is the opportunity to differentiate our social self from our authentic self, and see which intentions are motivated from within. We categorize them into different timescales so that our intention setting course is effective in both the short and long term.
Lição 7
Reverse Engineering
In this session, we will learn to focus our mind, and channel that energy and commitment into action. After imagining an ideal future, we work backwards to plan the necessary journey steps. We will focus on our longer-term intentions, which require harnessing our strengths. Then we identify the first journey step, and take action immediately. This provides the motivation for further steps and gives us the chance to prepare for potential obstacles and set realistic timelines.
Lição 8
Transforming Obstacles
In this session, we will learn to look openly at the obstacles that we identified in the previous session. These are usually ones that we unintentionally put in our own way. We will learn to change our relationship with them through self-compassion. When we acknowledge that we are flawed and human like everyone else, we can find the way inwards to our indestructible essence. This sets us up for conscious engagement with all aspects of our life.
Lição 9
Pure Intention
In this session, we will learn to explore how intentions offered unconditionally, without expectation of reward, circle back to bring us the greatest happiness. These originate from our wise and compassionate heart, rather than from our ego-centric sense of self. These intentions offer us a fulfilling and meaningful life, even if we never actually reach the final destination. We will explore self-interested, mutually beneficial and altruistic intentions to understand the importance of each.
Lição 10
Daily Intention Setting
In this final session, we will learn to break down our vast aspirations into the daily life practices of connecting with our heart’s desire, and rejoicing in the fruits of our growth. These regular practices give us on-going motivation, and help us co-create a joyful life, by staying receptive to the wonder and guidance that reveals itself through the present moment. Our ordinary life can be extraordinary when compassionate intentions guide all that we do.
