Doing More Isn't The Answer: An Intention Meditation

This is a perfect meditation for when your mind is saying 'just do one more thing, then you can relax!'

That persistent urge to keep on going — to tick off another task before you allow yourself to relax — is often a reflection of your nervous system in a stress response, wired for action rather than rest.

This meditation invites you to pause and reflect on how you’re spending your most valuable, finite resources: your time, your attention, and your energy.

Through guided awareness, you can expect to settle your nervous system, reflect on daily habits without judgment, and begin aligning your actions with your deeper intentions.

But, hear me loud and clear — this is not about doing more, fixing yourself, or adding to your to-do list. It’s about noticing… and choosing, with tons of self-compassion.

This practice is perfect for overthinking minds, end-of-day unwinding, burnout or overwhelm, and anyone who struggles to switch off.

Transcript

Hi and welcome to this meditation on energy, Attention and intention. If you're someone who finds it hard to rest because there's always more things to do, Maybe the dishwasher needs filling, Maybe the laundry needs putting away, Maybe your inbox needs a declutter, Well this practice is for you. That persistent feeling of just one more thing and then I'll relax, That urge to keep going, To keep ticking things off, Is actually part of the stress response. When you're under pressure your nervous system shifts into a short-term survival focused way of thinking. You may have heard of this as the fight or flight response. Your brain is saying do something, Do anything, Act now, Survive and in that state, As you might imagine, It's really difficult to slow down or to rest. So in this practice we are going to explore something that's had a really huge impact on me personally, Which is the principle of brahmacharya from yoga philosophy. Brahmacharya sits within the yamas, The first limb of the eight limbs of yoga and these are ethical guidelines. They shape how we live, How we act in the world, How we see ourselves and we relate to ourselves and to other people. Traditionally brahmacharya has been interpreted in different ways including chastity or celibacy but I think a really helpful way to think about it is moderation of your time. Your mental bandwidth and your energy because these three things, Your time, Your mental bandwidth and your energy, They are all valuable finite resources. So this practice is an invitation to begin to notice how you are spending your valuable finite resources. This is not an invitation to beat yourself up or to judge yourself. You are doing the best that you can in this crazy world we all are. So pinky promise to continue with no judgment, No pressure to change everything at once, Just your self-compassion and your awareness. So finding a place where ideally you won't be too disturbed, Making sure that you are comfortable and you do not need to sit on the floor. Sit or stand comfortably nice and tall and allow your eyes to close or soften your gaze. Relax the muscles of your forehead. Relax across the bridge of your nose. Soften your cheeks and let the lower hinge of your jaw relax. Allow your breath to be natural or maybe you'd prefer to deepen and lengthen your breath. And if you've had one of those days, Make your exhale breath a little longer than your inhale breath. Settling into this moment and allowing your mind to slow down even just a tiny bit. And let's start off by thinking about your actions. So remember no judgment here, Just nice and calm without any criticism or shame or wishing. Allow yourself to visualize your standard day. If you took the average of your days for the last six months or year say, And you took the things that you regularly do or you always do in a day, Let's put them in the life of you. You can keep this all in your head, You can write it down, It's completely up to you. So what time do you wake up? And what's the first thing you do when you wake up? What are the activities that you fill your morning with? Showering, Breakfasting, Walking the dog, Anything else? Maybe you check social media, Maybe you check the news, Check your emails. Remember there's no judgment, We're not analyzing yet, We're just creating an awareness. What time do you have lunch? How do you eat? On the move or at your desk or leisurely somewhere else? And what fills your afternoon? What fills your evening? What time do you go to bed? Do you have a bedtime routine? And what do you do before you fall asleep? And then take a step back. Is there anything that you do every day or most days that isn't listed or that we've not covered? And what about what goes on in your head? How about how you talk to yourself? How about how you think about other people? What you think about the past? What you think about the future? And then take another step back. Is there anything else that we've missed? And then staying with your breath and visualize. Imagine yourself next year or in five years. What characteristics does future you have? What's important to that person? What skills have they cultivated? What values do they prioritize? And now, With tons of self-compassion and no judgment, Have a think. How many of the activities that you do every day or most days will lead to the characteristics, Skills or values that you would love your future self to have or to still have? Remember, This isn't another thing to beat yourself up about. It's not another thing to add to your to-do list. This is a simple exercise of doing your best to prioritize what's important to you. To slowly and steadily bring more things into your life that contribute to the future you that you've just imagined. Aligning your actions, Your daily regular actions with your intentions to lead you to live the highest state of existence, Which is Brahmacharya. And just having a moment to think about how you can prioritize those things that will be important to creating your future you. And those things that you do regularly that don't serve you, How you can let those slide. And then just let that go. Let that go and be here for a moment. Perhaps placing your hand on your heart or having a little smile as a sign of self-compassion. And perhaps making the breath a little more energetic. Maybe some wiggles of fingers and toes. I really hope that has helped to calm your nervous system, To help you clarify your priorities in life. And so next time you get that internal message, Just do one more thing and then you can relax. That can be a reminder. Come back to this meditation. Come back to your priorities. Come back to your nervous system regulation and then you can go from there. I hope you have a really wonderful rest of your day and as always, Happy practicing.