John’s Sunday Blog

Intention Powers Determination

What moves a human to make a change? It could be pain, curiosity, comparison, attraction, repulsion etc. Yes, yet these are all just pointers, and that’s what words are, aren’t they? Pointers to the depths at what moves us to do what we do in being a human.

An intention is an aim; an aim at a goal. A determination is a firm resolution to not fall off of a decision. So we find that a weak aim does not help very much, even if the bow is drawn back to its fullest. If the aim is all over the place, it can be disheartening and old patterns will continue to drive one’s life. Missing the mark repeatedly works against keeping a firm resolution because tangible progress moves us. The snowball effect. Intention, in the yogic way, is to get to the root. To plant a seed in the right way (proper depth and optimal timing and the right soil) will start a strong root. This is a two part process but first I want to give an example of how intention works naturally.

Let’s take romantic love as the example. You meet someone new and they really seem to suit your fancy. Their appearance, temperament, likes, and correspondence of attention. Now let’s forget what appears “out there” and see what is going on in the “inner dimensions” of what the person falling in love is doing. They are thinking of that person all the time; directing their attention on ways to be with them as much as possible. Yet, more than the consistency of the thoughts, it may be the timing of the thought as well. If they are the last thing you think about when falling asleep and the first upon waking, this is going to download the aim into the subconscious. The download will be from the theta state, when the brain is more balanced in right and left hemispheres, giving the intent better access to the subconscious. This will implant the resolve (determination) and add a lot of mental power (will) in the direction of the dearly beloved (the target). Nothing will stop you from striving to be with your new love.

Let us now take a look at the two part process to make an impression in our subconscious mind. Noting that the subconscious is what drives one in their behaviors and beliefs, one’s paradigm (collective habits).

In the yogic model we look at the five layers of a being, breaking it up from gross (matter - the body) to the subtle (energetic and mental). These are called the Koshas, but for our purposes here, we will keep it simple.

The first part of the process involves the gross ie; the body. Maintaining the body in optimal health helps with the process of going deeper. Yoga Nidra (sleeping meditation) is the process of systematically relaxing the body using awareness and breath which in turn slows down thought. This process is unlike affirmation or hypnosis. Affirmation is generally not plausible because you’re just throwing seeds around. Hypnosis is better, however it shuts down the left brain and downloads the aim in the right leaving half of the mind barren to the aim. Much more thorough, the Nidra process slows and balances both halves of the brain distributing information evenly.

So, just like sleep in Yoga Nidra, we bypass the body through systematically relaxing it, then going deeper down into the layers of the mind arriving at base awareness; the “being” state. The theta brainwave state. This is the state that we were in as children until the age of six or more. It is a waking dreamlike state (theta) that allows any input to be downloaded into the subconscious. This is what we call a “person” (a collection of beliefs and habits) in a body.

Through the systematic process of yoga Nidra, we knowingly go through the layers of our being, starting at gross (body), down through layers of mind, ending at the most subtle (being). When this state (theta) is reached we plant the seed (our aim); using care in the way we do it. Whatever you want or don’t want in your life - THE AIM, IS ALREADY AND PRESENTLY, A FACT. This takes practice and there are short cuts, like listening to affirmative recordings whilst falling asleep. Also, reading something about what you want to incorporate into your subconscious by contemplating the subjects as you fall asleep. But the practice of Yoga Nidra is the most power-full method. It will greatly enhance your determination and power of will to move towards any goal.