Setting intentions for 2025 through ancient practices
Setting Heart-Centered Intentions for 2025: A Yoga Workshop for Inner Peace and Clarity
As we enter a new year, it’s a perfect time to reset, reflect, and set meaningful intentions. In a recent yoga workshop, we explored how to tune into our inner wisdom to shape our intentions for the year ahead. By blending mindfulness, breathwork, and introspection, we connected with our hearts and sought alignment with what truly matters. This practice isn’t about surface-level resolutions but about listening to our deepest needs and creating peace in all that we do. As Carl Jung wisely said: “Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.”
An intention is a guiding principle for how you want to live your life. It’s not about achieving a specific goal, but about focusing on the energy or feelings you wish to cultivate, ultimately bringing more peace into your life—peace being the ultimate aim of yoga and many ancient philosophies.
True intentions arise from love, truth, and a deep longing for peace, not from external pressures or societal expectations. Trust yourself and let your heart guide you, knowing that there’s no rush and no need to have all the answers right away.
In yoga, we talk about Viveka—discernment—the ability to distinguish what is truly beneficial for us and what is not. It’s about tapping into deeper wisdom to guide our actions. By cultivating discernment, we become more aware of what brings us peace and alignment, and what distracts us from it.
As we set our intentions for 2025, this principle is invaluable. It helps us sift through the noise of external expectations, societal pressures, and past patterns, allowing us to reconnect with what truly matters. Ask yourself: Is this intention rooted in my deepest values? Does it support my growth and well-being? This discernment brings clarity, helping you choose actions that are authentic and aligned with your true needs.
Mary Oliver beautifully captures this sentiment:
"I don’t know exactly what a prayer is. I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass, how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields, which is what I have been doing all day. Tell me, what else should I have done? Doesn’t everything die at last, and too soon? Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?"
Your intentions shape your actions across all areas of life—work, relationships, health, and personal growth—guiding you toward what’s truly important. Once you identify your main intention(s), break them down into smaller, actionable steps—daily practices that support your larger vision. These small actions are stepping stones, leading you to live in harmony with your heart’s desires.
May your heart guide you with wisdom and compassion throughout the year ahead.
Understanding Intentions
Unlike goals or resolutions, intentions are rooted in our hearts, not our egos. In yoga, we refer to this as Sankalpa—a vow of the heart. It's about tuning into what truly matters to you, what resonates deeply, and what will bring more peace into your life.
When setting intentions, it’s crucial to look beyond external pressures and focus on what nourishes you internally. We can think of our intentions as guiding principles for the year ahead. For example, an intention may be:
Kindness: “I intend to be kinder to myself.”
Balance: “I intend to create more balance in my life.”
Connection: “I intend to nurture deeper connections with others.”
Growth: “I intend to embrace new opportunities for growth.”
Health: “I intend to prioritise my physical and mental health.”
Presence: “I intend to live more in the present moment.”
These are not rigid goals but living intentions that can be checked in with daily. By becoming mindful of how we’re doing physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, we can align our actions with these intentions, allowing them to influence all aspects of our lives—work, relationships, and personal growth.
Cultivating Presence
The first step in setting intentions is grounding ourselves in the present moment. We began the workshop by finding a comfortable seat, placing our hands gently on our hearts and focused on our breath, inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly. We invited ourselves to pause, settle, and connect with the present moment, ourselves and with each other.
Stillness is essential. It allows us to let go of the busyness of life, leaving behind worries and distractions. When we're truly present, we create space for peace to emerge and are not caught in the suffering of the mind (judgements, limiting beliefs, perceptions, samskara).
Tuning into Your Needs
Before setting any intention, it’s essential to take a moment to check in with yourself. In the workshop, we spent time observing our breath and asking ourselves: How am I doing physically, mentally, and emotionally? What do I truly need more of this year—balance, peace, compassion, or something else?
This practice of self-reflection is crucial in uncovering the deeper desires of our heart. Once we identify these needs, we can craft intentions that align with them. For example, if you feel drained or burnt out, your intention might be about finding more balance in your life.
Discernment: Tuning into What Truly Matters
In the yogic tradition, Viveka—discernment—is the ability to distinguish between what is truly beneficial and what is not. As we set intentions for the year, discernment becomes an invaluable tool. It helps us sift through external expectations, societal pressures, and our own ego-driven desires to reconnect with what truly matters.
As you set your intention, ask yourself: Is this rooted in my deepest values? Does it support my growth and well-being? By tapping into your heart’s wisdom, you can make choices that align with your true purpose.
Mindfulness: Checking in with Yourself
Setting an intention is just the beginning. To live in alignment with it, we must regularly check in with ourselves. A daily practice of mindfulness allows us to pause and assess how we're feeling physically, emotionally, and mentally. This moment of introspection provides clarity, helping us stay on track and realign our actions with our intentions as needed.
Mindfulness isn’t about perfection. It’s about awareness—being present enough to notice when we’re moving off-course, so we can adjust and return to our heart’s guidance.
Embracing the Yin and Yang
In the workshop, we also explored the importance of balancing the energies of yin and yang—two complementary forces that play a crucial role in our well-being. In our modern, fast-paced world, we tend to favour the yang energy: action, striving, and doing. However, to maintain health and vitality, we must also honour the yin energy: rest, reflection, and nourishment.
The winter season, with its yin qualities, invites us to slow down and replenish our energy reserves. This is the perfect time to reflect on what we need most—whether it's more rest, self-care, or stillness—before moving into the more outwardly energetic months of spring and summer.
The Water Element: Resilience and Vitality
In yoga and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), each season is associated with an element. Winter is linked with the Water Element, which governs our kidneys and bladder and represents our deepest reserves of energy. When balanced, the Water Element brings clarity, resilience, and vitality. When out of balance, we may feel drained, fearful, or disconnected.
To restore balance and prepare for the active energy of the coming months, it's essential to honour the Water Element through practices that nourish and restore, like yin yoga, mindfulness, and rest.
Letting Go of Attachments
Another key theme in the workshop was the concept of non-attachment, a practice rooted in yoga and Buddhism. Personal suffering often arises when we cling to beliefs, emotions, people, or things. By letting go of these attachments, we create space for peace and clarity.
As you set your intentions for 2025, reflect on what you may be holding onto—whether it’s a limiting belief, a past regret, or the need for control. Can you release these attachments to make room for new possibilities?
Meditation: Cultivating Self-Compassion
One of the most transformative tools we explored in the workshop was a self-compassion meditation. This practice, guided by the acronym RAIN (Recognize, Allow, Investigate, Nurture), helps us bring kindness to areas of difficulty in our lives. It invites us to acknowledge our pain, understand its root cause, and offer ourselves the compassion and care we need to heal.
By practising self-compassion, we can release emotional attachments that hold us back, creating more space for peace, balance, and growth. This process of self-compassion is a vital step in aligning with our heart’s wisdom, helping us set intentions that support our well-being.
Journal & reflection
Setting your intention(s)
Take a quiet moment to connect with your heart - perhaps close your eyes and place a hand on your chest. This is your time to listen to what truly matters to you for 2025 then begin to journal answers to the following questions...
Reflect on the past year
What were my biggest accomplishments and challenges in 2024?
What is holding me back from fully embracing my intention? Are there limiting beliefs, old patterns, thoughts, habits,
or relationships that I need to let go of?
Identify your core values
What do I want for my life in 2025 - physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually? Is there a key feeling or guiding principle I want to embody this year? (e.g., peace, love, balance, freedom)
How do I want to feel by the end of 2025?
What intention or intentions will guide me throughout the year?
Example intentions:
Self-Compassion: “I intend to be kinder to myself.”
Balance: “I intend to create more balance in my life.”
Connection: “I intend to nurture deeper connections with others.”
Growth: “I intend to embrace new opportunities for growth.”
Authenticity: “I intend to live in alignment with my true self.”
Gratitude: “I intend to focus on gratitude each day.”
Health: “I intend to prioritise my physical and mental health.” Presence: “I intend to live more in the present moment.”
Joy: “I intend to invite more joy into my life.” Forgiveness: “I intend to forgive myself and others.”Courage: “I intend to face my fears with courage.” Abundance: “I intend to welcome abundance into my life.”
Heartfelt Intentions for 2025: a journey inward
How can I integrate my intention(s) into my daily life - in all that I
What small, consistent actions or habits can I adopt to stay my intention (e.g., journaling, meditation, acts of
kindness) will support my intention and help me stay on track? For example:
○ If my intention is balance, this might mean setting boundaries at work, prioritising self-care, and scheduling time for rest.
○ If my intention is growth, it could involve seeking new learning opportunities or stepping outside my comfort zone.
○ If my intention is connection, it might mean nurturing relationships, engaging in community, or reflecting on my inner Mindfulness & compassion
Compassion & kindness
As you move through 2025, mindfulness will be your guide. It helps you stay present and aware so that you can take actions that align with your deepest intentions. When life becomes challenging or distractions arise, mindfulness allows you to pause, reflect, and re-centre yourself. It will help you stay focused on your values, remain compassionate with yourself, and remain open to the opportunities that come your way.
How can I practice self-compassion and mindfulness as I pursue my intention?
Letting your intention sink in
As you finish your reflection, take a deep breath and let your intention(s) for 2025 settle into your heart. Feel it resonate within you. Trust that, as you align with this intention and take small, mindful actions each day, you are moving toward a life that is true to who you really are.
Thank you for joining us!
Interested in more from Hannah or A Fine Balance?
We offer corporate workshops, private sessions and group classe
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