Intention and Attention: The Art of Coming Home to Ourselves

In A Moment for Me, Catherine Polan Orzech explores the power of intention and attention, two guiding forces that shape how we move through life. Intention acts like a map to the heart, helping us navigate our path, while attention keeps us anchored in the present moment.

As she writes:

"Our intention is like finding a secret map from our heart. With that map, we can go on an adventure and explore our inner and mind—full of wonder, hopeful anticipation, and delight in the mysterious unfolding."

But she also reminds us:

"We get lost. We get distracted. We get swept up in our habits and routines, in our stresses and responsibilities. But we can always return. That’s the gift of intention—it reorients us."

This idea resonates deeply with me. I get lost—often. I find myself losing patience with my elementary school students, becoming judgmental with my family, and pushing myself too hard. Anxiety sneaks in, takes over, and suddenly, I’m just reacting to everything instead of being present. I forget my intention.

But I am trying, really trying, to come back. I am learning that I don’t need to do it perfectly—just to return, again and again.

Bringing Intention to the Mat

Each time I step onto my yoga mat with intention, my practice shifts. It becomes more than just movement—it becomes a space for healing, a place where I can meet myself exactly as I am.

One of my most frequent intentions is simple: to be gentle with myself—to move with compassion toward a body that holds grief, anger, and fear. When I return to this intention, my practice is no longer about pushing harder or fixing my body. Instead, I move slowly, gently, and with deep listening.

Throughout my practice, I ask:

• Is this okay?
• Do you need me to slow down or stop?
• Would a different movement feel better right now?

When I let my body guide me, something profound happens—my nervous system relaxes. I no longer feel the need to force anything. There’s nothing to fix, only a relationship to nurture.

And as I practice coming back to my intention on the mat, I strengthen my ability to return to it off the mat as well.

I find that when I soften into my breath and move with kindness, I can also soften in my life—I become a more patient teacher, a more understanding family member, a more compassionate version of myself.

Breath: The Bridge Between Activation and Calm

Just as movement can be gentle and intentional, so can breath. In body meditation, we work with a natural rhythm: moving from contraction to relaxation, activation to calm. This pendulation—the gentle wave between tension and ease—is how we reeducate our nervous system.

I often start with more activating breaths and then consciously guide my body into a state of relaxation:

• I breathe in, feeling the activation in my body, just as much as is comfortable.
• I hold that activation for a couple of breaths, staying present with it.
• I then mindfully shift toward relaxation, softening on the exhale, allowing the body to release.

This gentle practice of moving toward activation and back into calm reminds me that healing is not about staying in one state—it is about learning to move between them with more awareness and ease.

Exploring Sound in the Breath

Breath and sound go hand in hand. In my practice, I’ve experimented with different sounds on the exhale, noticing how each affects my nervous system. Calming sounds help settle the body, while activating sounds awaken it.

Calming Sounds (Exhale):

• Mmmm
• Uh-huh
• Ooooh
• Shhhh
• Whshhh

Activating Sounds:

• HA!
• Ugh !
• Grrrr!
• &%@#!

These sounds have become part of my personal practice. Yet, I still notice self-conscious parts appearing when I introduce them in classes or workshops. But something has shifted—those parts trust me more now. They step back and give me the space to be courageous, to share what I know can be healing.

Moving with Intention: Depth Over Variety

In both my personal practice and when teaching movement, I have parts that want me to constantly change things up—to make the movement different in each class so that I don’t get bored, and so that my students don’t get bored. These parts tell me that if I repeat movements too often, I’ll lose engagement.

But over the past year, I have been leaning into depth instead of variety—choosing fewer movements but going deeper into them. Rather than rushing through sequences or overcomplicating movement, I focus on exploring micromovements and modifications within a movement.

This week, we played with using our own bodies to provide resistance—pressing into our limbs, creating tension and release within the same movement. This simple shift allowed us to feel more sensation, more presence, and a deeper awareness of the release.

I also have angry parts that want to be felt, that want to be witnessed. They want to fight. They want me to feel how strong they are. I am grateful that I am continuing to learn to listen to these parts and give them space to communicate through movement, breath, and sound.

Anger doesn’t need to be silenced. It needs a way to move.

Radical Self-Care: Prioritizing Healing

In the Healing chapter of Reclaiming Beauty, Heidi Anderson speaks about radical self-care:

"Healing requires the radical act of putting your self-care first and doing so abundantly. Go for a hike. Get a massage. Take a yoga class. Enjoy a quiet bath. Light some candles. Put out fresh flowers. See a therapist. Have a session with a healer. Journal. Do as many of these healing actions as you can in the next week."

This week, I choose to practice the following radical acts of self-care:

1. Walk in nature alone.
2. Go to a sound bath.
3. Spend time in community.
4. Pause to breathe when I feel anxiety coming on.
5. Receive Reiki.

What is on your list?

An Invitation to You

As you move through your day, I invite you to set an intention. It doesn’t have to be big or profound—sometimes, the simplest ones hold the most power.

Ask yourself:

• How do I want to show up today?
• What energy do I want to bring into this moment?
• How can I offer myself more compassion today?

Whatever your intention is, hold it lightly. Let it guide you, rather than push you. And as you return to it throughout the day, notice how it transforms not just your actions, but your way of being.

As Always, This Is an Invitation

All of these practices—intention, breath, sound, movement, self-care—are invitations. Take them, explore them, tweak them. Do a one-minute session or a one-hour session. Move slower, move faster. The magic happens when you tap into the wisdom of your body and learn to communicate with your body—your sacred temple.

Have a beautiful weekend.

With so much gratitude,

❤️ Dana