Our words have power. They have the power to change our mood in a matter of seconds. The ways we communicate with ourselves within our inner dialogue and with others through conversation have the power to ultimately shape our lives. I sat down with Lisa Taylor, owner of Evolution Power Yoga, to learn a little bit more about the power of our words in our practice. 

One way we can access the power of words in our practice is by setting our intentions. Lisa explained how this translates into our practice, “Our practice isn’t just exercise, it’s about the journey into power as it relates to intention setting.” We hear the word intentions echoed during class, but what exactly is an intention? Oxford Dictionaries defines intentions as “an aim or a plan”. 

Our intentions are our goals. 

Through our intentions we can manifest our goals into reality. As I mentioned before, words have power to alter our moods. This is because words hold and create energy. When we identify our intentions, write them down and speak them into existence, they have the power to become reality. The more we practice intention setting, the stronger this muscle grows. Lisa described how this works, “When your power increases, the muscle gets strong and dynamic. You can take an intention and make it real, quickly. That’s why, yes there’s a physical practice for us, but it’s used as a tool for us to learn how to take an intention and make it a reality.”

Intentions give us the power to shape our lives and aim our energy in a specific direction. Lisa described this during our interview: “Life keeps moving no matter what. The intention points it into a direction. An intention is choosing how your life creates. It doesn’t mean that your life stops. It means that you’re choosing how your life happens. Joyfully, creatively, etc.” We have the power to shift our energy to materialize our intentions. We choose how we want to live when we set our intentions. This is not a skill only available to the elite, this is a power that everyone can access. The first step is realizing your power.  
But, what about creating a mantra?

Mantra is another word we hear while in class. Oxford dictionaries defines a mantra as, “a word or sound repeated to aid concentration in meditation”. A common mantra we hear in class is, “I am enough”. These phrases can be repeated on mala beads or throughout practice to enhance their power and manifest a reality of our own creation. 

Mantras are a bit different than intentions because they allow us to recognize and disrupt the disempowering thoughts stand between us and our manifestations. Lisa elaborated on this, “The tool of a mantra is to disrupt disempowering thoughts. A mantra is a tool to use in the moment that the disempowering thought is taking over. You have to recognize when the thoughts are coming up and bring the mantra forward. Recall what your intention is for the day and suddenly you are manifesting a new reality.”

However, it’s important to keep in mind that mantras can be misused as a “fix it”. When used as a fix it, mantras do not hold the same power. Lisa clarified, “Mantras are not a fix it. An empowering intention is made outside of the problem and illuminates where you’re going. Using a mantra as a fix it is like building a house on top of sand.” This means that when constructing a mantra, it must happen outside of the problem. For example, the mantra, “I am playful” will allow you to approach your practice, as well as all other areas of your life, playfully, as opposed to fixing all the areas of your life that are the opposite of playful. Mantras proactively create. They do not fill a deficit. 

When using intentions and mantras in tandem, we are able to access our power to create a life we have always wanted. To learn more about your power in this way, consider signing up for 40 Days where we will explore this topic in depth.