Intention is Everything
Intention is everything. I really wish I had known this as a kid. Think of language: the same sentence could mean something totally different depending on the intention behind it. Take a simple phrase like: "Oh, that's great"...does it always mean that something is fantastic? Or could it mean the opposite, infused with the right dose of sarcasm?
We realize the importance of intention subconsciously, picking up on truth or hurt, benevolence or snideness just by the tone of someone's voice or the inflection of their words. Although it's not just the saying that creates intention but more the doing.
This morning I really tried to concentrate on my muscles as I did Pilates. I had watched a video recently with Anat Baniel (a dancer who wrote a book about exercise and children with special needs) in which she talked about the importance of focusing on your muscles in movement because that's when true improvement happens. So, I aligned my breath with each motion and did the whole session much slower than usual. Lo and behold, I really felt like I was inside of my muscles. I can't even begin to explain how gratifying it was!
Intention changes everything–from a movement that means nothing to a gesture that conveys all of you energy. I was so lucky to be at a performance recently of the intimate pianist Irina Berenstein. I say intimate because her relationship with the piano was so connected that it was like witnessing a sacred space. Within that space was all of her concentration. Every finger, every note was a consequence of feeling and intense focus. Her whole aura was intention.
How differently might our actions be if we thought more before doing them?
Text: Kristen Mastromarchi
Photo: Gottlieb, William P., 1917-, photographer.
[Portrait of Art Hodes, Ole South, New York, N.Y., ca. Oct. 1946]
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