Setting a New Year’s intention is a way to connect to what you want to create in the coming months; getting specific about what you want and declaring it to the world is a powerful method to manifest and embody your Action.
New Year’s intentions can be a means to focus your efforts and a tool to harness your precious energy and where you spend your time. The Bhagavad Gita, one of the most-revered texts by yoga teachers, owing to its themes of Faith, Attachment, Letting Go, Duty, Devotion, and Action (among others), cautions against getting attached to a desired outcome.
When setting a New Year’s intention, let go of all preconceived ideas of what you prefer and bring your attention to the process. Yoga reminds us that the practice is the point; the journey is far more enticing and exciting than the destination. Devoting yourself to the yoga of action—action for action’s sake—may allow you to enjoy setting New Year’s intentions as you reflect on where you’ve been, where you are, and where you hope to go.
“The superior man is he
whose mind can control his senses;
with no attachment to results,
he engages in the yoga of action.Do any actions you must do,
since action is better than inaction;
even the existence of your body
depends on necessary action.The whole world becomes a slave
to its own activity, Arjuna;
if you want to be truly free,
perform all actions as worship.”
— Lord Krisha, the Bhagavad Gita, translated by Stephen Mitchell, [page 63].
Setting A New Year’s Intention
Here are seven questions to sit with when considering what you want to manifest in the New Year.
What can I let go of?
What will make my load lighter?
What am I clinging to? —May I set it free?
What do I want to welcome into my life?
What will create more space and lightness?
What will make my heart sing?
May I recognize it as it flows towards me?
~ Hari Om Tat Sat ~
The Meaning of Om Tat Sat
Om Tat Sat are three mantras found in the Bhagavad Gita of Sanskrit origin.
Om is Brahma’s mantra, the God of Creation. It is the primordial sound that connects all living beings. Tat is the mantra for Shiva, the God of Destruction and ultimate dissolution. Sat is the mantra of Vishnu, the God of Preservation and Sustainability. If translated in English, this would read ‘Three Mantras of Complete Salvation.’
Om Tat Sat is a reminder of Absolute Truth and the Unmanifest Reality. One does not merely have to recite them but also understand their meaning and try to manifest it in themselves. Chanting this mantra is said to awaken higher consciousness. Through this mantra, practitioners may discover their True Self—the Self that connects the divine.
From the Bhagavad Gita, one of the most famous Hindu texts of India, we learn of the meaning of Om Tat Sat in Chapter 17: Three Kinds of Faith.
“Om Tat Sat: these words stand for the liberated mind
by which priests, scriptures, and rituals
were appointed in ancient times.Therefore, the word Om is always
chanted by those who expound
the scriptures, to begin an act
of worship, control, or charity.Tat—which means “That,” ‘the Absolute”—
is chanted by seekers of freedom
whenever they perform rightful actions
with no concern for results.The third word, Sat, has the sense of “reality,” “goodness”; thus
Sat is used to denote
any praiseworthy action.Maturity of worship or control
or charity s also called Sat,
as is all unselfish action
that leads to any of the three.”— The Bhagavad Gita, translated by Stephen Mitchell, [17.23-27].
One of the greatest lessons of the Gita is to release all attachments and have faith in the outcome of one’s actions without a desire for one result over another. One must stop clinging to things that make one feel caged or imprisoned in life. By letting some things go, one can feel lighter. Life becomes brighter and more spacious once those things are gone. And who knows, this change might even make the heart sign out of liberation and joy.
“Every man’s faith conforms with his inborn nature, Arjuna. Faith is a person’s core; whatever his faith is, he is.”
— Lord Krishna, The Bhagavad Gita, translated by Stephen Mitchell, [page 176].
Harness Your New Year’s Intention Through Yoga
Movement is a way to release stored emotions in the body; it is a way to process the disquiet we carry within and connect to the flow of life.
We’ve curated playlists on Practice with Clara that honour the change of seasons and move with the cycles of the universe. Check out the playlists with the yoga classes, recipes, and additional assets to celebrate change and let go of the current phase to make space for a new beginning.
New members get the first 7-days, free!
Get your Autumn Equinox eBook with the yoga practices, recipes, journaling prompts and reflections to honour the darkness.
Drawing inspiration from nature, this is a wonderful time to take stock of what you have, who you are, and shed any and all things taking up unnecessary energy.
4 on-demand yoga classes.
Astrology for Capricorn Season
3 Ayurveda-inspired recipes.
Rituals to encourage rest and grounding
10 prompts for self-reflection.
Save your Winter Solstice Celebrations eBook to receive the recipes, rituals, yoga horoscope reading, and more.
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6 yoga classes to reawaken the senses.
Photography and journaling prompts.
Activities to explore the elements and shapes in the body.
New Year’s Intentions: Online Yoga + Key Takeaways
Online Yoga and Mindfulness Trends.
We analyzed the past 365 days on the Practice with Clara Apps to see who, what, where, when, and how our community showed up to practice in 2021.
- Read the blog post to see the top yoga classes, collections, Livestream events, and the countries and ways people participate in the online yoga community.
5 Things We Hope to Deliver in the New Year.
Our final podcast episode of 2020 where we shared how we wanted to better our processes moving forward. Key takeaways include why to keep moving and roll with your mistakes; the importance of listening to your community, and how to honour processes and create rituals to anchor specific tasks.
- Read the blog post to see some of our key lessons and the experiences that shaped our current offerings on the Practice with Clara Apps.
