Today, one of my students asked me about intention-setting meditation.
Specifically, they were interested in learning how to set intentions during meditation, and also how to use meditation to achieve their goals.
I touched on this in my guide to Meditation for Motivation. But I’d like to explain it further today.
Usually when we meditate we do not have a specific goal or intention. We meditate simply to observe, rather than to achieve any specific thing.
However, there are times when we have a specific goal. For instance, when I was younger my goal with meditation was to overcome my crippling social anxiety. I was so shy I literally couldn’t speak to anyone. And I intended to change that with meditation. I wanted to feel confident around other people. That was one goal I have had in meditation. And I’m happy to say I achieved that goal and ended up feeling calm and happy socializing.
That’s just one example.
Other examples of intention meditations include:
- Boosting happiness
- Increasing confidence
- Changing your perspective on something
- Making an important decision
- Forgiving someone
- Becoming your ideal self
You can help yourself achieve any goal with meditation. But to do so, you have to know how to set your intention when meditating. Let me show you how.
Let me show you how to get the most out of meditation.
Come meditate with me today!
Intention Setting Meditation Script
- Decide what you want to achieve with your meditation. Perhaps it’s inner peace, or happiness, or maybe you want to boost your productivity. For this example, I will use the intention of boosting confidence. If your intention is different, simply adapt the following steps as you see fit.
- Phrase your intention in the positive. For instance, if your goal is currently negative, such as “I want to stop feeling insecure”, make it positive: “I want to feel confident”. Then state this goal in the present moment: “I AM feeling calm”. This will create your mantra, which you will use in a moment. [You might like to read: Mantra Meditation for Beginners]
- You might find it helpful to write your intention down on paper. This can help to solidify your goal in your mind.
- Begin meditating like usual. Sit comfortably with good posture. Watch your breath move around your body for a few moments. Don’t worry about your goal at this time. We’ll get to that. Just breathe mindfully and relax.
- Choose one thing that you would do if you achieved your goal. For instance, what one thing would you do if you were very confident? Maybe you’d be speaking confidently in public, or looking in the mirror feeling good about yourself.
- Visualize yourself doing this one thing (from above). Visualize it in detail. Now continue to focus on this image of yourself doing this one thing you would do if you achieved your goal. This is a wonderful exercise for your subconscious mind.
- Begin to recite your mantra from step 2 while also visualizing yourself from the step above.
- While you recite your mantra and visualize your success, certain thoughts will come to mind. Some will be positive thoughts about ways you can achieve your goal. Some will be challenges, things your mind tells you that you need to do. Invite the positive thoughts, but also accept the challenges.
- Continue meditating in this way for at least ten minutes. This will train your mind to achieve your goals.
Final Thoughts
Intention-setting meditation can help us to focus the mind on one thing and remind us of our goals. This can be truly helpful because it focuses all our energy on one thing: our intention.
I’ve used this technique for many different students in my online meditation lessons. With this method, I’ve helped people to find confidence, cultivate love, lose weight, and achieve some truly wonderful things. I hope you find it helpful.
Paul Harrison is a passionate meditation teacher who believes in genuine, authentic meditation. He has more than 15 years experience in meditation and mindfulness. He studied meditation in beautiful Oxford, UK, and Hamilton Ontario Canada, and earned his degree at Staffordshire University.
“My goal is to provide the most authentic meditation sessions so you can harness the power of your own mind for personal transformation” – Paul Harrison