During the Yoga and Writing Retreats I lead with Julie Tallard Johnson, Julie leads a writing prompt through the Inner Labyrinth. We enter the labyrinth with an intention. An intention is something we want to bring into our life, maybe in a way that is different from our perceptions or experiences in the past. A new intention releases old beliefs and past pain. A new intention is hopeful and something we want to cultivate in our day to day from here on out.

Naming your intention is powerful.

Recently I named this intention, I welcome in love and I wrote it down in my journal. I continued writing and followed the prompts and steps Julie has laid out in the labyrinth. Part of the process of naming an intention is also to look at beliefs and behaviors that have held you back or kept you stuck from receiving it.

We always have the power to shift a belief and therefore change the course of our life.

When we name an intention, and look at the circumstances and events that define it for us, we open up to the magic of the Universe and the many possibilities of how this intention can manifest in our lives. We no longer see through a narrow lens where everything has to be our way. We begin to let the intention guide us rather than our own rational mind.

Just journaling about my beliefs - my beliefs about love - made me see how limited my thinking had been. Journaling further about my behaviors, expectations, and fears surrounding love gave me insight into what I could let go of, and how I could open myself up to new ways of giving and receiving love.

We can claim to want something but unknowingly prevent ourselves from experiencing it. Past hurts can keep us acting out of fear instead of love and compassion. And how can I welcome in love if I behave out of fear and protection?

The more love I give to friends and family, the more love I receive in return. The more love I open my heart to, despite the possibility of getting hurt, the more love is shown to me through people and circumstances.

Naming your intention is powerful. I can honestly say that a few months after setting this intention love has been shown to me through relationships, acquaintances, yoga clients, and even day-to-day interactions. Love is all around, especially right now. Sometimes we spend so much time focusing on the problems and fears we miss the tenderness and connections right in front of us. Even when everything appears hopeless and dark, love has space to enter. Even when we "think" we know what we want from love, we are shown that the Universe might have another, even better, plan.

Combining yoga and writing has provided so much healing and realizations for me. Tuning into my body through yoga, and letting my heart speak through writing, has shown me wisdom beyond what I could have received from any book or expert. These answers are already inside you. Yoga and writing will bring them out.

Whatever you are looking to welcome into your life this month, this season, this year, I assure you it is possible. Welcome in love, and watch as your intention begins to guide your actions and experiences. Welcome in self-worth, and watch as your intention begins to seep into your beliefs. Welcome in anything new, anything you want to see with open eyes, and watch it become reality.

The next RISE! retreat is February 19-21. This retreat guarantees transformation! Join us and cultivate your own intention.