Intentionally Poland

Today, I have been whistling as I work and moving about with a bounce in my step. I am nearly ready to start packing my bags to teach in Poland this weekend. I love going to Poland to teach Mindfulness. Poland is a place that I have always wanted to visit- an intention I set years ago.

Much of my family are from Poland. Both of my grandmother’s families emigrated to Canada at the end of the 19^th and turn of the 20^th century from Poland and I was raised in a house that observed many Polish customs. Not to mention, many of my friends in Canada are of Polish descent. It’s a culture that I feel close to my heart.

When my family left Poland, it was due to hardship. They were looking for a better life- and after a few generations that better life came. However, as I have now come to know, emigration is painful. So, to be the first of my family to return to Poland to teach mindfulness based in compassion, skills that help people manage stress and pain in life, I feel blessed.

This isn’t the first time this week that I have felt an overjoyed sense of gratitude for the life that I have come to know. Earlier this week, I was sitting with my colleagues in MAHQ and I closed my eyes and imagined a younger version of myself watching the scene. The younger version would have very much approved of the work that I am doing and would feel excitement for the travel, friendships and people’s lives that I touch through teaching mindfulness. It was and continues to be my intention to live a life that is useful to others, as well as one that allows me to explore many lands.

Living with intentionality can be transformative. In fact, intention and motivation play a huge role in our mindfulness practice. At the Mindfulness Association, we guide our practices by beginning with setting our intention. Intention sets the direction in which we want to go. Or, as Wayne Dyer says “our intention creates our reality”. And, I had no idea that all those years ago, when I stated that I would like to visit Poland, I would do so through such a positive means. But my intention was set, and this dream became real. Similarly, I knew I wanted to work with and be helpful to people- another intention that became a reality.

So, just as we set an intention at the beginning our practice- (maybe to settle the mind, practice self compassion or simply come to rest)- can we set an intention at the beginning of each day that reflects the direction we would like to move in that reflects our life goals and values?

This might be something small such as setting an intention to turn the lights out of every room you leave as a means of conserving energy. Or perhaps, it might be to be more patient, to notice feelings of anger before they take over, to cultivate joy & gratitude. Or as it was in my case, maybe it is to teach mindfulness in a land that has always sparked interest and intrigue.

This week’s challenge is to set an intention at the beginning of each day. Write your intention down and revisit your words at the end of the day. Remember not to beat yourself up if the intention has not yet become reality. It took me 20+ years to get to Poland, from my early adult dreams. And it took my family generations to have one of us return: an intention that was set in their hearts the moment they boarded the ship for Canada.

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