By Yogi Cameron
Start to make every step of your life a conscious movement of intentions. Today, before you eat, first become aware of your intention. Be aware whether you are going to eat out of real hunger, boredom, pleasure, entertainment, or a desire to socialize. Before you speak, before a word leaves your mouth, understand your intention behind saying something. Be conscious if you are speaking out of truth, fear, ambition, anger, or joy. The next meeting you go to, question your intent. Are you going to get something, to be of service, or to share in a moment?
Apply this way of thinking to everything you do and see the truth behind everything that motivates you. See how surprised you become when you first check your motivation and intent behind your next action. As you apply this to any situation in life — family, friends, work, and all your personal habits — a clear picture will emerge of how you became the person you are today, why you do the things you do, and where you are heading in the next twenty years. As you get into the habit of first checking your motivations and intentions, slowly you will start to head in a direction that is preferable to you and old habits will turn into new and productive ones.
Right now, I know from my own life that I am motivated and have an intention to be productive in everything I do. My interactions all have to be specifically about growing on my path and sharing time with others who want to enter this path or advance further along it. I was not always like this, and for now it is a phase of my path while I am working with people. Maybe when I settle into village life many years from now, my intention will be to do more practice and not have as much interaction. For now this is my reality, which I have created through my intentions.
This is a sure way of paving your old road with new asphalt of conscious intentions, where you know why you are doing some- thing and what your expectations are. You may still not always get what you want, but you will know for sure why you did something without any confusion or regrets. It makes for a much clearer mind and more guiltless existence.
Some tips for you moving forward from this point:
1. Intentions need energy and action behind them to bring them to fruition. How much are you willing to do to bring your deepest intentions into being? Are you willing to work six, eight, or ten hours a day? Seven days a week if necessary? Are you willing to forgo vacations with your family? Knowing these answers will allow you to set realistic goals so success is attainable and not an unrealistic, distant dream.
2. Why do you speak and think the way you do? What do you repeat every day, which has become your mantra? “I can,” “I will,” “when possible,” “not now,” “sure, soon,” or “when I get the time”? Try a new mantra today that helps you get real results. Today repeat: I will do my best and be my best.
3. What is the intention of your life? To find happiness, to be successful, to be loved, to be liberated, etc.? This is your bigger, long-term goal. What are you doing to work toward this goal? What are you doing that is working against it? Each day you have to “reset” your mind to ‘default.’ This default reset allows you to experience each day as a new one without bringing all the negativities from the day before into your new and pure day.
Supermodel turned Yogi Cameron is one of the most sought after yoga, meditation, and Ayurveda guru’s in the world, with a celebrity client list that includes Natalie Portman, Ellen DeGeneres, and Marie Menounos.
Yogi first started practicing Yoga in Paris at the Shivananda center in 1987, while living the jet-set life of a successful fashion model. His work with brands such as Versace, YSL, and Jean Paul Gaultier, and celebrities like Madonna, Sir Elton John, and Karl Lagerfeld led him to become one of the most in-demand faces in fashion. The turning point came after more than 10 years in the limelight, when Cameron joined fellow models Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, and Kate Moss to visit Nelson Mandela for a charity event at his home in South Africa. Yogi recalls, “There was something in his character, poise, and sense of unwavering presence that spoke to me. He was put in jail for 27 years for speaking up against apartheid but yet he was not angry, bitter or seeking justice. With all the crime and inequality in the world he showed people by example that revenge was not the answer to peace. This was impactful to my mind as I was looking for change in a meaningful direction. But I still did not have a clear vision for what kind of life I wanted to have. The only thing I was sure of was that I was ready to leave modeling and so I did.”
After ending his modeling career, Yogi went to India where he began learning about Ayurveda and natural medicine. After being mentored in natural medicine until 1999 he embarked on becoming certified in Yoga at the Integral Yoga Institute in New York City as well as the Sri Satchidananda Ashram. Yogi continued his studies into Ayurvedic Medicine at Arsha Vidya Peetam in South India, and has also trained at the International School of Ayurveda in Puna, India.
Today, Yogi Cameron travels the world to speak about using the ancient practice of Ayurveda and yogic wisdom to live a better life. Yogi Cameron has been featured on The Dr. Oz Show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Today Show, Extra and Martha, amongst others. He has also been featured in The New York Times, Men’s Journal, Wall Street Journal, The London Times and ELLE magazine, and is a regular contributor to the Huffington Post, MindBodyGreen amongst others.
Yogi Cameron is the author of “The Guru In You,” “The One Plan,” and his newest book “The Yogi Code,” which will be released in May 2017. Yogi is also the host of the show “A Model Guru” on ZLiving, and he is an expert on the radio show “Conversations with Maria Menounos” on SiriusXM.
Originally published at medium.com