I am very goal-oriented - which is a great thing - but can also lend itself to being unnecessarily hard on myself. I'll set goals that are not always realistic and then beat myself up for not reaching them quickly enough.

Last year, I resolved to complete a 200 hour teacher training program, climb Mt. Rainier, run a sub-2 hour half marathon, hike 100 miles, and a variety of other bucket list items (including picking up the piano practice I abandoned over a decade ago). I wrote them all down and placed the list on my mantle.

I looked at this list everyday for an entire year - some I checked off, some I attempted and fell short, some I failed completely (I'm not sure I sat down at my piano once last year). Of course, as 2015 ended, my goal-oriented tunnel vision saw only what I hadn't done.

I was verbally abusing myself to a friend one evening over these so-called failures when he pointed to the upper corner of my resolutions where I'd written 'Work Less. Hike More. Be Yoga.'

"What does this mean?"

I shrugged. "My intentions for the year I guess. Sort of the theme, if you will."

"Well, even if you didn't check everything off of your list, it seems like you did exactly what you intended; maybe you should be nicer to yourself about it."

Spoiler Alert: I have not summited Mt. Rainier.... Yet.

His words hit me hard. I was constantly reminding my yoga students that the intention was what mattered - not the end result. Here I was beating myself up in ways I would never condone in my classroom.

This conversation led to a lot of thought over the difference between an intention and a goal. I'd often considered them synonyms, but they are different and the difference is critical. My goal might have been to summit Mt. Rainier, but the intention behind it was to hike more. Last year I hiked more than I ever have - over 150 miles - including a few solo backpacking trips.

I did not get my sub 2-hour Half Marathon time, but I did run 3 races, set a personal record and started running with a friend that motivates, inspires and holds me accountable. The intention was there - shouldn't I give myself some credit for that?

My reflection made me realize I needed to rethink my mindset. Goals are important. Necessary. They are what keep me on track. But it is equally important for me to keep in mind what my intention is. Because sometimes life does get in the way of your goals, but that doesn't mean you can't hold true to your intention.

Goals & Intentions on the Arizona Trail

I know, I know - hiking 811 miles over 2 months is a big enough goal... But for me, it wouldn't be complete without some additional motivation

Body

Remain sunburn free (this is a massive undertaking for this pale-skinned girl who gets sunburned driving with her window down on a sunny day)
Take care of my feet. This will be a challenge for the obvious reason that I'll be walking on them for 60 days with very little rest and a 35+ pound pack

My intention is to keep my body healthy through proper hydration, routinely caring for my feet and skin, stretching my muscles often and listening when it needs to rest. Above all, keeping saucha (cleanliness) and ahimsa (non-harming) as my guiding principles.

Yoga

Passage Pose. The 811 mile Trail is divided into 43 passages. My goal is to have a 'Passage Pose' so that by the end of my trip I'll have a sequence of 43 yoga poses. Clever, eh?
Personal Practice. I plan to maintain a daily yoga practice - whether that means I do a sun salutation in the morning or a 90 minute class when in town to resupply - my goal is to practice yoga, physically and mentally everyday.

My intention is to maintain and nurture my physical yoga practice, but also to reflect on the spiritual and philosophical aspects of yoga and how they show up in my life. Svadhyaya, or Self Study - the 4th Niyama.

Work

Let work go.

I have always been a workaholic. I have been in the workforce since the age of 12 and have a strong work ethic that can often work against me. In my non-yoga work I have spent a significant amount of time and effort to create this opportunity for myself. Now I need to fully embrace the opportunity I've created. And that means letting go.

In addition to preparing for my absence while I'm hiking, I have also been slowly preparing and transitioning from my 'JOB' to a full time yoga career. It's exciting and scary. On the one hand, I'm becoming one of those people who LOVES their work. I love teaching yoga, I know it's my calling. The flip side to that coin is that yoga teachers aren't historically paid the big bucks (or even enough bucks). I have a general direction I'm headed with my yoga teaching, however my intention is to refine this plan over the next few months.

Crystals and a statue from my friend and student, Jean - good omens for my trip ahead.

I have no idea how these intentions will manifest over the course of my hike - but I'm expecting the unexpected and excited to see where this trail takes me - literally and figuratively.