The Power of Clear Intention
Sagittarius (November 22-December 21)
Create Miracles in your life by narrowing your focus and connecting to spacious, open, expansive awareness
Sagittarius is a mutable, positive, fire sign, ruled by Jupiter. Its symbol is the centaur, with bow and arrow. In India the constellation of Sagittarius was known as Dhanus. In Rome it was associated with Diana, the Goddess of the Bow. Sagittarian colours are purple and deep blue. Key words are widely, deeply, and free ranging. With the ruler-ship of Jupiter, we move away from the fierce life-death intensity of the previous sign Scorpio and towards a more jovial, happy-go-lucky outlook. The keywords for Jupiter are expansion and preservation.
The power of the hips and thighs are said to be Sagittarian, and this correlates with the desire to travel far and wide. The sign conjures up images of freedom, wide open spaces, blue skies, and wild horses roaming free across moorland. The symbol for the sign is a centaur which is half-horse and half-man. And this image of half-horse and half-woman/man can be a powerful one to hold in your mind during a yoga practice, allowing it to inspire your choice of asanas and the quality of your movement.
The fire of Sagittarius is the purifying, blue fire at the heart of the flame, and this can be a beautiful image to explore and seek out in art and poetry. In the Northern Hemisphere Sagittarius' dates correspond with our entering into the depths of winter, so this blue-flame image, when introduced into a yoga practice or meditation, can be a way of bringing light into the darkness.
It can be enriching for the yoga practitioner to find out more about the skills and discipline of archery, some of which are very similar to those we cultivate in yoga, such as balancing effort (sthira) and relaxation (sukha). In the Sagittarius-inspired yoga practice in the Yoga by the Stars book we work with asanas inspired by archery imagery. We combine the arm movements of drawing a bow and releasing an arrow, with familiar poses such as the Lunge Pose (Anajaneyasana) and Warrior Pose (Virabhadrasana). We also explore the tautness of the archer’s bow through poses such as Lunge Variation and Bow Pose (Dhanurasana). The practice is calming, grounding, centring, energising, and improves focus.
Like an archer drawing back the string of her bow, eye fixed upon the target, yoga teaches us to set our intention. When we practise yoga, we consciously direct our intention to a chosen object. Even though our mind might be flitting all over the place, we continue to draw our attention back to a fixed point, such as the flow of the breath, sensations in the body, or whatever we have chosen to focus on during that session. This concentrated narrowing of our attention leads to an expansive, spacious, state of consciousness.
The power of the hips and thighs are said to be Sagittarian, and this correlates with the desire to travel far and wide. The sign conjures up images of freedom, wide open spaces, blue skies, and wild horses roaming free across moorland. The symbol for the sign is a centaur which is half-horse and half-man. And this image of half-horse and half-woman/man can be a powerful one to hold in your mind during a yoga practice, allowing it to inspire your choice of asanas and the quality of your movement.
The fire of Sagittarius is the purifying, blue fire at the heart of the flame, and this can be a beautiful image to explore and seek out in art and poetry. In the Northern Hemisphere Sagittarius' dates correspond with our entering into the depths of winter, so this blue-flame image, when introduced into a yoga practice or meditation, can be a way of bringing light into the darkness.
It can be enriching for the yoga practitioner to find out more about the skills and discipline of archery, some of which are very similar to those we cultivate in yoga, such as balancing effort (sthira) and relaxation (sukha). In the Sagittarius-inspired yoga practice in the Yoga by the Stars book we work with asanas inspired by archery imagery. We combine the arm movements of drawing a bow and releasing an arrow, with familiar poses such as the Lunge Pose (Anajaneyasana) and Warrior Pose (Virabhadrasana). We also explore the tautness of the archer’s bow through poses such as Lunge Variation and Bow Pose (Dhanurasana). The practice is calming, grounding, centring, energising, and improves focus.
Like an archer drawing back the string of her bow, eye fixed upon the target, yoga teaches us to set our intention. When we practise yoga, we consciously direct our intention to a chosen object. Even though our mind might be flitting all over the place, we continue to draw our attention back to a fixed point, such as the flow of the breath, sensations in the body, or whatever we have chosen to focus on during that session. This concentrated narrowing of our attention leads to an expansive, spacious, state of consciousness.
Sagittarius-inspired Meditation Questions
- Which yoga techniques help to improve my focus and concentration?
- Are there any areas of my life that would benefit from my having a clear intention of the direction I want to go in?
- How can I best place myself to take full advantage of opportunities that arise and so fulfil my potential?
- What lights my fire and what am I passionate about?
Sagittarius: Develop the power of clear intention to create miracles in your life. Learn to connect to a spacious, open, and expansive awareness by narrowing and focusing your attention. Take new paths, travel far, laugh, love, and live life to the full.