Ayurvedic Visioning: Why Space Is Part of the Plan
At the beginning of a new year, many of us sit down with notebooks, candles, vision boards, and good intentions.
We ask ourselves:
What do I want?
Where am I going?
What should this year become?
Visioning and intention setting can be powerful tools. I use them myself every year, and they are an essential part of my 1:1 coaching work.
And yet, over time, I’ve learned something just as important as clarity:
When we envision the future, we must leave enough space.
Ayurvedic Visioning and Intention Setting
Just before Christmas, I was talking with one of my closest friends.
We were sharing what we planned to do over the holidays, and I told her how I was looking forward to my yearly visioning and intention-setting process — taking time to reflect, to crystallize my next steps, and to sense where I want to bundle my energy in the year ahead.
And then, mid-sentence, something became very clear to me.
I said it out loud, almost spontaneously — the way truth often arrives when we feel safe and open with someone:
“You know… when I really look back at this past year and truly honor what happened — and also the endings it brought — some of the best things that happened were not planned at all.”
I thought of my stay at the Sivananda Ashram in Kitzbühel,
of her and another friend’s spontaneous visits to Tenerife,
and of our spontaneous trip to Munich to spend time with Amma.
Moments that shaped me deeply — and that no vision board or plan could have predicted.
In that moment, I realized something essential:
If we don’t leave space, we leave life out.
Why the Nervous System Matters in Visioning
A few weeks later, I attended a vision board workshop with a very experienced teacher in this field.
She shared how her approach to visioning had changed over the years.
Instead of framing her images and words tightly — defining exactly how her ideal year should look — she now deliberately leaves space.
Space for synchronicities.
Space for surprises.
Space for life to communicate with her in ways she could not plan.
This understanding of leaving space in manifestation is also explored in intuitive visioning work, such as that shared by Colette Baron-Reid
👉 https://www.colettebaronreid.com/
Interestingly, I’ve heard the same thing again and again from clients I guide through my yearly visioning and intention-setting process in my 1:1 coaching:
Some of the most meaningful experiences of their year were unplanned.
This doesn’t mean visioning is wrong.
It means visioning needs humility — and nervous-system awareness.
When we push clarity too early, we don’t get direction.
We get tension.
Leaving Space: An Ayurvedic Perspective
By the fourth week of January, the guiding question often changes.
It’s no longer:
What do I want?
What matters?
It becomes quieter — and more practical:
How does this live in my real life?
Not in theory.
Not in the ideal week.
But in your actual days, with their rhythms, responsibilities, and limitations.
This is where many people either push too hard —
or drift away from what they named with such care.
There is another way.
In Ayurveda and Yoga, action that is not grounded in rhythm creates exhaustion.
True action:
- respects energy cycles
- fits into the nervous system
- and can be repeated without strain
Grounded action is not force.
It is placement.
From an Ayurvedic perspective, Akasha — space — is what allows everything else to function.
Without space, clarity collapses.
From Intention to Embodiment in Daily Life
Instead of turning intentions into long to-do lists, I invite you to ask one simple question:
What is one small, concrete action that would support this intention?
Not five.
Not a project.
Just one action that feels neutral or quietly supportive.
And then — place it in your calendar.
Not as a contract.
But as a container.
You are telling your nervous system:
This matters enough to be protected.
Just as important:
leave space.
White space.
Unplanned space.
Room for the unexpected.
Too many commitments — even beautiful ones — disturb clarity.
Consistency grows out of kindness, not intensity.
How I Work With Visioning in 1:1 Ayurvedic Coaching
This way of working with visioning and intention setting — grounded in Ayurveda, yoga, and nervous-system awareness — is central to my 1:1 coaching work.
Together, we:
- honor what has truly completed
- clarify direction without pressure
- ground intentions into sustainable rhythms
- and consciously leave space for life to respond
If you’d like to learn more about how I work, you can explore:
- my 1:1 Ayurveda–Yoga Coaching
- and my About Me page to understand my background and approach
I would love to walk this path with you — gently, honestly, and in rhythm with your life.
With warmth and trust,
Verena Gayatri Primus
