The Power of Weekly Intentions: A Somatic Ritual to Start Fresh
How you begin your week matters.
It’s easy to launch into Monday in a blur, coffee in hand, calendar packed, tasks piling up. But what if you could take a moment to reconnect, to ask yourself how you want to feel before the week sweeps you away?
This is where weekly intentions come in. Not as a productivity hack, but as a way to align your nervous system with what you most need.
Try this simple somatic ritual to start your week with intention:
🌿 Create a container: Find a quiet space, light a candle, or hold something meaningful in your hands. Take a few deep breaths.
🌿 Ask yourself: “How do I want to feel this week?” Let whatever comes up arrive without judgment. You might notice a word, an image, or a sensation.
🌿 Choose an intention: Let your answer take shape as a word or phrase. Some examples: ease, clarity, trust, connection, rootedness. Write it down or speak it aloud.
🌿 Let it settle: Close your eyes and imagine yourself moving through your week with that energy. How do your posture, tone, or choices shift?
🌿 Return to it often: Put your word where you can see it, a sticky note, a journal, your phone lock screen. Let it guide your week gently.
This small ritual becomes a way to check in, to slow down, and to choose how you show up, rather than just reacting to everything around you.
It’s also a quiet invitation to honor your body’s pace. To listen before acting. To bring softness into your routine.
Aligning Your Nervous System & Your Needs
Whether your intention is “rest” or “clarity” or “boundaries,” the practice of choosing and embodying it helps you move through life with more coherence between your body and your choices.
And when you do that consistently, it’s not just your week that changes, it’s your relationship to yourself.
About the Author
Shai Maxine is a trained somatic practitioner specializing in helping people navigate stress, chronic pain, and emotional overwhelm. With years of experience guiding clients toward greater ease and connection, Shai offers practical tools rooted in somatic awareness and mindfulness. When not working, Shai enjoys hiking, cooking, creating art, and petting as many dogs as she can. Follow along on instagram @shai.maxine
