New Years Wish

Winter 2023

“It was when I stopped searching for home within others and lifted the foundations of home within myself, I found there were no roots more intimate than those between a mind and body that have decided to be whole.”

— Rupi Kaur

There's a lot of pressure when the clock strikes 12:01 AM on January 1 for people to have resolutions, goals, "words of the year," vision boards, and the supposed motivation, energy, resilience, ability, and capacity to manifest what they wanted.

"This is the year of ____."

I understand the excitement and possibility that a new year inspires! I've set personal goals that I've achieved, possibly because I experienced the benefit of that new year's boost on my motivation and commitment. However, I've also experienced the fade... the subtle way my routine, my patterns of behavior, and the sheer number of responsibilities and daily tasks started to eat away at the time I had carved out for my goals, then the mental space required to keep my goals top of mind, and finally my energy and desire.

When the goal slips away, do we feel shame or guilt? Do we feel the loss of a dream unrealized? There are so many ways we might individually respond to this very natural and very common turn of events. I've discovered that pain and suffering need not be one of them. I've learned to rethink this time of year and this practice of hefting the weight of huge changes onto the shoulders of people already carrying so much. Aren't we carrying enough already?

If it works for you - keep doing it. You've figured out what works for you, and that's wisdom that will serve you. If it's not working for you, there are other paths forward. Mine starts with me.

I will not be a "new me" this year. I will be MORE ME. I will start slowly and gently. I will give myself space and grace to show up a little more fully, a little more consciously each day. Over time, shifts and changes will naturally occur as I decouple from autopilot and gradually take more and more control over the day-to-day. How do I do this? Embodiment, presence, and self-compassion.

Yoga therapy is a way to this way of being more YOU this year.

I hope you'll join me, and we can walk this path together.

On the way, we'll pick each other up, we'll put down some things, and the gifts we gather will be light!