The New Year is a time of transition. It is a time of being on the verge of new opportunities and possibilities while contemplating the imprints of our past year’s experiences—our gains, our losses, our successes, our setbacks, our failures, and our moments of pure brilliance.
“The awareness that we’re always in flux is heightened this time of year, so it’s important to keep coming back to that,” says yoga teacher and author Rolf Gates. “Every new year is an opportunity to reflect upon who we are, what we experienced, and what we want to accomplish. Through reflection comes awareness, the foundation from which skillful action can arise.” Committing to our yoga, meditation, and mindfulness practices can both ground us and open us up to the new possibilities, allowing this time of transition to also be a time of transformation. Our studio’s ‘New Year, New You’ theme is a reminder to stay connected to the core of our being and to live out loud, our authentic self in whatever life may throw at us.
Tapas—one of the niyamas, or observances, from the Yoga Sutras, can be an especially powerful when welcoming in the new year. One way to build tapas, which also translates as “heat,” is to create space for the things you’re passionate about. As 2015 draws to a close, can we spend time reflecting upon what truly moves us and motivates us? What are the uncharted areas we want to explore? How can we fan the flame of this fire into our life? What might be extinguishing this fire? How can we remove these obstacles? Explore! Discover! Implement!
So often the expectations of the New Year’s resolutions we put upon ourselves can derail us. Instead of making “resolutions,” which can be constricting and often seen as pass/fail, can we apply a mindful, loving, yogic lens and see them as “intentions?” When we pressure ourselves to have certain outcomes without room to stumble and fail, we are just setting ourselves up for disappointment. For instance, if we skip a day of yoga practice or going to the gym and/or we splurge on some junk food, our tendency is to let the one time go to a second time which leads to a third time and so on until we feel we can not start over. So, we quit and don’t start again. In essence, we self-defeat when we make our resolution. Setting an intention offers a us a more compassionate approach. It gives us permission to practice, which is not about getting it ‘right’ and more about cultivating patience and tolerance with ourselves on our path. It softens around our expectations and allows us to start over in the next moment, the next day, or the next week. It is the journey and not the destination that matters. Therefore, the intention is in cultivating a habit and learning to fail forward.
A powerful way to set an intention is through a ritual that brings you joy and clarity. You can deep clean and as you shed light on those hidden places—in the closet, under the bed, your desk drawers—you’re not only removing physical clutter, but also taking the opportunity to clear away what’s not serving you. It makes space for the fresh and the new. Another suggestions is create a vision board where you can lay out your dreams using words and images. Explore questions like 'Who do I want to be? What do I want? What kind of experience do I want to have?’ on the vision board or in your journal. You can have a yoga or workout buddy and make dates to meet each other. You can schedule appointments for yourself to go to yoga or to go to the gym. When there is a date on a calendar for yourself or with a buddy, it is harder to not show up. It is a motivator and helps keep your schedule from crowding and taking over your bucket-filling, soul-satisfying practices’ time!
On the other hand, maybe we feel apprehensive about the uncertainty of the new year or are mourning a loss from the year that’s about to close. Remember optimism is a choice and we have the power to decide how we choose to cultivate our outlook. Optimism and inner stillness go hand in hand, so it’s important to choose experiences which connect to the core of our being—like our yoga, meditation and daily devotion time with God. These tools can sustain us, usher us through these transitions, and give us more clarity as we move from one year to the next. Remember, our experiences are meant for our spiritual growth so rather than labeling them as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ can we seek the opportunity for growth lying within each one? Each experience refines and sometimes completely redefines who we are. Remember, we were beautifully and powerfully made! Along each of our paths, are divine appointments. Refocus your eyes to see and seek those!
“Show up with full integrity, no matter what is happening to you—joy, loss, anticipation,” Rolf Gates says. “Where you put your vision is where your life goes.”
New Year. New You. Explore. Discover. Be Authentic. Love. Spread Good Vibes. Be. Go. Do.
Onward and upward!
