New Year New You
New Year. New You. Right?! Let’s break that down a bit.
What is it about a new year that really puts us in the mood for change? Is it our natural reaction to reflect on the past year? Is it positive hope for the future? This year, it’s going to stick. This year will be different. This is my year! Is it just because everyone else is doing it?
Don’t get me wrong…There is nothing wrong with New Years Resolutions. Especially if that’s what gives you a little bit of a boost to make a positive change in your life. Sometimes, all of the January promotions and programs are a great way to start and commit to something new or “new again”. People to help hold you accountable are pretty accessible in January. For all those things that you know you should change but haven’t found the internal motivation for just yet.
In the yoga world, we hear the words “set an intention” all the time. We set an intention for our day. We set an intention for each class. Heck, we set an intention for each breath. That’s a lot of intention setting! But what does it really mean? What for? With these buzzy yoga phrases popping up just about everywhere now, is it losing its meaning? Can we bring it back to the simplicity of living each second of our lives with purpose? Whether that means choosing our food for fuel instead of pleasure, making a conscious effort to move more, or choosing our words a bit more wisely before they fly out of our mouths.
Consider this:
Start living consciously today, December 26th, 2018. Find purpose in all the things you do, and if you can’t find that purpose, question why you do it. What gives your pleasure from it? Is it my own choice to do it or am I being influenced by someone else? How am I effecting other aspects of my life or the lives around me? That being said, questioning something you can’t quiet figure out WHY you do it doesn’t mean it’s bad. It doesn’t mean you have to stop doing it. Questioning your every day, mundane parts of your life might just be enough to start making small changes that can lead to something much bigger. If setting a date like January 1st, 2019 helps you to start, then circle the date on your calendar. But if you get excited at the thought of a bigger, more meaningful life, why wait?
