Happy New Year!
The holidays are over, the new year has begun...
That can mean a lot of different things.
Some people like to reflect on the past year in December. I like to reflect as I am thinking about what I want the new year to to look like. That means January is a time of digging in, reflecting and planning. Of course, you can't plan everything exactly; but I can set some general goals for the year. Maybe decide to focus on something that I would like to have more of in my life, something new I would like to try, or maybe say goodbye to something that is no longer serving me. Reflecting on the year that has passed is a great way to notice things that worked and things that didn't and continue to mold your life into one that you love living.
It can also be a time to give yourself grace for any hardships or encouragement for getting through a rough patch that threw you off. You don't need to feel bad about not accomplishing a goal that you set for yourself last year. Maybe something changed and it was no longer serving you or didn't fit into your life anymore. That is ok too. This time of reflection can also be for acknowledging those things that you chose to let go of, reminding yourself why, and giving yourself the space to let go of judgment around those choices.
All of this reflecting and goal setting can be overwhelming, especially if you are trying to keep track of it all in your head. This is one of the biggest reasons that I have found to keep a journal. I can see goals that I have set, how they changed and plans for the year ahead all in one place. Because I have chosen to bullet journal, the next years setup is a blank slate. I can really make it whatever I want or need it to be. I can shift my focus to what is serving me right now and I can change focus freely as my life changes. Hmm... similar to riding those waves in yoga.
I know I have mentioned this concept before, but it is soooooo important I am going to quickly describe it again. The idea is that life happens in waves. Waves of activity, waves of emotion, waves of sensation and yoga is the practice of becoming aware of those waves happening in the body. Not doing anything to change them, but just noticing their fluctuations.
I have another example of this for you today. Recently, I have enjoyed watching a particular youtuber (who I will not name) building bridges in a video game. Now, he is actually an engineer and makes jokes about how these types of games do or don't work the way the real world does, but every once in a while he drops a gem of true engineering. This is related, I promise. The other day, he was building a tower on a platform that was meant to simulate an earthquake and he talked about how if you make the foundation too strong, it will actually cause the tower to topple; but if you purposefully build some movement into it, the ground will move and the building will stay more still. This is the concept that ties back to our yoga. When you are open to the fluctuations of the mind and allow them to happen, you are actually more strong and stable.
So for this month of reflection and planning, I challenge you to build some movement to your plan. Allow for that natural fluctuation and see how strong you feel knowing you won't topple.