Self-Care, Purpose, Lifestyle

January 2021

We do it to ourselves every January. It’s understandable. The beginning of a new calendar year feels like the natural first page of a new chapter. We imagine the new year from the perspective of our future selves, and we like the narrative simplicity of it all. Wouldn’t it be nice to say, Yes, I used to be like that, but everything changed in 2021?

If you’ve ever struggled to make a New Year’s resolution last beyond March, you’re probably coming into this year armed with psychology. You may already be aware that it takes, on average, 66 days for a new behavior to become automatic. You’ve read all about the importance of finding replacement behaviors to fill the void left behind by habits that are no longer serving you. You may have even rallied a network of friends to hold you accountable in your decision to change.

Whether you’ve done some of these things or all of them, you know that we tend to gear up for our resolutions like we are preparing for battle. The imagery around them is bellicose and forceful. We prepare to dig down for strength and willpower. We try to anticipate traps and hurdles. Words like stick, adhere, change, and conquer come to mind. But who are we going to war with each January? Ourselves? Is that battle winnable, and more importantly, is it advisable?

I have my yoga practice to thank for my decision to leave resolutions behind. In my physical body, I choose to seek out flow, move with the rhythm of my breath, and lean into challenges but away from pain. I would never force a pose that feels wrong for my body, and I can accept that what is right and wrong for my body is constantly evolving. Several years ago, it occurred to me: if I can so readily accept that my body is exactly as it should be, how much sense does it make to try to strong-arm my spirit? None at all!

The lesson I have learned from many years of fizzled New Year’s resolutions is that lasting change does not come from a place of judgment, avoidance, or lack. In fact, we move towards our best lives and best selves by focusing on joy. What do we want more of in our lives? What are we grateful for? What feeds our souls, and how can we live as though we already have it in abundance?

With this in mind, I am so honored to offer the Word of the Year guidebook as a completely free download for my fellow yogis seeking an alternative to New Year’s resolutions that actually works. Word of the Year is a radical departure from the traditional resolution-making formula that has let each one of us down in the past. Rather than shining a light on our deficiencies and frustrations, this practice will guide you through selecting a word that will become the theme of your upcoming year. How can one word define a whole year?

Because words are power.

Because words give meaning.

Because words have energy.

Because words bring clarity.

For so many of us, 2020 was a year of deferred dreams. I distinctly remember completing my own Word of the Year workbook as 2019 drew to a close. I had just made an abrupt exit from the corporate world, and I was reeling from a mixture of excitement and uncertainty as I worked to define my vision for Serenity Farm. Everything was moving so quickly, and yet not fast enough. I was terrified, yet impatient. After spending time working through the exercises in the Word of the Year guide, I chose a word that embodied the steady, trusting, openness I wanted to bring into the new year. I chose ready.

When a pandemic, quarantine, and the sudden onset of a new normal descended in the early months of 2020, there were moments when this felt like the cruelest irony. How could I make ready the theme of a year that was all about pausing, canceling, and rescheduling? It turns out that the Universe, in her infinite wisdom, used this year to gift me with assurances of my readiness everywhere I chose to look for them. Because of this special word, I will remember 2020 as the year that I discovered my capacity to flow and adapt to the unexpected. Because of this year, I am more certain than ever of the light I want to shine out into the world, and so confident that circumstances need not dictate how and when I do so.

In the way that your yogic gaze, or drishti, empowers you to hold focus and balance even when distracting thoughts, sights and sounds attempt to interfere with your practice, your word of the year becomes the place you return to whenever you’re faced with challenges and choices. Instead of attempting to micromanage your behaviors while meeting the demands of daily life, what if each decision you made this year could be as simple as choosing the things that are in alignment with a single, mindfully chosen, word?

With the bustle of the holidays all around, I hope you’ll give yourself the gift of some time to download the 2021 Word of the Year workbook, and let it guide you to the word that will become your focus in the upcoming year. Finding the word that resonates with your soul is the true first step of mindful goal and intention setting.

When a pandemic, quarantine, and the sudden onset of a new normal descended in the early months of 2020, there were moments when this felt like the cruelest irony. How could I make ready the theme of a year that was all about pausing, canceling, and rescheduling?

It turns out that the Universe, in her infinite wisdom, used this year to gift me with assurances of my readiness everywhere I chose to look for them. Because of this special word, I will remember 2020 as the year that I discovered my capacity to flow and adapt to the unexpected. Because of this year, I am more certain than ever of the light I want to shine out into the world, and so confident that circumstances need not dictate how and when I do so.

If you are ready to radically change the way you make resolutions so that you can get radically different results in 2021, I am thrilled to invite you to our upcoming sOul-Full Goal & Intention Setting Masterclass beginning February 5, 2021. Unlike traditional goal setting methods that focus on behavior modification, this collaborative workshop begins by helping you identify your core values and desires.

You’ll learn to honor your intuition, draw in what you seek out, and relentlessly pursue joy. Whether you have goals for your health, yoga practice, personal life, or finances, I hope that you will allow yourself to be amazed by what flows out of your commitment to true happiness.

Already completed your Word of the Year workbook for 2021? Share your word in the comments below!