I know, I know, New Year's resolutions are a tad bit corny. Why does it have to be at a new year? For all those people that say you can make resolutions at anytime of year, I hear you and agree completely. However, there is something about seeing the words 'January 1st' and feeling like you want to start something fresh and new apart from a 2015 calendar. Just something, be it a gym membership, starting a health kick or joining eHarmony - yup, I did that one January!
Thankfully I'm no longer a believer in New Year, New Man. I do, however, think that there is some value in setting intentions for the year ahead plus a friend of mine asked me the other day, 'Have you made any New Year's resolutions?'.
Now for me, 2014 was a good year so if anything, all I wanted to do was carry this through into 2015.
When I got into thinking about why the previous year was a solid all-rounder I realised that I made a conscious decision to practice gratitude and to try and have a positive impact upon anyone that I came into contact with. This wasn't a New Year's resolution, by the way, it was just something that I decided to do as I'd opened my mind up to consciousness.
Anyone who knows me well, knows that I have the words 'Just love' inked on the inside of my arm as a reminder of this hence the reason why I always sign off my posts, letters, emails with those words, just to make sure I'm leaving everyone with some positivity. I can't say I have been positive on every occassion. Believe me, there have been some situations where I've completetly flipped my lid but the awareness of my intention has always been within me and it made a huge impact on my outlook on everything.
Simply put, I felt more content than ever before and I attribute it mainly to the feeling of being grateful. I did away with thinking 'what if', 'I wish I had', 'if only' and 'if it wasn't for' and instead focussed on how lucky I am to be healthy, to have good friends and family, to have the most amazing conversations with people that I instantly connected with and to be able to take part in all kinds of experiences from beautiful holidays to long walks with my parents.
2015 for me is about continuing to practice gratitute but complimenatry to that, I have recently discovered yoga and have found that it's made a great positive impact on all aspects of my mind and body. I have dabbled in and out of yoga practice but I've never really fallen in love with it until a couple of months ago when a friend suggested doing it to help with the problems I have with my lower back. She told me how she watches videos of classes on YouTube and I came across a channel called Yoga with Adriene; a yoga teacher from Texas who has a real passion for helping people to enjoy the practice through her philosophy of 'finding what feels good'.
Previously I always felt that yoga was too strict and sometimes way to extreme for me and my tight hamstrings. For a practice that promotes helping one to de-stress, I never understood how I could achieve this when my body is trying it's hardest to stay still whilst being folded up like a pretzel!
Adriene's expression of yoga encourages you to 'find what feels good' by keeping the body moving and by finding that balance between creating heat and enery with the relaxation gained from connecting with the breath to find stillness. Her style feels more playful and less serious compared to the other classes I have been to. The comfort of doing it in my own home means that I'm not worried that I'll look like a complete fool in front of others! Not that it matters because yoga has taught me that it doesn't matter if you're not perfect, it's commiting to the practice that counts! But the best thing is, it keeps me coming back to the mat which is something I've never managed to do before.
So for the month of January I have set myself a goal to take part in the #30daysofyoga challenge on the Yoga with Adriene channel. I'm really excited to join this global community and start my 2015 by breathing deeper and creating good enegry for the year ahead.
I'll be sure to let you know how I get on but if any of you have an interest in yoga I definitely recommend that you check out her page and maybe start the challenge too!
Happy New Year everyone!
Just love
Rina xoxo
If any of you practice yoga I'd love to know why you practice it and how it benefits you, please leave a comment below.
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