It’s a new year - which is a good time to rethink our priorities and how we are allocating our energy. In some ways, this transition is an ‘artificial’ shift in consciousness. After all, today is really just a continuum of the days, weeks, and months that preceded it. It is a mere reflection of how we have lived the last year, and previous decades of our lives. And yet… as the calendar flipped from 2019 to 2020 you - like me - may have been infused with both a sense of hope and desperation for change. Questions bubble to the surface, like: How can I improve the quality of my life and be more accountable for my health? How can I make a difference with the state of our country, healing divisions and creating a more loving community? And how can I honor Mother Earth and work to mend the vast damage done to our planet? 

2020 looms large and if we allow ourselves to get caught up in doomsday-overwhelm, we can easily paralyze ourselves into inaction. Instead, I recommend we take baby-steps, small but replicable shifts in the way we translate desired intention into action. Here I have scripted out the tangible ways I am addressing the questions listed above:

For my health: I’ve committed myself to remembering to take my daily supplements; prioritizing sleep by following a strict sleep hygiene regime; staying on my ayurvedic dietary regimen that is vastly improving my digestion.

For my community: I’ve committed myself to speaking up more boldly for the things I believe in and not shying away from the difficult conversations around policy and politics. This includes examining the ways I have participated in racial, economic, and gender bias and inequities. 

For the planet: I’ve committed myself to reducing my carbon footprint by reducing my consumption of products encased in plastic and the use of plastic in my home! (This is BIG - and also SUPER hard).

Of course there are soo many other things I could choose and yet… the question is: What is sustainable? The yoga teachings are very clear that it is the consistency of our actions that has the biggest impact on our lives. Setting up our expectations in ways that we can be successful is the best way to ensure continuity. What are you able to do (and do again and again) that will help you fulfill your hopes and dreams this year?  

Blessings,

Robin