New YEAR New YOU.
The new year is upon us, and that means that marketing companies love fixating on your insecurities. ALL I KEEP SEEING is about weight loss, and how you don't look good and it's exhausting.
“Get rid of that muffin top!”
“Indulged in too many cookies?”
“NOW IS TIME TO MAKE A CHANGE, ITS YOUR YEAR. TRY OUR FOOL PROOF PLAN, KALE FOR DAYS.”
( side note: eat the one cookie, we all die anyway. It's about moderation; it is not about the cookie. With anything in life, too much isn't good — alert the media I'm pretty sure too much kale isn't right for you either.)
What about in this New Year you fight back against the mainstream media? (gasp!)
Instead of picking at everything you find wrong with yourself, you find what's right — find what you love about yourself, work on being better because it's what YOU want, not because society tells us this is how we should look, be and feel.
Mindfulness. What about cultivating mindfulness?
Be more aware of our thoughts, of our actions — and then we can accomplish more of the goals, and dreams we desire.
What is helping us, and what is hindering us?
If we see the habits that we do, our triggers, we can see why we feel a certain way.
Instead of fixating on one thing that you hate about yourself, that you put all this negative energy into all this pressure on in the new year to fix, be mindful.
Be aware of what you are doing, who you are being — WHY you feel what you're feeling.
It takes a single choice, a decision that no matter what happens to tell yourself I'm not going to cause pain for myself, I'm not going to talk to myself badly, I'm not going to put myself down.
Affirmation: “I notice my thoughts — I will not allow them to dictate me, all is well in my life, I will not create pain for myself.”
Being aware of your thoughts, of your actions — and watch your goals fall into place.
Do you want to lose 10 pounds? Okay great.
Think about what is it that is hindering that, instead of saying in “2 weeks I will lose my first 5 pounds”, instead of losing belief in yourself because it is not happening quickly, you need to be patient with your body -
Slowly make changes to your lifestyle.
We live in this life where we are constantly bombarded by pictures on Instagram of bodybuilders, models and magazine covers with their “Six Sexy Secrets to Abs Fast!”, and it's overwhelming, and we begin to feel bad about our bodies and ourselves.
Who are your resolutions for? I always say “I should do this, or do that”… I should work out more, I should write more, I should go to Law School, I should get married…. Whose life are you living, who are these “should's” for, are they for you? Or are they for your parents? Your partner? Your friends? If you do things that you think you should is it leading you to your goals or will it make you unhappy?
You need to decide this year, are you doing something you want, or are you doing something to make others approve of you?
Yoga has taught me that my body and mind are stronger than I knew. That my body can do amazing things but in time. With practice, dedication and my passion. It doesn't happen overnight, Every time I roll out my mat there is something I'm not good at, there is something that needs work -yoga reminds me to appreciate where I am now, and to keep going. It reminds me that MY life is a sacred journey as is yours. That I'm going to change constantly, and grow and discover new things. I'm going to transform and expand —
In this New Year, I know I will find challenges, I will fail, I will succeed — my journey in life is more than just a New Years resolution that is collecting dust by February — everyday learning what is in my soul, taking risks and I'm on this beautiful path, I'm exactly where I'm meant to be right now — I can only go forward, I'm writing my story shaping into a novel of love, healing, power, and courage. I chose to find all that is right, to bloom into a sunflower — and not let people let me wilt, I choose kindness; I choose mindfulness.
Use These Affirmations in The New Year when you feel down about your body or to remind yourself of the beauty you hold…
“I am beautiful; I'm thankful for my body and what it does for me every day.” “I am more than good enough, and I get better every day.” “I am working towards a stronger me.” “I am wonderfully made.”
Find an affirmation that speaks to you, and speak it in the mirror every day and see what happens to what you think. It sounds corny? Go and try it for a month and let me know what you find about how you feel.
In this New Year, I hope you find that you are more than a number on a scale, more than a job title, you are more than you ever know — I hope you begin to understand that you have every possibility of blooming.
“People deal too much with the negative, with what is wrong. Why not try and see positive things, to just touch those things and make them bloom?” -Thich Nhat Hanh