Happy New Year!

The New Year prompts us to look ahead and ask ourselves how we'll change in order to be the best that we can be. We identify patterns that aren't working and commit to charting a new course. January 1st inspires us to move through the obstacles that too often define our lives.

At first glance, the admission of failed methods seems like the easy part. Motivated by our inadequacies, we forge ahead with strategies born of self-hatred or self-loathing. With so much riding on our destination we're eager to leap out of the gate, but as we trudge along this arduous new path and begin to realize that action is often fraught with imperfection, we long for our old, safe habits. There's comfort in the familiar, even if the familiar is a painful, limiting idea of who we really are. How can we move forward, though, when every step toward change is rooted in a toxic relationship with the Self?

For me, the hardest part about creating change is the concept of Self-acceptance: loving myself despite my perceived flaws. I think it's only from a place of Self-acceptance that we can hope to rewrite a painful story. To accept oneself lies in the ability to see oneself clearly–without judgement–which requires stillness, willingness and courage.

B.K.S. Iyengar writes in his book, Light on Life, "The point we are seeking to reach is where we can act directly in the present. Direct action stems from direct perception, the ability to see reality in the present, as it is, without prejudice, and act accordingly". Iyengar encourages us to relinquish ourselves from the prison of our past actions as well as the expectations of our future actions; only then will we be truly free.

Luckily for us, we're not defenseless against the great unknown. Patanjali, author of the Yoga Sutras, offers us five tools to help us on our path. They're often referred to as the "Yogi Vitamins", an image I just love because I can see myself popping these pills on a daily basis. The first vitamin is faith: faith in the process, faith in oneself and maybe (if this resonates with you) faith in grace or something infinite that is beyond our perception. It takes faith to get through those moments when it feels like all is lost. It also takes tremendous strength, which is the second vitamin. The third vitamin is memory, which is crucial because without memory we cannot consider the lessons we've learned (but tricky, of course, because memory is seductive, holding the power to trap us in the past). Contemplation is the fourth vitamin. Contemplation implies a commitment to really sit with yourself and listen for the answers. Discernment–the final vitamin–is probably my favorite because there's immense value in the ability to know when to act and when to be still.

Embarking on the new year, I'm inspired to love, respect and trust myself. My New Year's resolutions are only as good as the soil in which they're planted and I believe my real work lies in the tilling, watering and weeding of that earth. It takes so much courage to be honest with ourselves, but perhaps even more to be okay with what we see. A healthy and respectful relationship with the Self fosters the skills we need to take the appropriate action–the one that's best for us.

My hope for you in the New Year is to "Love Thyself". It won't always be easy, but with faith, strength, memory, contemplation and discernment, you will persevere. May you move forward with peace in your heart and a renewed commitment to yourself.

Happy New Year!

Love,

Chrissy