New Year, Same Me

When a new year rolls around, we all seem to get sucked into the mentality that it is time to start making improvements. Most of our resolutions seem to only last for the first few weeks of the new year before we slowly start to abandon them. I have always fallen into that trap, but more of a this year will be better stand point.

I'm really enjoying the new year, same me memes going around. I am not saying that making changes are bad, because they aren't. As humans, we are meant to change and learn. But a new year doesn't mean that you are going to change over night, and I believe that is where we set ourselves up for failure at. The end of the year is a great time to reflect on everything you've done, the new things that you were afraid of doing, the small parts of your day you look forward to, and people you've met. It's also a great time to do a self check up. What do you want to start doing, do you feel happy most of your day?

One of my biggest goals during my end of the year self check up is treating my body and mind better. I have always enjoyed the idea of stretching, and always feel inspired when I see my cat do his own little downward dog pose after napping. However, I am always neglecting that area of my life. I have good days, and I have days where my body feels like a 100 year old lady who has been trapped in a space pod for the last 3,000 years. It is terrible.

I usually do yoga about twice a week, mostly at home through an app, or I tend to go to a class with a friend when we don't talk ourselves out of it during our coffee dates. But we use our bodies every day, and therefore should give it the tlc it so desperately wants. I was given an opportunity to start a 30 day yoga challenge on Jan 2. I like it because it's only 30 minutes or less and just the right amount to make my body happy.

Yoga doesn't just work the body, but it works the mind. 2017 felt like I was in a downward spiral for most of it. When something happened, I went into end of the world meltdowns. It wasn't pretty. I'm taking time to learn to breath and realize that things can be fixed, parts can be replaced, and there is always a solution. I have always felt that breathing and meditating while moving through poses is a great tool to take with me when I face a problem. Understanding and being aware of how one thing I have added to my daily routine has helped in numerous ways is a payoff to keep doing it.

I love this yoga challenge. You can find it on youtube under Yoga with Adrienne. Don't make goals just because a new year is here. And don't just do a self check up because it's the end of the year. Take time every few months to check in on yourself.