Every new year we set ourselves unrealistic goals and expectations and inevitably end up disappointed and deflated. Instead of starting the year with positivity and hope we end up beginning the year with feelings of low self esteem, body shame and frustration. One of the biggest reasons that we set ourselves up to fail (in my opinion) is that we forget the season we are in. We forget that winter is a time for rest, reflection and for self care and rejuvenation. When January 1st arrives we still have months ahead of us of cold, damp and dark days and yet we set these intentions to detox, get fit and eat clean at a time when we still need to be eating warm and nourishing food and honouring more yin styles of exercise. I've personally never agreed with the whole new year detox thing and my cynical mind views it as a time for marketing companies to sell us a whole bunch of stuff we don't need by making us feel bad about ourselves. We're encouraged to binge over Christmas and then immediately go in to detox on Jan 1st which to me doesn't feel like great health advice. I was looking around my garden this morning at the bare branches and all the empty plant pots and once again allowed mother nature to speak to me, and she told me that now is the time to rest and plant seeds for the spring. Intuitively I've always preferred to take on detox and more energizing types of exercise in the Spring when the days begin to lighten and the flowers begin to grow (it's also interesting that many of the herbs and plants we use for detox are not actually around this time of year). Winter is a time when we are lower in energy and our immune systems are weakened, pushing ourselves too much at this time can result in us feeling burnt out and inevitably getting sick. Here are my tips for greeting the new year with grace and balance and avoiding the mid january disappointment: JournalingDue to the quiet and reflective quality of this time of year, winter is ideal for self reflection and inner inquiry. Spend some time processing the events of this year, what's worked and what hasn't and analysing limiting mental habits. Perhaps January the 1st could mark the start of a journaling practice, treat yourself to a beautiful book to write in (or perhaps you were gifted with one for Christmas) and start keeping track of your hopes and wishes for the new year. If you can already feel the post Christmas blues beginning to kick in why not dedicate a page in your journal for gratitude and write down all the blessings you've received in the last year - this will have you feeling warm and fuzzy in no time. If you're a visual person like myself, you might like to make some mood boards for inspiration or as a way of manifesting what you'd like from 2018. This is also a fantastic way to recycle old magazines and de-clutter your home! Get cosy, make yourself a cuppa and enjoy some quality time with your thoughts and imagination. Detox your mindWinter is also the perfect time to re-visit or establish a meditation practice. Set yourself up well for the new year by getting a handle on your mind. There are so many great free meditation courses online these days that you can get this going from the comfort of your own home. My favourite is this one from do you yoga.com https://www.doyouyoga.com/course/30-day-meditation-challenge/ Meditation has been linked to many health benefits and is a fantastic way to reduce stress and anxiety levels. Because of the body mind connection, when we create calm within our mind we create well-being within the body. Restorative yogaIf you haven't tried Restorative yoga yet, now is the best time to give this incredibly healing and restful practice a try. Restorative yoga works on supporting your body with blankets, bolsters and cushions in each pose so that you can melt in to the pose and allow your body to make subtle energetic changes. It also works on releasing the fascia of the body so you come away feeling stretched and lengthened. You only do a handful of poses in each session and each pose is held for a longer period of time than in other types of yoga. It has an incredibly soothing effect on the nervous system, is calming for the mind and is another fantastic stress reliever. Here's a lovely winter solstice restorative yoga practice with Kassandra. |
Urban PriestessWelcome to my Urban Priestess blog, here I share my tips and tricks for seasonal and lunar living. Archives
December 2019
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