I'm not a huge fan of New Years Resolutions. Personally, they've overwhelm me. I feel an unnecessary pressure to "perform" to "make a change!!" and I have never been able to find sustainable improvements.

Checking in seasonally, spending time quietly with myself and honestly reflecting on my current life situations, emotions, joys, challenges..this is what works best for me.

This is how I have made lasting adjustments throughout the past few years after a lifetime of struggling with unhealthy habits and addictions.

The hard truth is, we all are capable of making better choices for ourselves, at any time of the year.

We all have the ability to pause and reflect on what we need, at any time of the year.

We all have the ability to acknowledge habits we need to shed and situations that are no longer honoring us, at any time of the year.

While it is supportive to have a starting point, sometimes it may be more supportive to have several start points and check in multiple times during the year.

Rather then forcing it into an end of the year choice without much deep reflection, we can flow naturally by connecting to the seasonal shifts of mother nature.

Seasonally, as I'm sure you know, today is the Winter Solstice.

How do you perceive the winter solstice? From the heart of nature, it is a the rebirth, the time when "the Sun is born again". Using this as a guide into our own development, it's an opportunity to look back on the year and reflect on our experiences, allowing ourselves to process and digest them in order to "be born again."

Here are a few questions you can ask yourself to bring some clarity to your experiences:

1.) What brought me joy recently?

2.) What lessons have I learned - the hard lessons and the gentle reminders.

3.) What was I able to let go of recently? What do I still need to work on letting go of in the coming season?

4.) What new experiences am I looking forward to?

"The celebration and honoring of endings-of what is complete-allows us to integrate and assimilate the nutrients from lessons learned throughout the year" (Janet Stone).

Without acknowledging the past, we might remain stuck in old patterns or versions of ourselves or we might forget about the joys we experienced. Giving ourselves the space to reflect is crucial in order to "end well so we can begin well in the coming season," as my teacher, Allie Van Fossen puts it.

Take some time over the next few weeks to digest. If you are someone who creates a new years resolution, giving yourself this time to properly reflect might help you sustain your resolution. If you're someone who reflects seasonally, this check in will guide you through the next few months until we regroup for the Spring Equinox.

If you have been seeking a place to begin forming a new, holistic healthy habit with this seasonal shift, something to support stress management, a practice to support "letting go", check out my new course, opening January 22, 2024- Harmony Within: 10 Days of Conscious Breathing. This course offers 10 classes, all under 30 minutes, teaching 9 different breathing techniques, all meant to teach you how to utilize your super power; your breath; to shift your energy. Learn the how to's and the why's behind commonly used yogic breathing techniques, learn how they affect the systems within your body and learn how they can support you through daily life. Click here to find out more.

I hope you find time to rest and renew in the coming weeks.

Sending love your way,

Steph