A Different Approach to New Year's Resolutions

Dear reader,

A few days ago, we all stood together counting down. 10, 9, 8... until that magical moment at midnight. A new year, new opportunities, new resolutions. All around us, we can feel the energy of change and ambition. Gyms are filling up, calendars are being packed with new projects, and social media is overflowing with inspiring quotes about personal growth and transformation.

Yet while we eagerly look ahead, nature tells us a different story. We find ourselves in the midst of winter - a season of rest. Looking outside, we see how trees have shed their leaves and animals have retreated. Nature embraces this period of silence, knowing this is the time to recover and build new strength.

Through my experience with yoga, I've learned how valuable it is to listen to these natural rhythms. Both the Ayurvedic tradition and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) teach us that each season brings its own energy and wisdom. Winter invites us to turn inward, to listen to the whispers of our body and soul.

Think of it as an energetic savings account. Every time you take a moment to truly rest - whether it's a short meditation, a walk in nature, or simply closing your eyes and being mindful of your breath - you're setting aside energy. You're building a reserve that you can draw from later in the year when life blooms again in full force.

I know many people struggle with this winter energy, myself included. We feel guilty spending an evening on the couch instead of at the gym. Or we become frustrated because we don't have the same energy as we do in summer. But what if we approached this period differently?

Instead of pushing ourselves with strict goals and hard deadlines, I want to invite you to try a different approach. Take a moment to reflect on this question: How would you like to feel this year? Not what you want to achieve or what you want to change, but what feeling do you want to welcome into your life?

Place your hands gently over your heart and sit with this intention. Perhaps you long for more peace in your life, or maybe more joy. You might be seeking a deeper sense of connection or balance. There is no right or wrong answer - it's about what resonates in your heart.

This intention is like a seed you're planting now. In the dark soil of winter, it can quietly germinate, protected from the cold. It doesn't need to bloom immediately. In fact, forcing it often backfires. A seed needs time, nourishment, and the right conditions to grow.

In yoga philosophy, we speak of 'sankalpa' - a heart's desire or intention that emerges from your deepest truth. Unlike a New Year's resolution, which is often based on what we think we 'should' do, a sankalpa comes from who we essentially already are. It's not a battle against ourselves, but a gentle invitation to awaken to our true nature.

As winter continues, I invite you to grant yourself this rest. To trust that beneath the surface, just as in nature, important processes are taking place. Processes of recovery, renewal, and quiet growth. Because it's precisely in this period of apparent stillness that we lay the foundation for what may later bloom.

If you'd like to consciously use this winter period to recover and recharge, you're warmly welcome in the studio. In my yoga classes, I create a space where you can slow down and turn inward. The classes are gentle and supportive, attuned to what this time of year asks of us.

Additionally, I also offer individual balance sessions. During these sessions, we look together at what your system needs right now, and I work with various energetic techniques to support your natural healing processes. These sessions can be valuable if you find it difficult to find peace, or if you need extra support in processing the past year and welcoming the new one.

Let's begin this year with gentleness towards ourselves. With the trust that growth is a natural process that knows its own pace. And with the wisdom to rest when nature invites us to do so.

Warm regards,

Manoek - Studio Tree Of Life