A new year; new daily habits, new word, new pose

Happy New Year. Welcome to 2024, 366 days to make a difference. I hope your year is filled with love, peace, opportunities, and joys unimaginable today. As we head into this uncharted territory, what map are you bringing? Or are you just winging it?

Are you a resolution setter? I used to set New Year’s Resolutions every year but never kept them. They were lists of things that I promised myself I would do. They were usually so lofty or not set upon a realistic foundation that I was bound to fail within a few weeks; and because I love a do-over, I was always starting over without really accomplishing anything.

Now I have in mind some new habits that I want to start to do and incorporate them into what is already working for me. The method of “habit stacking” is one way to add something new to something that you already do on a regular basis, making it much more likely to succeed. You have a habit that you do, add your new thing to it, and it will become a habit too. For example, if you want to start making a smoothie for your breakfast and you always have coffee every morning, put your smoothie bottle or blender next to your coffee maker. If you want to start exercising in the morning, put your workout clothes in the bathroom where you go first thing in the morning. And so on. You get the idea.

Another thing I have done the last two years and am doing again today is picking a word for the year.

It is amazing how your word will be in your mind and how often you will notice it throughout the year. Last year my word was Vulnerable. I was aware of so many opportunities to be vulnerable, to purposefully make myself vulnerable. I was aware of vulnerability in my work, my art, my relationships, etc. Whether it is nudges from the Holy Spirit, manifesting, putting things out into the Universe, whatever it is, when you choose a word it will be there for you.

I had a hard time picking a word this go around. So many words seemed fitting for an anthem: Menopause, Heat, Love, Invest, Strength, Salty, Laughter, Fun, etc. After much thought, this year my word is DELIGHT. I want to delight and be delighted. It’s a yummy word. It makes me smile.

A new thing I am doing this year is picking a yoga pose to do every day.

My pose is Yogic Squat. There are hundreds of poses I could have picked. As a yoga instructor I can think of many that would lend themselves to calmness, to strength, to balance and so on. This pose I will do daily at least once. It is a pose that will work all the things: balance, strength, calm, and posture. It is also a great hip opener. Women hold so many emotions in their hips. This pose stretches and makes me go inward at the same time.

I have goals for the year: run two marathons, finish my second novel, write a bereavement children’s book, learn to watercolor, be a better friend, travel, hug family that I haven’t seen in a while. Love big. Hurt less…. And I believe they will all happen as I stack my habits, notice my word, and sink into my pose.

What are your big and small plan for 2024? If you could pick a pose to do daily, what would it be? What word is speaking to you? Do you have resolutions made? Whatever your year is starting out as, may you have a blessed one and may we all thrive in 2024.