Happy New Year!!

Well....here we are... at the start of a new year.  Most people view this time of the year as a time to reflect on the last year and set new intentions or resolutions for the year ahead.  This is the time we resolve to get fit and lose weight. This is the time to get organized.  This is the time to start living the life we always wanted.  Perhaps while we're reflecting on the last year we may want to reflect on why we are resolving to make the same changes year after year.   What is it that keeps us stuck in our same old patterns and habits? 

This year, instead of making the same old resolutions that fade before Santa has made it back to the North Pole, contemplate these two questions.  What is it that you value? and What is it that brings you joy? 

What do you value?

What brings you joy?

When these questions were asked of me I was taken aback.  I was actually speechless.  No one had ever asked me these questions and honestly, I don't know that I've ever given either of them much serious thought.  (shocking... right?) 

 After much contemplation and reflection I have identified some of my core values to be:

* Honesty

* Integrity

* Strong work ethic

* Self-less service

* Loyalty

* Devotion to family, friends and of course, God

Identifying and articulating your core values provides you with a guide to make sure that your actions and behavior are in line with those core values.  

What brings me joy?  Let's start by defining the word joy.  The webster's dictionary says:

1a : the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires : delight b : the expression or exhibition of such emotion : gaiety


2: a state of happiness or felicity : bliss

3: a source or cause of delight 

Think.... Pure delight. 

Just yesterday I was telling my friend, Jon how much I miss having my head filled with cotton candy in yoga-land.  I've been missing that feeling of pure joy and delight.  My head and heart have been rather heavy lately.  I forget sometimes but now I remember what brings me joy:

* Spending time with my family

* The sound of my children laughing

* Roller Skating with my friend Rose

* The feel of my yoga mat first thing in the morning

* Watching the sun rise and set

* Gazing at the moon

* The total silence after everyone has gone to sleep

* Teaching yoga

* Studying yoga/Ayurveda

* Losing myself in a wonderful book

I could go on and on but I'll end now so that I can experience the joy of crawling under the warm covers of my bed!!  This year resolve to remember what you value most in life and even more importantly remember what brings you joy. 

I have a feeling that if we experienced more pure joy in our lives we probably wouldn't need to resolve to lose weight every January. After all, it's the feeling of unhappiness and discontent that causes us to indulge in addictive behaviors like over-eating which leads to the perpetual New Year's resolutions. 

Om Shanti Om!  Om Shanti Om! Om Shanti Om! Om Shanti Om! Om Shanti Om! Om Shanti Om!