niggling new years thoughts
It’s that time of the New Year, isn’t it?
We are all feeling a sense of just how sustainable those niggling New Year’s thoughts, ideas and hopes really are in the face of everyday life.
I’m feeling it. Even though every year I say I am not setting any resolutions, I still can’t help but put a few little things in motion to align with a fresh new calendar (even though my calendars now are always digital).
But why do we do this? Set goals, new habits, and routines?
We don’t set intentions because we want to struggle to get up at 5 am, eat the same meal 7 days a week, or be horribly uncomfortable as we practice setting a new boundary.
We set intentions because we know that they cumulate over time to create a big, wonderful thing. Something wonderful that we hope for ourselves, our loved ones, our community or our world.
Yet as wonderful as that big picture is, here I am, a month into 2026, struggling to sustain the habits that will add up to wonderful, again.
Reflecting on this, I thought about my first Yoga Teacher Training, where one of the teachers, Katie Rose, introduced me to Ayurveda.
Ayurveda encourages us to work in harmony with where we are in this present moment and make small adjustments to bring ourselves into alignment. And Katie's recommendation was to start small.
We often try to go all in with a new routine, but it doesn’t meld with our current lifestyle and rhythms. And the more we try to force it, the less time we have for it till it gets put to the side or left behind and before we know it, it is just another lost resolution.
What matters is we are meeting ourselves where we are, without judgment and acknowledging the work we ARE DOING, not the things we aren’t doing.
Can’t meditate for 30 minutes- take one breath.
Can’t get to the gym- do a few squats.
Too tired for that Reformer class- join a yin class (your body and mind will thank you!).
You are still turning up for yourself, and those small, consistent, tiny efforts all add up.
Change happens in a space of consistency, not quantity.
So, to start, why not just take one deep breath?
