As we move into a brand new year, many of us are filled with trepidation and excitement for the opportunity to move on from what was for some, a tricky year.
Maybe you’ve been planning your resolutions. I love the idea of a Sankalpa, a heart-felt intention to move towards your dharma. I often use a Sankalpa during a yoga nidra practice.
But commonly resolutions are results-oriented goals based on some kind of achievement or attainment. Part of the human condition is satisfaction based on achievement. Perhaps when you’re setting goals to achieve you’ll consider whether those goals are supporting you in your journey or serving to punish you.
Although it’s wonderful to transform into the brightest versions of ourselves, a kinder goal would be to listen more carefully to your self-talk, and make sure that you talk as kindly to yourself as you’d talk to others. If you aren’t feeling confident about the way you look, and you’re tempted to create a goal based on outward appearance, do remember that there are multi-million pound industries and some of the best and the brightest brains in advertising, with the very aim of making you feel bad about the way you look now, so that you will spend lots of money on their products to make you feel better! After all, if you spoke kindly to yourself and had the realisation that you are perfect the way you are, then they would never be able to sell you all the clothing and beauty products aimed to make you feel better!
Remember that yoga is about profound self-acceptance, and acceptance of others. If you’re wondering how to go about this, our Embrace Your Essence Yoga Challenge is a great way to start.
We also have two brand new courses to inspire your yoga. If you are an intermediate or advanced practitioner, why not join our 30 Days Build Your Flow Yoga Challenge?
And for those who are fit and healthy but new to yoga, the perfect place to start is here: Just Add Yoga!
One of my missions of MFML has always been to make yoga accessible for every body. I’m aware from previously working in a smart yoga studio in London that yoga attracts many young, skinny white women. I’d love for yoga to be more inclusive of every human, whatever they look like, and that’s one nice thing about yoga online, people don’t have to face the judgements of others.
But I do hope that this is the year you embrace your beautiful body, in whatever form that takes. Our bodies are the wonderful gift we have and are our expression of ourselves. Yoga has such a preponderance of white faces representing it, I’m absolutely delighted that our very own picture taken by my friend the photographer, Karen Yeomans, of our beautiful Jonelle Lewis was chosen for the Christmas Om Magazine. I love to see a variety of faces representing yoga in the media. We talked to Jonelle about her thoughts what beauty means to her. Do check out her wonderful blog post.
Wishing you the happiest of new years, and an abundance of health, happiness and love in 2019.
With love
Kat and Team MFML
xxx
31 December 2018
Leave a Reply