The Surya Namaskar:
“New Year’s Resolutions”
By: Ali Haci
Happy New Year! To begin, I invite you to give yourself a pat on the back for getting another year under your belt. Or, perhaps, give yourself a big hug and take a deep breath, find comfort in your space and truly take a moment to appreciate everything you have experienced through 2024; all the laughs, all the love, all the grief and tears. Take it all in and be proud.
New Year’s is an interesting holiday, as it is prescribed to the common Gregorian calendar’s ending and beginning. Many other cultures celebrate New Year’s based off of the cycles of the moon or alternative calendars. So it is more of a random marker of a trip around the sun rather than a date of true significance. But the beauty of New Year’s is the significance we give it as a culture. This is a time to look to the future, make plans for ourselves and set goals; a time for new resolutions. It is easy to resonate with the holiday, humans are built to change. We’re built to adapt, learn and grow. This holiday gives us a point of reference to, hopefully, take pride in our growth and embrace the changes that have occurred within our lives.
Resolutions are the common manifestation of goals we set for the new year, but the system is flawed. Setting a goal too ambitious leaves your resolution lost in the wind by Valentine’s and too small of a resolution is too easily achieved. So, if you are setting a sankalpa (intention) for the year, I invite you to dissect it a little further. Why is this your resolution? What contentment will it bring you that you don’t already have? I encourage you to grow and explore, but set an intention that will nourish your life rather than your ego. When someone says their resolution is to “Do a split!”, their resolution isn’t to do a perfect split. It is to be more dedicated to their yoga practice, give more attention to their physical body, to be more consistent within their stretching routines, to learn more about their anatomy and apply it to their goal. This same logic can be applied to any resolution- it isn’t the goal that we are reaching, it is the journey that we are committing ourselves to.
A different perspective of New Year’s leads us to dissect the past. How did we size up this year in comparison to others? Was it a “good” year or “bad” year? If there was a period of struggle, times of grief or loss, what is it that you learned from the situation? Every experience can introduce a lesson. Of course, some lessons take longer to learn than others and maybe you are in the midst of one right now. But when you look back at the year, don’t just see the failures, disappointments or the resolutions left behind, but take an inventory of all the happy moments. Maybe we didn’t hit all of the material goals, financial or physical but think of all the laughs you shared, all the times you felt at peace with where you were and all the time spent doing what felt right. Not everything that matters can be measured, but that doesn’t mean they lack importance. Looking back at and recognizing these lessons and little wins brings a balance to the year. It motivates us to go into the new year with more mindfulness of the little things. Not how many yoga classes I made it to, but rather the time I made to go to as many as I did. Not that I didn’t drink enough water, but that I reminded myself to drink as much as I could. This mindset gives a more sustainable approach to goal setting because it doesn’t require you to be perfect. And I’ll let you in on a little secret; you’re not perfect. I’m not perfect. Nobody is perfect. But there is so much beauty in imperfection, it is just a matter of finding that beauty and appreciating it for what it is.
Remember, each new day is a chance to begin again with intention, consistency and care. I wish you a year of growth, optimism and joy.
