Words to embody and share rather than words to tick off a to do list.
Happy 2023! This photo was taken at Bantham Beach on 2nd January when the sun was shining and the country was still very much in holiday mode. On days like these anything feels possible. The mind brims with good intentions and optimistic resolutions for the year to come. Today the skies are grey and the festive selection shelf at the co-op is looking depleted and lacklustre, its contents sporting "reduced to clear" stickers. The supposedly bright and promising New Year begins as we only just emerge from the Winter Solstice, the mornings and evenings still cool and dark. Whilst I love making lists filled with dreams and plans for the months ahead, I know in my heart this is not the time to set ambitious goals. Not the time to strive towards lofty resolutions that will most likely fall by the wayside and leave my criticising myself for not being more disciplined or productive. This is a time to re-connect with ourselves and reflect on what truly matters. What do we want to invite into the foreground of our lives and what can fade into the past. What do we want to feel more of rather than what do we want to have or do more of. I've distilled it down to a four words which are ~
Joy
Connection
Appreciation
Peacefulness
Words to embody and share rather than words to tick off a to do list. For me, it feels important for these words to flow in multiple directions. Not just inward but outward into encounters and interactions with people, places, and the world we are part of. Knowing that what we send out has a ripple effect, spreading further than the eye can see and eventually returning back to us. We can call it Karma, cause and effect, interconnection, co-regulation, "what goes around comes around", but I think we've all experienced how contagious happiness or misery can be. My hope is that these words for 2023 will help guide my way and support my connections but I'll also be reminding myself to go gently. To know that whenever I act out of stress, resentment, apathy, or fear, I can always begin again with the knowledge that these are normal human pitfalls and little bit of kindness towards ourselves and others can go a long way. As Pema Chödrön says, "start where you are". And if that means starting the year with a few simple words to guide you from the comfort of your bed or sofa rather than embarking on an exciting or challenging new endeavour or adventure, that's a perfectly good place to start.
Have you picked any words that resonate with you this year?
Dartmoor Class Schedule 2023
My teaching schedule began again this week for another 6 week block (running to Wed 8th and Thu 9th Feb). After this next block of classes I will run one more block of six classes before finishing at the end of March to take maternity leave. I hope to return to teaching again in September 2023.
WEDNESDAY
Yoga ~ Moretonhampstead
7pm - 8.15pm
£60 for six week course, £15 drop in
THURSDAY
Yoga for Mothers ~ Moretonhampstead
10.30am - 11.30am
£50 for six week course
(Mothers from 6 weeks postpartum with pre-mobile babies are welcome to bring them along. Mothers of crawling/walking babies and toddlers are welcome to come independently)
Pregnancy Yoga ~ Ashburton
6pm - 7pm
£60 for six week course
Yoga ~ Quaker Meeting House, Ashburton (FULL)
7.30pm - 8.45pm £60 for six week course