New Year's Meditation, Survey & Spain!!!
Hello Sweet Friends!
I just wanted to take a moment to wish you a very happy new year full of all things good!
I've got three things for you in this email (feel free to scroll down accordingly:)
My recipe for thoughtfully entering the New Year and an audio meditation to guide your through it.
A quick survey to help me support you.
An invitation to join me in Spain with a one-week early bird deadline extension.
#1 - A 2024 New Year's Recipe
I've always had mixed feelings about how we enter the New Year in our culture. Here are a few thoughts:
~ Transitions like the New Year are a great time to reassess - to take a look at what's working in our lives and what isn't - and to consider what decisions, actions and practices could support more of what works and less of what doesn't.
~ The New Year is a new beginning and all new beginnings come with a sense of possibility and hopefulness. And being in a place of possibility and hope is always a good time to reflect and consider what goals we'd like to set and what shifts we'd like to make in our lives.
~ That said, New Year's resolutions tend to come with a huge lack of self-compassion - an underlying message of - you're doing it wrong and you should be better. They often come with a list of self-improvements that we don't have the time or energy for and they begin with judgement and often end with failure. And instead of being connected to what we most deeply want, they're often connected to shoulds and external expectations.
So in my book, reflecting and creating an intention or two - great idea. Making myself a list of to-dos that I'm unlikely to follow through on - not so great.
Here's my 5-step personal recipe for thoughtfully moving into the New Year (feel free to click below and join me for the audio):
1. Give yourself some dedicated time to settle in and reflect.
*I make a date with myself and show up with a journal, yoga mat, cozy blanket, and hot tea (change ingredients to suit your needs:).
2. Arrive and settle in.
*I take a few minutes to breathe, meditate, stretch - whatever helps me get present.
3. Ask yourself how you would like to feel this year. Notice the thoughts, qualities, images and emotions that arise.
*The quality that came for me this year was ALIVENESS. When I looked it up, the first definition I found was, the property of being animated. I love that!
4. Ask yourself whether there is a practice or action that could help support the quality you want to feel.
*In other words, my wanting to feel more alive - more animated - was not followed by creating a to-do list of self-improvements. Instead, I imagined more time in nature and more dedicated time for creative endeavors. In my meditation, those were the two practices that came to me as I asked myself what would support this enlivening.
5. Imagine yourself in that supportive action or practice.
*When you imagine yourself enacting that practice or action, you consider the when and where of the action and you give yourself a chance to experience what it will feel like and how it will nourish you. This imagined experience makes it more likely that you will follow through.
If you'd like some help, click the link below and I'll guide you through a 7 minute meditation.
#2 - A Survey: Help Me Support You
For me, aliveness is supported by dedicated creative time. And one of the places I feel most creative is when I'm dreaming up new programs, classes, retreats, etc. If you know me, you know that I absolutely love teaching and there are so many things I love to teach! So this year, I'd like to zero in on what YOU need and want to learn. Would you please take this 3 minute survey? It would really help me begin to direct some of that creative energy in a way that is also supportive of your New Year's intentions.
#3 - Southern Spain: Yoga + Nature + Culture
April 8-14, 2024
EARLY BIRD DEADLINE EXTENDED
REGISTER BY JANUARY 15
and get 10% off
Would a journey to Spain support your New Year's intentions? If you love yoga, nature and cultural immersions, you'll love this retreat. I've got a few spots left. If you have questions, I'd be happy to jump on a call and chat. Just reply to this email!
“Rachel curated a perfect combination of stunning surroundings, cultural experiences, and a deepening yoga and meditation practice. The whole retreat was grounding and transformative, full of the magic that makes Rachel’s yoga and meditation practice so unique. I am truly grateful.”
View from our retreat center "living room". Absolutely stunning!!
That's all I've got. I hope you found something of value in this longer than usual message! Thanks so much for taking time from your day to hang with me for a bit.
Sending love and wishes for a peaceful and enlivening 2024.
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