In my classes this month we’ve been focusing on the theme of New Year. Each session has explored different yogic practices that can help support us with our New Year resolutions, goals or intentions. Often the New Year vibe can be a bit pressured, or encourage us to see ourselves as not good enough and to strive for a ‘perfect’ that doesn’t exist. Whether you like to set resolutions or you prefer an alternative approach, yoga provides us with some wonderful tools to help us stay loving, mindful and supportive as we work on our goal and self-development.
In this post I’m sharing three yogic practices from the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali that can help us with our New Year’s Resolutions, goals or intentions.
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1.Ahimsa
I’ve written on Ahimsa before, and here I return to it again because it’s important. It’s the first listed Yama (moral values or abstinences) listed in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. This text lays out an eight-limbed path of yoga guiding us towards Samadhi (bliss). The Yamas are the first limb, Ahimsa is the first of those. Ahimsa means non-violence, non-harming and I like to think of it as acting from a place of love and compassion towards ourselves and others.
So, when we apply Ahimsa to our New Year’s resolutions, or any goal we set ourselves, we’re checking whether that is coming from a place of love. An example of this might be is if I had a goal (like many do in January) to get fitter. Ahimsa helps me check my intention and self-talk behind that goal. Am I telling myself I’m fat, disgusting and bad for not being fitter? Or, am I coming from the intention that I want to love, honour and respect my body more. From this second headspace my workout at the gym is transformed from self-punishment into a way to love and support my body.
2. Svadhyaya
The practice of Svadhyaya comes from the second limb of Patanjali’s path, the Niyamas. These are practices that focus inwards, towards ourselves, Svadhyaya is the fourth of these and it means self-study. We can’t create positive change unless we first know ourselves. The practice of Svadhyaya can come in observing how negative beliefs we hold get in our own way, or in reflecting on what it is we truly want in our hearts away from all of the ‘shoulds’ society puts on us. When we have a strong Svadhyaya practice the setting of resolutions, goals or intentions becomes a very supportive practice that helps us to grow into (or perhaps back towards) our true selves.
A great way to practice Svadhyaya can be to start a journaling practice, writing 3 pages without censoring yourself every morning or evening and paying attention to what comes up. Meditation is also a wonderful way to start truly listening to ourselves. In meditation we take on the role of the observer, and from this place we can notice and perhaps start to disconnect from negative thought patterns and beliefs. When we begin to quiet the chattering mind we start to hear our hearts.
3. Tapas
Unfortunately I’m not referring to the Spanish food here (if only that could help us with out goals!). Tapas is the yogic concept of discipline, and it is also from the Niyamas. The word tapas can also be translated as ‘to burn’. It relates to the passion, determination and discipline it takes to live a life of intention and work towards our own goals, dreams and intentions. Tapas can easily be confused with a ‘no pain no gain’ mentality, and it isn’t that at all. It’s about bringing the right passion and discipline to the task at hand, and to our lives. Sometimes the discipline we actually need in order to support ourselves is the discipline it takes to rest with no distractions. Tapas helps us show up again and again to our meditation, our journaling, our run, walk, yoga, our restorative practice, to our writing our novel bit by bit day by day. It helps us to remember that the road isn’t always smooth, and discipline will be required.
So there we are, three yogic practices that can help support us with our New Year’s resolutions, goals or intentions. Of course, these will help at any time of year and not just in January! I hope you find them helpful.