Being kind to yourself. Maybe not the type of thing you usually read at this time of year, which seems to be more about facing your faults and making New Year resolutions to change. However I would like to suggest that these changes should come from a place of kindness and not one of judgment.
I feel that this year I need to find a way to make more time for me to just be. This is on top of finding more time for my personal yoga practice, to attend yoga classes and workshops, to walk my little dog, to spend quality time with my partner and my family (especially as my little sister gives birth this year and I would like to take this opportunity to spend time with her and her family) and to read more. However the most important thing I want to do this year is to not judge myself when and if I don’t manage all of these things. Especially as I also want to explore different avenues in my business, to travel, to find more time and make more effort to cook and as always, to learn! 
It is easy in the holistic world to feel that we should be able to do this…because we know, academically and from experience, all the benefits these things will bring to our lives it should be easy to do them. However tapas…discipline…is often needed as much for relaxation and time for ourselves as well as for more active pursuits. However for many of us it is just as tempting to keep ourselves busy with distractions as for someone who doesn’t know better! Maybe we don’t sit in front of the television for hours, but are Facebook or Elephant journal really any better for us? Is reading an article about relationships or yoga better than actually participating in the practice? I think not?
One of the wisest things my first yoga teacher told me is that we learn on our mat. That yoga cannot be learnt from books but from experience. Admittedly a good basis of knowledge is essential as grounding to being a teacher, but we also need experience. Of the struggle as well as the ease, or the need for tapas as well as the need for indulgence.
1. Attend more yoga classes. Not just because I am a yoga teacher but because you will feel better for doing so. Personal practice matters and is often where we grow the most, but classes add something different to your practice. Maybe the teacher will take you through a different version of a posture or breathing technique. Maybe just the group energy will invigorate or calm you, taking you out of your mind and into your body. Often it is the days where my personal practice is the hardest and life is challenging me that I enjoy the inner peace I can find in a yoga class.
2. Schedule time with friends. Maybe a regular lunch date or after class chai tea? Maybe making your regular yoga class a more social occasion by arriving early to see friends. Even taking it a step further and attending a yoga retreat where friendships are truly deepened as well as made!
3. Don’t be hard on yourself when you’re not perfect! We are human not robots, we are all following our path, parts of which are going to be easier than others. Allow yourself the freedom to balance discipline with kindness.
So this New Year I plan to be kind to myself, accepting my mistakes while working toward my plans. Knowing that in being human we are not perfect, but that our imperfections and our struggles are often the lessons we learn on our journey more than any success could teach us. For success is momentary, a mere step on our journey whereas the lessons and how we face the obstacles are what shape us into the person we want to become.
