Harness the profound potential of yogic wisdom to
ensure the resolutions you made this year last the
distance. Love your yearnings and fulfil your best
intentions with authentic declarations and peaceful
contemplations grounded in commitment, integrity,
and compassion.By ELIZABETH MARGLIN
WITHEaster almost upon us and memories
of Christmas fading into the past, many of
us will already be noticing how swiftly the
year is galloping onwards. The reality of our
busy, over-stretched lives can overtake our
daily aspirations to achieve more and live
with more vitality and spirit.
After the fun, the fruit cake and the
fireworks of the festive season, we made
promises we intended to keep about what we
would do differently this year, but what ever
became of those New Year’s resolutions?
The personal pledges intended to help
us achieve in 2016 the sort of life we were
aspiring to in 2015 may now be—just like
last year’s resolutions—unresolved. We
vowed, wholeheartedly, that this year
we would reach our goals and keep our
promises, however studies have revealed
that by February many of us have abandoned
our New Year’s oaths.
While this may be true, there is a new
line of thought gaining momentum among
resolution-makers. Many people are
deciding that because January is a blur of
busyness while we recover from the holiday
season and establish our routines, February 35april 2016yogajournal.com.auand March are ideal months to commit to a
plan of action for the year ahead. Since the
goal is to change your life for the better, it is
crucial to kick-start your strategy at a time
when you are also most likely to stick with
it. Then you will be ready to face the thrill
of making the changes you want and the
challenge of not quitting.
In early 2010, creativity coach and artist
Cynthia Morris made a resolution: Meditate
for 10 minutes a day. Although she expected
to face obstacles, such as feeling restless
while on the cushion or simply forgetting
to sit, she figured the rewards of a regular
meditation practice would sustain her
through thick and thin. “It felt so good to
honour myself in this way,” says Morris.
“For me, that was the root and reward of
meditation: I had committed to something
and was building self-trust each time I sat.”
She lasted 30 days. “Or not even,” says
Morris. “I just couldn’t keep up.”
Morris is in good company. Research
shows that of nearly half the population
of Australians who make New Year’s
resolutions, only about eight per cent keep
their promises for more than a few months.THE
OF PURPOSE