Om Yoga Magazine — January 2018

A

new year is a new beginning...and new beginnings

make us want to be better, to be happier, to do more

and to live more. And so it is every year: we all know

the story of the promises we make ourselves, which

somehow never last. As soon as the energy of the

beginning fades, so does our enthusiasm and attention towards

those resolutions.

It’s the same for all new beginnings: a new year, new job, new

home, new relationship. Life seems so much more alive, suddenly

everything seems possible and you can see a much better and

happier version of yourself. Time passes and neither the year, the

job, the home nor the relationship, are new anymore. And so your

enthusiasm and excitement is dampened.

What is so special about this energy of the beginning? It is a

moment when our routine is broken and we become aware of

ourselves and our life as it is. When we are stuck in routine, we

are stuck in patterns that do not allow us to see opportunities or

find the enthusiasm or energy to follow our dreams. In reality, life

continuously presents us with possibilities to grow, to learn and to be

A recipe for New Year resolutions that last

energy

of the beginning

The

happy, but often we become blind to them, stuck in limiting mental

patterns and preconceived ideas about ourselves and the world we

live in. We are so much bigger than we believe, and the moment of

a new beginning reminds us of that and inspires us to discover it.

A Tantric saying goes: A Tantric always stay in the beginning. That

does not mean we constantly start new things to have eyes full

of optimism and possibility. It means the energy of the beginning

has certain characteristics and conditions that we can cultivate to

stay with that perspective and way of relating to life. Analogically

speaking, it is like living life as though we are newly in love. When we

start something new, whether it is a relationship or project, we give

it plenty of attention. We do not yet know what to expect, so we pay

attention full of wonder and curiosity – how will this unfold? It makes

life mysterious and enchanting and gives us the feeling that anything

is possible. In reality, life did not change much – what changed is the

way we look at it. You could say that being always in the beginning is

a certain way to look at your life.

A key point here is that we can’t actually stay in the energy of the

beginning – which is why our new year resolutions rarely last. But

Yoga Detox