Restart Your New Year in February?
Before any bashing of last month, I will say that January 2025 contained one of the most joyous occasions of my life: the birth of my beautiful, perfect, long-awaited nephew, whose tiny breath on my collarbone brings me to tears. Not one but two of my mother's plants flowered on the day her new grandson was born.
I am simultaneously awed by the miracle of his existence and frightened by the world he has entered, the world in which my sons are growing up. On that same day as my nephew's birth, I learned that my mom's dear friend Miranda -- her Reiki teacher and then mine -- lost her home and work studio in the Los Angeles wildfires. Her daughter and son-in-law lost their house as well. Between climate change and the political landscape, we are all treading on an unsteady foundation.
In my house, more than half of January was consumed by winter illnesses. Twelve days of Influenza A felt in retrospect almost pleasant compared with the norovirus that followed. (This after the kids had walking pneumonia in November and RSV in December.) I missed attending my nephew's birth because of the flu, and I've been severely hampered in my ability to support my sister with her new baby and my father in chemotherapy.
Wait. What was that about new year's resolutions?
Last month I made the case that small, doable goals are far superior to big, lofty intentions that are quickly abandoned. To that I'd now like to add: Every season does not have to be one of progress. Maintaining and regressing are a part of any journey. I'm currently struggling with a frozen shoulder that has made handstands and wheel pose and climbing with my son, among numerous other movements, impossible at the moment. For decades I've practiced full push-ups and chaturanga; now I am grateful to do push-ups modified with my hands on an elevated surface. Honestly, after so much illness, I'm grateful to be moving at all. I made a modest bit of progress toward my 2025 writing goals in January -- what I hoped for, no, but certainly better than nothing, especially in light of everything going on.
If my quarter-century of yoga has taught me anything, it is this: Do what you can do, and let go of the rest. Easier said than done, clearly, but important to remember in circumstances beyond our control.
Today I am sharing a recording of my mom teaching a potent breath combination: She begins with ujjayi, which is one of those breathing techniques that is commonly cued in yoga classes with the assumption that everyone knows what it is and how to do it. (Um, no.) Ujjayi involves making a little sound in the back of your throat, like fogging up a mirror. Loud enough for you to hear but no one else. I like it as an audible reminder of the internal capacity to recalibrate. Cycles begin and end with every day, with every breath, so why not restart the year in February? The recording also instructs alternate nostril breathing and then the two breath techniques together. If the combination is too complicated, my mom says, you can do either of the components individually. It doesn't need to be big and fancy. The 16-minute practice ends with meditation on the mantra so hum, meaning "I am that," or " the individual is the universal." (Access it here with a free subscription to my email newsletter. Subscribing grants you access to a Google Drive folder filled with practices. It’s called MEDITATION Breath Combination & So Hum.)
If we resolve to do nothing else right now, may it be to show some compassion to ourselves and those around us. One step at a time. One breath at a time. One foot in front of the other.
Love,
Sara
Did you know?
If you have a stuffy nose, or are in a public place, you can do alternate nostril breathing mentally rather than using your fingers to block off the nostrils. Here's a little tutorial I made.
Also:
- A simple hip release and leg lengthener, good to do after prolonged sitting.
- Instructions for a body scan you can do anywhere to check in with yourself physically and mentally.