A New Year

Tomorrow marks the beginning of 2008. Are you a resolution maker? Do you think tomorrow will feel different than today? Maybe, maybe not. It won't feel different unless you decide it will.

Many people make resolutions at the beginning of the year. The size of a January yoga class is a testament to that. But as days go by and our resolution begins to seem hard, often the fortitude of January 1st dissipates and we decide to try again next year.

I wanted to quit smoking for the beginning of 2001. As January 1st passed and I had a cigarette, I knew that my resolution wasn't going to happen that day. Then Valentine's day came and went with no smoke-free present for my family. Finally, February 21st passed as the first day without a cigarette in years. Each day got harder and harder. My family and I both suffered as I learned to adjust to life without cigarettes. My body and mind BOTH had to withdraw. I had to withdraw emotionally from cigarettes and actually learn how to be with my family and not take off for a solitary smoke. This year will be 7 years smoke free for me.

I'm telling the story because, even though I was unable to quit on January 1st, I DID quit, on a very non-descript day, in the middle of the winter, in the middle of a month of no particular significance. No party horns were blowing or streamers flying. I marked that day on my calendar so I wouldn't forget and I mostly remember only when that day rolls around each February. But that day changed many things for me and I thank God I don't smoke every time I travel on an airplane.

I don't really make resolutions because I'm pretty happy with my life. Like everyday, I resolve to continue to practice yoga, stay active and love my family. I resolve to keep learning so I can be a better teacher and make you all the smartest yoga students in the midwest. I resolve to not take myself too seriously but to maintain the proper respect for all the teachings of yoga and the needs of my students. I resolve to be a better yoga student myself and not allow my teacher to talk me into poses that cause me injury because neither of us want that to happen.

So make a resolution. Let it be something you want enough to work hard for. And know that the work may not be what you expect or even what you want. Resolve something passionate enough to stick to, even after weeks or months of failing, over and over again. If you want it enough, you'll get it.