Start Something New

 It’s a new year and I’m not making any guarantees.

In years past I’ve promised regular newsletters and more classes, and those of you who have been with me off and on for nearly 20 years know that probably will not happen.

I do, however, make resolutions. I’m a resolution girl living in an anti-resolution world.

I’ll show you mine in a moment. First I want to make a teeny, tiny suggestion. If you make just one resolution this year, think about this:

Be more aware.

If you think you have pain, then investigate it. If you think you have low energy, then study it. If I know one thing for sure it’s this: problems do not go away by ignoring them. They only fester and grow worse.

Here is my meager resolution list. Also, if this triggers you, feel free to put that on Yelp. Or, you could do something radical like sit with it for a while and see if there’s something deeper that you need to work on. It’s a thought.

 My Totally Inadequate List of Resolutions

• Be more aware. 

• Get more rest.

• End the day with a small yoga session and at least a five-minute sit. Even 15 minutes makes a difference.

• Take care of my hands and nails.

The last one is for my grandmother who had beautiful hands and was slightly horrified about mine. On her deathbed, fighting pneumonia at 98, she looked at my nails and asked if I would please get a manicure. I immediately found the nearest place to fulfill her last wish.

I returned an hour later to her hospital bed with gorgeous hands. She died peacefully in her sleep, less than 24 hours later. If only the rest of life was this easy to find a sense of contentment in the new year.

Michelle Marchildon is the Yogi Muse. She’s the author of four books on yoga and life. You can find her online or in Denver, Colorado, where she teaches movement at One Yoga Denver and The Lion’s Den gym.