Michele Russ invites you to reflect on the year that has passed and envision your best new year ever. 

Reflect, Restore, Reset

Season’s Greetings to all in this quiet, post-holiday week. I hope everyone has enjoyed holiday traditions in your own special and meaningful way. Now we find ourselves in the in-between week—the week leading up to New Year’s Eve that offers a little more time and space for many of us. It can be a magical, quiet time of year when everything actually slows down for a bit, giving us time to reflect, restore and reset. 

For me, this week has typically consisted of cozy times with my little family and connecting with longtime friends that I don’t see often enough. My kids are mostly grown and flown now and this year is obviously different, so I found myself asking—how would I like to spend this time? Let’s think of this time as its own special occasion. Here are some things we can focus on as this year comes to a close and the start of a promising new year draws near.

Reflect: Reflecting seems like a wise practice this week. Looking back on this difficult year, we can ask ourselves: what worked? What have we learned? What would we like to work better? (Do you have your journals out yet?) Where did we place our energy this past year? Is there anything we might have done differently? Also, what successes can we celebrate? List a few things you are proud of from this year. Reflecting can help us learn from our missteps, gain new perspectives and recognize our achievements.

Restore: I’m a big believer in taking good care of body, mind and spirit. For your body, this is a great time to focus on getting a full eight hours of sleep each night and going on a long, bundled up walk each day. For your mind, consider spending a few hours a day technology-free. Read a book, write in your journal or draw. Anything that is mentally stimulating but will leave you feeling recharged. And for the spirit, perhaps a gratitude practice or your favorite yoga class will fill your cup, or some time in quiet meditation or prayer. Try Amy Dixon’s Gentle & Restorative Yoga on Thursday mornings at 10am for a guided restorative practice. What else might make you feel renewed? 

Reset: Once you’ve reflected a bit and spent some time to rest and renew, think about setting some intentions for the year ahead. I’m not talking about New Year resolutions—those don’t often hold up in the long run. I’m suggesting a mindful plan or vision for what you want to create in 2021. Studies suggest that visualization is a powerful tool in shifting your life in a positive direction and reaching well-defined goals. I reached out to one of our Grace yoga teachers and vision board facilitator, Jennifer Brennan, and she had this to say:

“Powerful vision boards, like mindful intentions, are created from a place of embodied alignment. That power comes not from our brains but from our hearts. When we FEEL rather than think into what we want to attract into our lives, we are tapping directly into our intuitive wisdom. “

Jennifer is hosting her popular Vision Board Workshop on Saturday, January 9 (livestream) from 1:30-2:30 pm. This is something you can do on your own as a quiet, creative activity, or register here to take advantage of Jennifer’s expertise in creating a solid visual map to make positive changes in the new year. I plan to take part, and I’d love to have some of you join in!

Here’s to allowing time to reflect, restore and reset this week and prepare for a new year full of growth, learning, and successes to reflect on next year! 

Be well!

MICHELE IS AVAILABLE FOR PRIVATE AND SEMI PRIVATE (2-4 PEOPLE) WELLNESS COACHING AND CONSULTATION