I hope you are doing well! As promised, this month kicks off a new feature on the blog called Living Wellness. Each month I will present a different theme to support you on your wellness journey. There will be weekly posts to encourage deeper reflection and exploration of the theme. The theme for January is Look Within.
January, the start of a new year, is the perfect time for reflection and reconnecting within. This week's post will focus on activities to help you look within. Carve out an hour or more for yourself, light your favorite candle, grab your journal and a cup of tea, and dive into some self-reflection!
Get in touch with your breath
I truly believe that the breath is one of the most direct routes to looking within. Close your eyes and begin to simply notice your breath without trying to change anything. Notice where you feel your breath as you inhale and exhale, observe how quickly or slowly you are breathing, and how deep or shallow your breaths are in this moment. Also, compassionately observe your mind and body. Notice what you are thinking and how you are feeling in this moment. Then begin to gently deepen the breath, inhaling and bringing breath deep down into the belly and exhaling emptying the lungs completely. After a few moments of deep breathing, open your eyes and notice the profound impact of this simple practice.
Review 2010 & Plan 2011
Reflect on the year that has just ended. What were your favorite moments? What did you learn? How did you learn it? What were your accomplishments? For a more extensive review, work with the prompts from Reverb 10. To help jog my memory of the year, I usually do this exercise with my planner nearby and review month by month.
Next, dream up what you'd like your life to look like in 2011. One way to do this is to list your goals/dreams for the year. When creating goals/dreams, I try to include at least one item from each of the areas of my life: physical health, relationships, life's work, service, spirituality, creativity, style, self-care, environment, and finances. You can read my 2010 year in review and 2011 goals here.
Another option for planning for 2011 is to create a Vision Board with images and words of your dreams and goals. Here is an example of one of my Vision Boards. Christine Kane offers a great e-book on Vision Boards. Visit her website and register (top right corner) to get a free copy.
Today I also came across this idea for planning for the new year. Go with whatever sounds most delightful to you! Have another creative way for planning for 2011? Share it with us in the comments section!
breath is SO important, and often overlooked or at least taken for granted. good luck with all of your creative dreams for 2011! you are such an inspiration! hugs!!
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