The Shakti Shine— Jan.13,2023

Hi Friends,
Happy 2023!
I hope your year is starting out well! The new year felt like a refresh for me. I felt inspired, creative, and hopeful for the new possibilities to come–This second week though 😅

My word/intention for 2023 is Receive and it's true for both the new year and an asana practice–once an intention is set the yoga begins. The practice becomes showing up in ways aligned with your intention.

One of my greatest takeaways from yoga is that it’s all a practice and a process.

If the year was a yoga class we would just now be in our first down dog, peddling our feet, and wagging our tails.

I reminded myself of this today on a walk at the botanical gardens.

I knew I wanted to get the newsletter out today but kept meeting resistance. So I did what I knew to do–I got in my body.

Yes, we are physically in our bodies all day, and we spend the majority of our awareness in our minds. For me, an air sign, I LOVE being in my mind, but it can really distract me from noticing how my body feels.

After going on a walk, eating lunch, meditating, and using my acupuncture mat I finally sat down and started typing. The resistance had softened. After taking a moment to reset I felt ready to show up.

I regularly notice yoga is a practice of presence over perfection, and so are many challenges in day-to-day life. Our routines and relationships need our presence not our perfectionism.

There is plenty of flow left in the year. This is just the beginning and you have time.
Take the time to settle in, to move, to breathe, to get grounded and get a feeling of your body.
Our intentions will integrate through the practices and processes of life and
we don’t have to rush to get there.
It’s a journey we get to take together.

Wishing you the best year yet!
Sweat with you soon!
-Lucy