Deepen Your Connection: Cultivating a Fresh Start with What Matters Most
Hello friends, yogis, wholehearted seekers,
As January unfolds, I find myself stepping gently forward, guided by reverence and a lightness of heart. There’s an inner whisper of hmm—what now? Today’s reflection is a longer read, offering insights, a practice, and space for reflection and intention. So take your time—enjoy a warm beverage, re-center, and gift yourself a moment to pause. We are each stepping into our next chapter. As January unfolds.
While societal norms often urge us to set resolutions, I find myself resting instead in gratitude—embracing the agency to let this transition unfold slowly, in tune with winter’s quiet invitation. A tapestry is weaving: a page turns, a breath is deeply felt, and spaciousness opens to welcome intentions that feel clear, authentic, and steadfast. Capricorn energy offers a steady, rooted presence—encouraging us to bring forward our dreams in grounded, meaningful ways.
Brené Brown reminds us, “It takes courage to say yes to rest and play in a culture where exhaustion is seen as a status symbol.” I hope December met you with kindness and that you found moments of rest, play, presence, and generosity in ways that nourished you. As I’ve shared before, we are forever in process. Here always is the opportunity to be with, and move forward. More awake. More attuned.
Reflecting on this past season, I’ve arrived at a few insights to bring us into this next year:
1. You Are Exactly Where You Need to Be
No matter your pace, whether you’re recovering from the intensity of the holidays or stepping forward into something new, recommitting to self-care, or staying steady amidst winter woes, know this: you are not alone, you are not behind. There’s no need to measure your worth by doing more or rushing to meet external expectations. You are already enough, exactly as you are.
An excerpt from Morgan Harper Nichols:
Be kind to yourself – as you reflect on just how much has changed.
Be kind to yourself – as your heart finds a rhythm within the wild of an all-new space…
Be kind to yourself – when you can’t stop thinking about all of the things that went unsaid. And you’re carrying around tangled thoughts, loose threads in your head…
Be kind to yourself – when you’ve become a guest in your own head… critically analyzing every word you said.
Be kind to yourself – in realizing, no matter what they say or think of you, there is poetry hidden in many of the sentences you have already made it through.
Poetry is more than trying to say something in a clever, creative way. It is a mode of communication that can remind us: to give words space.
Be kind to yourself – even in the subtle ways… even in the way you move through each day.
Where in your life you have been thinking, “I’m not doing enough right now,” when you’ve actually been sowing small, yet meaningful seeds right here on the ground.
Be kind to yourself. Be kind to yourself. Be kind to yourself.
You are already enough. Exactly as you are, exactly where you need to be.
2. Tuning into Your Body's Wisdom: Prana from Within
Last week, I invited my class to settle into this inquiry: How would you like to feel this year? What energy would you like to carry forward?
I invite you to take a moment to settle in here, moving away from the overactivity of the thinking mind and noticing your body, your breath. Shoulders softened, heart slightly lifted, muscles behind the eyes more gentle. A slight shift into the felt sense of your body. As your gaze softens, let your jaw release and begin to breathe in and out through your nose if available. Begin with ten steady breaths—full permission to pause your reading—inhale deeply, exhale completely. Feel your feet rooted on the ground, your body held by the earth, and the air moving in and out of your lungs, down to the belly. Your natural rhythm. Watching, as your inhales become a bit smoother, and your exhales surrender out completely.
As you settle into more balance, invite this inquiry into your awareness, maybe even close your eyes as you take it in:
- How would you like to feel this year?
- What energy would you like to embody as life shifts around you?
- What qualities that come from this energy feel important to carry forward?
Let yourself notice. Perhaps there are colors, images, or memories that emerge with this energy? A sensation in your body that follows? Allow the wisdom of your inner knowing to guide you, gently and intuitively. Should you discover a glimmer from one of these prompts—a sensation, image, quality, or word—extend a few breath cycles to what is there, not needing it to be anything its not. Big or subtle, offering curiosity.
If something arose for you, make note or take heart.
A note- it is this work of embodied inquiry that I love to do, especially one-on-one. Should you or someone you know desire support to lean more deeply into self with yoga therapy, physical, mental, emotional- don't hesitate to connect with me. ☺️
3. Embrace a "Yes, And" Mindset
This practice has been transformative for me. “Yes, this is hard. And, it is out of my control.” The “Yes, a part of me is sad, disappointed, and I am allowed to feel this, while knowing my next task is soon to come.” “Yes, And” mindset allows space for frustration, sadness, overwhelm, and the like, while also inviting perspective and compassion.
For years, I relied on false optimism and spiritual bypassing as armor—tools I needed in my younger years to push through adversity. Today, I carry that younger self with me, honoring her courage, while also nurturing the capacity to sit with discomfort and trust the process.
As challenges arise, can you hold a "Yes, And" perspective? Yes, acknowledge the difficulty or truth that comes through. And, remain open to the lessons, the life-force, the light, the prana that is ever-present within it?
- Deepen Your Connection
This morning, during an embodied yoga practice, my intention for the year revealed itself with soft clarity: Deepen your connection. Deeply Connect.
- What would you like to deepen your connection with?
- Is it your relationship with yourself, or parts of yourself? Others? Nature?
- Could it be a connection to your work, where you contribute your precious energy, or an area you are growing or healing?
- Perhaps it’s to deepen the connection with that feeling and energy from the above practice that you wish to carry forward?
The intention to deeply connect can feel like so many things. It can be discipline, assuring, reverent, profound, or light—it’s about being fully present to what matters most. As someone who takes herself often too seriously, deeply connecting to something like a lightness of spirit is crucial. I love that connecting deeply can be both broad and specific, and I invite you to not question too much what arises. Let your instinct inform, let the nagging part that may say, “Hey, it’s time,” to be seen.
For me, this feels like a further extension of last year’s intention: kind focus and possibility. What would you like to connect more deeply with? The magic of the mundane, the joy of discovery, the life around you, the spirit within you?
As we nurture the soil of this season, may we continue cultivating what brings us home to ourselves:
- The way you want to feel.
- The energy you choose to embody.
- The perspective of agency that is "Yes, And."
- And deeply connect to what matters most.
Let’s take the next step, the next breath, together.
Here with you in practice.
In Love & Light,
Maya
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