I Threw Out One of My New Year’s Resolutions before Midnight!

Have you set your intention or resolution yet?

Does it feel like a burden or are you excited about it?  Are you already resisting this change?  If you are, then stop, breathe, and start all over.

Start with the premise that you are perfect — deep down inside you under all the layers of your expectations, your family’s expectations, society’s expectations, even generational expectations, you are perfect.  It is not that you need to change but you want to manifest something that is deep inside your heart. With the right conditions, choices, and effort, manifesting this desire could bring yourself more in alignment with these soul stirrings or unmet needs.

Let me give you an example from my own life that might help you understand why I threw out a resolution at midnight this year. For the past few months, I kept feeling like I was not supporting my health in all the ways I know I need to feel my best.  Yes, even with all the preaching I do about health, I started snacking more on my favorite popcorn and grain-free chips.  I kept thinking to myself if I do a detox, which I am trained to do, I will clear up my system and maybe stop craving these salty, but generally ok snacks.  But each week went by and I still had an excuse for why I was not starting my detox.

Is It Your Body or Your Mind That is Preventing Your Healing?

When I looked deeply into the detox resistance, I realized where it was coming from: in the not-so-distant past, I had become fanatical about what I ate to the point that I was developing Food Phobias.  The fear of eating certain foods was causing my nervous system to get into a “fight or flight” state and this state was preventing me from feeling well.  So rather than add more stress to me about what I could not eat in a detox, I have, instead, been working diligently (haha) on relaxing a bit more about not being perfect with my eating habits.  Do not get me wrong, I am an incredibly clean eater, with my diet including mostly organic vegetables and fruits, alternatives to gluten, no dairy, no processed oils, and no sugar, with some free-range chicken, eggs, and wild-caught fish.

In addition, I have been using my skills to understand why I have been craving salt and eating a bit more.  Physiologically a craving for salt usually has something to do with adrenals.  This is the way I have been attempting to correct my fatigue. Since I do not drink any caffeine because it gives me the shakes, I eat salt. But what I really need is to slow down and get more rest.

Yoga Nidra Is A Great Way to Jumpstart The New Year

Once you explore why you are craving what you are craving, it is easier to figure out what you really need rather than belittle yourself and eliminate more from your life.  If I rest more and relax more, I will be less tired and therefore less likely to overindulge in salty snacks. I am now looking at myself with compassion and understanding.  I hope this makes sense.

Here is how I have worded one of my 2021 New Year’s health Intentions.  “My heart and health are vibrant as I nourish my body, mind, and soul with food, water, and spiritual teachings.”   To help this positive, present intention along, I am using a yoga practice called Yoga Nidra.

I invite you to use my Free Yoga Nidra practice to help you embody your intention.

Desire, Intention, Will, Deed, Destiny

In the classic Vedic text known as the Upanishads which was written thousands of years ago by Yogis, it states, “You are what your deepest desire is. As your desire is, so is your intention. As your intention is, so is your will. As your will is, so is your deed. As your deed is, so is your destiny.”

Here is how Yoga Nidra works to plant your intentions as seeds inside your body:

During yoga Nidra you enter a state of lucid sleep, where these intentions can enter your dreamlike state and open you up to suggestions to help you achieve your intention. Some say it is a bit like hypnosis.  Through the practice, you will likely “slip into the gap.” Yoga teacher and writer, Annette K. Scott describes this state as follows:

“Most of the time our mind is caught up in thoughts, emotions, and memories. Beyond this noisy internal    dialogue is a state of pure awareness that is sometimes referred to as ‘the gap.’ One of the most effective tools we have for entering the gap is meditation. Meditation takes you beyond the ego-mind into the silence and stillness of pure consciousness. This is the ideal state in which to plant your seeds of intention.”

Once you are established in a state of restful awareness, release your intentions and desires. You can remain centered and just allow the intention to manifest in the quiet, open field of infinite possibility. In other words, during and after the Yoga Nidra, simply let it go—simply stop thinking about it.

Each day right after you wake up, consider spending a few minutes reading your intention out loud, meditating on it, and then releasing it to the Universe.  Then set your daily focus on how you can show up as your best version of yourself in whatever you are doing that day.

Most importantly, understand that your focused intention does not make a miracle happen overnight, but what it does do is set the infinite organizing power of the Universe in motion. Trust that power to orchestrate the complete fulfillment of your desires. Stay alert to the signs that the Universe will provide you daily on how to achieve your intention.