Happy new every day of the year!

Today is New Year’s Day, if I had indeed made any resolutions, I probably would have failed dismally already and yet we are only a few hours in. I know that it is a new year a new week and it’s even a Monday the perfect day to start a clean slate, a day for diets and declarations. I have read through the hundreds of Instagram and twitter messages encouraging us on our journey of self-improvement and a better you. I will confess I have even shared a few.

But my usual goals of drinking less alcohol and beverages brimming with caffeine and sugar replaced with water, water and more water, of watching less television whilst getting sucked into social media (multi-tasking at its best) so that I can plough my way through the book mountain beside my bed isn’t really happening, not today anyway! So far I have indulged in a full English breakfast, a couple of glasses of (left over from Christmas) Bucks Fizz and God knows how many cups of tea (not Herbal I might add!). Tonight I will eat a strange concoction of party food. On a positive note, I did fill up my new Brita water filter jug. I haven’t read a single word from the two new books that I have on the go (gratefully received festive gifts) as me and the hubby have embarked on a marathon binge of watching reruns of pride and prejudice which appears to be on a continuous loop on one of the sky channels. No time to roll out the mat or meditate on the meaning of life When Lydia is missing and Jane is still pining for Mr Bingley! Colin really is the best Darcy. I think I need a Ferrero Rocher!

I don’t really do the big New Year’s thing; we stayed home and partied with Jools Holland with a glass of wine and a Toblerone. My fifteen-year-old daughter kept asking why everyone was so old (lol!). Maybe we should have gone to that party after all.

Whilst I was busy making my picollage of the #bestnine2017 photos of my professional work life, basically me and Becki doing yogary type things that may involve us selling Yoga Leggs, it occurred to me as I scrolled through the thousands of moments within my phone (yes I know my storage is almost FULL!) that you can do an awful lot in a year.

One of our favourite inspirational women is Oprah; she believes wholeheartedly that you must always work from an intention. When we started our company our intention was always first to create a good product that we could be proud of. (Tick) We have joked that we don’t know where selling Yoga wear will lead us, we are after all yogis at heart. Go with the flow; trust the process kind of girls. But what I learnt from looking back is gratitude firstly and an excitement for what’s to come; to grow and keep learning and improving. To make the most of opportunities and encounters with special people to embrace what lies ahead with enthusiasm and anticipation without trying to force or manipulate an outcome, that is my intention.

I had a little meditative lightbulb moment on New Year’s Eve. The word of the day… acceptance. This should take care of my need to be a better person resolution.

Accepting our humanness and that of the people we choose to share our lives with, accepting that situations will arise that were not part of our plan. Nothing teaches us this painful lesson as intensely as ill health or death. Acceptance could be the road to freedom. Hopefully, I can be liberated from expecting things to be a certain way and accept them for how they are. Whilst standing in a very long queue before Christmas at the local post office a fellow meditator from my local Buddhist centre presumed that I must always be happy, lots of people that know me assume this a lot. Well the number of people ahead of me wasn’t affecting my nerves so obviously Buddha’s teachings were having some effect but truthfully I found myself admitting that I have my moments.

I am alive with feelings and thoughts and passion and likes and things that make me crazy! I am grateful for it not ashamed. I laugh and I cry from sadness as well as beauty, I heal and soothe as much as I rant and rave I give more than I take and thankfully love more than I hate. I drink wine and eat meat whilst on the yoga retreat at an ashram! (That’s a funny story) I am flawed, I am honest. I am interesting I hope. I am trying every day of every New Year to be happy.

My desire to clean up my act will come I am certain, let’s get January out of the way I say.
Wishing you all lots of love and laughter, good health and even better intentions in 2018
Happy New Year

Amanda x