Posts In: New Year's resolutions

It’s the start of the new year and the time when many people make life goals or resolutions for the year ahead. If your goal is to eat healthier and exercise more – you are far from alone! The top New Year’s resolutions each year focus on health.

If your goal is to practice more yoga – welcome to the club! Yoga provides a uniquely holistic approach to health, strengthening body, mind and spirit.

Our mission at Yoga One has always been to help as many people as possible enjoy healthier and happier lives. Our instructors meet you where you are in your practice and we offer several classes suitable for absolute beginners. (See our full schedule here.)

When it comes to health and wellness, we believe that there is no single prescription for every body. Therefore we also offer excellent private yoga instruction. For some people this is their primary practice and for others, they use private sessions to get more out of their group class experiences. Whatever your motivation, we would love to connect with you! Call 619-544-0587.

Whether you are an experienced practitioner or an absolute beginner, the only thing you may ultimately really want is that special one. Here is a carefully curated comparison of many of the top yoga mats. We hope it helps you to pick the perfect mat* to support your practice.

*There is a “winner” listed, but each mat has a description of its best qualities and reviews based on how it performs in the studio.

We hope you find “the one” yoga mat for you – but even more, we hope to see you soon and often at Yoga One!

by Laura McCorry

1. Ring a bell. Bells, gongs, and chimes have been used the world over for centuries as a call to attention. They precede religious gatherings, call out the time of day and still sometimes announce the start of school. The tone of a bell reminds you to pay attention, and to set aside this time for something different. Ring your own bell, find the space and quiet you need, then sit down with yourself.
2. Start with yourself. Want to experience more love, peace and health in the new year? Start this moment by modeling those behaviors with yourself. Do one activity today that will enhance your wellbeing. Choose one part of your body that you love and repeat that affirmation aloud in front a mirror. (We’re huge supporters of body positivity – here’s more! How Do You Feel Sexy and Yoga and Body Positivity.)
3. Cultivate Gratitude. Instead of asking for what you need and what you want from this new year, ask yourself what you have and what you can give. This means changing your perspective from one of scarcity to abundance. (Read more about that here.) Acknowledging the gifts and joys we already have creates gratitude and from gratitude flows generosity towards others.
4. Say yes more often. One of the first principles of Anusara Yoga is “open to grace,” it means expanding your awareness and establishing a connection to something bigger than yourself. Choose to participate in your community. Say yes to new experiences. Say yes to new friends. Say yes to new ways to love yourself.
5. Let tomorrow take care of itself. Life-changing habits are notoriously difficult to put into action long-term. Rather than thinking about the future and how many days or months you’d like to do something – start with today. Do one thing that will positively impact your life today. After all, the present moment is the only one we really have.
6. Bonus tip: spend some time engaging with a child – they are masters of the present moment!

Laura McCorry
Contributing Writer

Yoga and Laura had an on-again-off-again relationship from 2004 until 2009 when they decided to move in together and there’s been no looking back since. Passionate about both yoga and writing, Laura loves to introduce others to the joys and benefits of yoga and healthy living.

Contact: laura@yogaonesandiego.com

by Laura McCorry

Anti-resolutions for the modern yogi

It’s good to reflect on where you’ve been and where you’d like to go – to identify the areas of your life where you’d like to see change. But too strong a focus on these things draws us into regret/shame about the past or anxiety/pressure about the future. 

Here are five things I don’t want to do in the coming year. The only way I can avoid them is by not doing them this very moment. There is only here. There is only now. The stroke of midnight will come and go, but the present moment is always with us and always extends the promise of change and of living life more abundantly. 

May you find balance and harmony, right where you are, right now.

1. Dream about things I want instead of doing them.

If you never take the risk, you can never be disappointed. It’s easy to talk or think about the big, incredible things you want to do or experience in life but not take steps towards accomplishing them. Almost any goal can be broken down into concrete small steps that will set you on the course to accomplishing it. Even if your goal is an experience like traveling, you can consciously save a little bit of money each week to work towards this goal.

2. Put off until tomorrow something that can be accomplished today.

On a related note – there’s almost no task more onerous than the repeated experience of thinking about and dreading it. The more you practice embracing the present moment for action, you practice cutting off anxiety at its source. Do your chores. Have the hard conversation. Make an appointment with the dentist. There’s no time like the present moment – in fact, yogis know that’s all there is.

3. Blame someone else for not doing the thing I expect or would like them to do. 

This one sounds ridiculous when you put it in words but it’s very common. Your partner didn’t do something the way you would have done it. Your friend hasn’t called to check on you and you’re feeling lonely. The weight of all these hidden disappointments is too much to carry around embittering your own heart. In the now-immortal words of Elsa, Let it go, let it goooo…

4. Try to adhere to a strict new schedule of eating/exercising/meditation/reading/etc. 

There’s a reason most people fail to keep up with their New Years resolutions by February – it’s because habits are so very strong. Do I want to eat healthy, delicious food, do more yoga and make a bigger dent in my reading list? Hell yeah! But trying to use January to force myself into compliance just isn’t going to work. There are other ways to bring about positive change in your life and all of them require attention throughout the year and not just on January 1st. Marianne Williamson captured the yogic philosophy by stating, “You must learn a new way to think before you can master a new way to be.”

5. Continue to think and operate on the scarcity mindset. 

All too often, we confuse abundance with scarcity. For example, scarcity thinks: I won’t invite my friend over because my house is messy. But focusing on abundance thinks: I have friends, a house, and everything I need and want for daily living. Each day you’re presented with the opportunity to view your life as a scarce commodity or an abundant one. You can guard, protect, and parcel out the best moments or you can celebrate, share, and be fully present for them. I know which one I need more of in this new year.

Laura McCorry
Contributing Writer

Yoga and Laura had an on-again-off-again relationship from 2004 until 2009 when they decided to move in together and there’s been no looking back since. Passionate about both yoga and writing, Laura loves to introduce others to the joys and benefits of yoga and healthy living.

Contact: laura@yogaonesandiego.com

by Laura McCorry

How are you doing with your New Year’s Resolutions? If you’re breezing through them, chances are you didn’t aim high enough and if you’ve already stumbled, it’s okay. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off and begin again.

Motivation isn’t a delicate butterfly on a clear spring day that either rests on your shoulder or flits away out of reach. Motivation is a skill and like every other skill, it’s something you can practice and improve upon. Here are some tips to increase motivation and productivity, maybe one will give you the extra oomph you need to meet your goals:

• Honestly assess your goals to make sure they’re challenging but not unrealistic.
• Write down concrete steps along the way to achieving your goal rather than vague aspirations. For example, walk the dog four times a week, eat a new vegetable weekly, do yoga for at least 10 minutes a day.
• Make a list (not too long) and cross off items as you accomplish them.
• Pick an activity and a corresponding reward for the end of the day so you can increase your stamina for delayed gratification
• Choose rewards that support your well-being and are in line with your goals (make plans to see a friend or indulge in a leisure activity you enjoy but for which you don’t usually make time.)
• Tell a friend about your goals. Have them call you at a certain time and ask if you were successful that day/week/month.
• Set a timer and see what you can accomplish before it goes off (try the pomodoro technique for increased productivity.)
• Limit distractions. Put your phone down in another room. Block your internet. Hire a babysitter for an hour. Whatever you need to do to work on a goal with focus. 
• Keep a journal and reflect on everything you accomplished that day, you’ll feel productive and be more inspired to pursue your goals. 
• Give yourself a pep talk in the mirror!
• If you miss a day, call it a day off and let it go. Get right back to your goals the next day.
• Encourage someone else to keep striving towards their goals.
• When the going gets tough, take a two minute break to dance wildly in your kitchen.
• Practice gratitude daily. When you write down or say out loud specific things in your life for which you’re grateful, you increase your overall level of gratitude and happiness.
• Have compassion for yourself if you don’t make your goal. Tomorrow is a new day, take a deep breath and begin again.
• Celebrate when you reach a milestone (a goal that takes less than a year but longer than two weeks to accomplish)

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Laura McCorry
Contributing Writer

Yoga and Laura had an on-again-off-again relationship from 2004 until 2009 when they decided to move in together and there’s been no looking back since. Passionate about both yoga and writing, Laura loves to introduce others to the joys and benefits of yoga and healthy living.

Contact: laura@yogaonesandiego.com

by Olivia Cecchettini

Recently my mom gave me a stack of O Magazines she had finished reading. They sat in a pile on my floor until one day I picked them up and started flipping through them for inspiration. Oprah interviewed some of the world’s most powerful and influential women, yet I noticed that they all admitted to a common struggle: not owning their own strength and accomplishments.

Women who were doing great, important work in the world were shying away from praise and recognition by choosing to remain small. Worried about how they would be received. Feeling embarrassed. Or afraid of shouting their voice into the world.

I used to be like that. In college, I changed majors from Communications to Psychology because I was scared to give a speech in front of my class. The feeling of getting up in front of people made me tremble inside. I was literally sweating, nervous with stomach ache – I just couldn’t do it.

I thought maybe I wouldn’t have to face that particular fear of mine, but life keeps bringing you the same lesson until you face it head on. If I wanted to become a yoga teacher (and I very much wanted to share my love of yoga!), I needed to be able to speak in front of a group of people.

Everything that makes life worth living happens outside the comfortable little space you’ve carved out for yourself, so I chose to step outside.

I was terrified during the first “practice” yoga class I taught. As I practiced more and taught more classes, I came to see that yoga is about co-creation. Knowing I wasn’t alone, that everyone present contributes their own energy, brought me peace. It was incredibly hard to allow myself to be seen, but I believe it’s the only way to show my authentic self and create connection.

There are many messages the world sends out every day. Messages designed to put us in our place, to make us feel less than capable, or to silence our voices. Those challenges are real, but I also know that we all have a little whisper of guidance inside. As we open our bodies, minds and hearts through yoga, the connection to that whisper is strengthened. We begin to strengthen the muscle of confidence and trust within as well.

What challenges are facing you this new year? My hope is that whatever they are, you look for the lesson, a way forward, the path which leads to growth. Get to know yourself and accept what you find. Be gentle. Be bold. Who knows what we can co-create when we own our power? I’m excited to find out.

Olivia Cecchettini
Contributing Writer

Olivia’s yoga journey began in 2003. She is certified in Vinyasa, Hatha, and Aerial Yoga and holds a Masters degree in Spiritual Psychology. She believes the mind, body, soul connection is sacred and encourages her students explore and expand within their own bodies and consciousnesses.

As we count down the final hours of 2012, we wanted to share with you our teachers’ beautiful resolutions and intentions for the new year! May our words inspire you to write down a resolution of your own and if you do, please share with us in the comments. May this new year bring you peace, love and more yoga!

Arati – I want God to be present a whole lot more! I believe in magic! I’ve got a lot of work to do within myself… inner yoga, like communication, parenting and work goals. And I will evolve the universe and the goddess divine and all to support my efforts and provide light!

Wren – One word: Relax!

Mara – My resolution is rather than resolving any issue or imbalance or perceived lack – I will choose to continually re-cognize (change my mind) to value and appreciate how the world comes to me.

Sarah – To practice connectedness. To be present and flexible in the moment.

Katie – I resolve to:

Rest in my safe heart
Eat until I’m happy
Spend more time in nature
Observe more daily kindness
Love every stranger like my dad
Venture into uncomfortable spaces to grow
Evoke compassion from everyone around me

Lauren – The resolution for this new, beautiful, adventurous year is acceptance. To accept whatever happens on a day-to-day, moment-to-moment basis. To accept all circumstances sent my way and to know when to let go. To not hold on to anything that may sadden or damage my soul and energy. To realize that everything happens for a reason and to be content with the way things are. Clarity. Acceptance.

Amy F. – From last year, I want to carry over my intentions for compassion and connection. This year I’m adding courage, which always reminds me of heart in French (coeur) and Latin (cor). Definition: mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear or difficulty.

I want to live and speak more from my heart, my whole heart. Adding to that – encouragement (instruction does much, encouragement does everything!) And a final intention for community: establishing and maintaining a deeper connection to community.

“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” – Nelson Mandela

Terri – My 2013 New Year’s Resolutions:

• to learn something new, either salsa dancing or belly dancing
• do my best to cut down on sweets (to me this means only eating sweets 1 or 2 times a week, verses nearly every day like right now)
• I think 2013 is the year I finally master forearm stand in the middle of the room; I’ve been so close for so long!

Robin 

• Be present
• Breathe deeply
• Practice more yoga
• Read more
• Spend more time with loved ones
• Travel
• Continue to learn new things
• Find more ways to to bring happiness to my life and others!

Jennifer – Be present and enjoy all the fun and changes in my life. Have lots of gratitude. Add more hobbies into my life; things I love such as music and art.

Laura – My resolution this year is to walk more softly on this earth. I want to let go of my desires for more and to cherish what I have, both in the material and emotional sense. I want to let go of fear more often and more readily. I resolve to live in the present moment and to do more yoga!

Shawna 

• Try at least one new thing every day (especially stuff that scares the **** out of me…skydiving, surfing, etc. are on the list)
• Have a super toned and fit “yoga body” 🙂
• Read 1 book per week and journal daily

Amy and Michael – Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu, may all beings be happy and may our thoughts and actions contribute to that happiness for all!

What I love most about the start of a new year is that new year smell in the air. It’s fresh, light and full of promise. No matter where you were in life, it’s a chapter break that stops the narrative, forces you to turn the page and take a breath before diving back in. If you breathe in deep enough, you’ll sense the empty pages ahead and start to write in dreams and expectations.

That’s where it gets complicated. From the start, most New Year’s resolutions are like desert flowers – they only bloom once a year for a very short period of time. The overwhelming majority of them have faded and disappeared by the time February or March roll around. Very few people were counting down the seconds on December 31st, ready to congratulate themselves for keeping their resolution the whole year through. That said, no effort is ever wasted in the struggle to realize the best possible version of yourself.

The secret to staying committed and present with goals/life/yoga is to begin again. How many times have you been in yoga class and found your mind wandering? The best way to bring your attention back to the present moment is always to take a breath and pretend you just arrived on your mat. Stop thinking about how wobbly you were in tree pose ten seconds ago and lunge forward confidently into warrior two, focused solely on the present moment. Even if you’ve already let a day or two go by without acting on your resolutions, it’s never too late to start again.

Take a deep breath. Let it out. Pretend you just arrived here, in this place, right now. Where are you going and where do you want to go? If those two answers are different, maybe that’s your resolution this year. Let go of your past mistakes and failures. Set a specific goal to accomplish within a reasonable amount of time. Every day you fail, take a breath and begin again. Day by day, as you choose to start over in the direction of your dreams, you add petals layer by layer to the unopened bud. That way, when the rains of opportunity come, your desert flower is ready to bloom.

If your resolution is to incorporate more yoga into your life, let Yoga One help! Check out our awesome schedule and drop in for a class or sign up for one of our packages. If you’re local and new to the studio, check out an unlimited month for $50 to really kick off your fitness goals for the year. Whatever your goals this January, all of us here at Yoga One wish you good health and good cheer. Namaste!