January 1 has come and gone, and we are already halfway through the first month of the year… a belated Happy New Year! Many have shared with me how difficult it has been to fully enter the year feeling grounded… some say they ‘hit the ground running’ since the new year – being pushed into action sooner than expected… whereas some have eased into the year slowly and gently. The year started off powerfully – a full moon in the midst of a cold snap, a ‘Nor’easter’ storm, extremes in temperatures, power outages, flu bugs, political drama, Oprah’s speech… all in a short period of time!
A note of optimism and inspiration fills the air at the beginning of every new year. The word resolution is seen everywhere, prompting people into action. Resolution is defined as “a firm decision” and “the action of solving a problem.” But what is the problem we are looking to solve or fix? Is it something in our life, our lifestyle choices, or ourselves that we want to change? Based on the amount of times we see gym memberships! detox! lose weight! be a better you! once the new year arrives, I would say that is what we are led to believe. However, what happens if that change does not happen quickly? Small steps are needed for positive lifestyle changes… this creates a momentum, guided by time, patience, and commitment. These small steps are about planting seeds – deciding which seeds to plant, how to nurture those seeds with water and sunlight, creating just the right environment for those seeds to thrive and blossom. And re-framing the words – thinking about the why behind the choices and the seeds you want to plant. Will you plant gratitude and appreciation for your body and the choices you make? Do your choices inspire you?
Instead of resolutions, I plant seeds based on a word that sets the theme for my year. A word may appear in my life around the end of the previous year, and suddenly I see that word everywhere – in the title of a book someone on the bus is reading, walking by a store window, in a conversation with a friend – true synchronicity! This year, it is adventure 🙂 The word is fitting as January has often been a month of beginnings for me. It was in January, 17 years ago (!), that I chose to start my practice. Although I graduated in 2000, I decided to take some time off post-graduation and board exams to travel and recharge before embarking on the biggest adventure of my life. It was in January, 10 years ago, that I travelled to Belize to study Maya uterine therapy to be able to share this sacred practice with my patients. And January is also my birthday month 🙂 So, as this year began, I am filled with curiosity: what adventures will this year bring? Already the seeds of travel and dancing have been planted… and a seed of daily creativity ~ I am learning how to knit, writing more, and learning dutch (which is a blog post for another time!) 
So, what will you plant this year?