Inside Yoga 328 (7/1/2024)
Welcome to 2024.
A new year, a fresh start, time for a new year’s resolution, and many more ideas surround the new year, because for us, this day represents something new, a chance to make changes, but why do we place such importance on just another day?
One view could well say, well, why not? It gives us the excuse to make changes, or to get ourselves going again after the lethargy of time off over Christmas.
We can also see that the need to mark days in our calendar as a start of something dates back to our ancient ancestors, thousands of years ago when we were hunter gatherers, living in caves or forests, surviving one season to the next, like for example, after the winter time to start hunting and gathering; and later in our history, time to sow crops.
In those days the seasons, the weather, and natural conditions dictated and affected when we could be active, and when we could do very little. It gave us points in time when we started something like hunting and gathering food essential for living and survival. The weather would have been a major influence in our northern latitudes when the winter’s storms, when blizzards and freezing conditions would make us stop, almost hibernate like other animals. And, in the tropics the dry and wet seasons dictated when certain activities could take place.
Changes came naturally back then, because we did have much choice, try sowing crops during winter’s freeze! But our modern way of living for many people is not affected by the seasons, and we continue at the same level of being busy and activity every week and month regardless of the seasons; no wonder we feel so exhausted around December and January, especially during the recent festive period when many of us would have forced ourselves to enjoy the celebrations whilst fighting a nasty winter cold. We are oblivious to what nature reminds us to do – rest!
But I digress from the main theme here, new year. We have enjoyed-survived (tick as appropriate) the festive period and start with the new year with the view to make changes, to make a new beginning and so forth, and why not because although I might sound dismissive, this is not the case. There is no time like the present to make a change.
Yes, why not mark the new year with a change, be it a new activity, or stopping something – the usual new year’s resolution, because when else are we going to do this?
But that is my main point, we can make changes any day, New Year’s Day shares the same qualities as the very next day, and any day in the year, in that it has not happened before. Yes, we have had January 2nd before, but not January 2nd, 2024. It is important to have the awareness of the options, and the reality of how time works, it never stops, it never starts, it is always changing; it is our choice what we do with our time; and making the New Year’s Resolution make sense.
A thought for the new year!
This is, of course, not our first New Year, which means I have posted articles relating to this in the past, to read them, see links below:
2023: Happy New Year | Yoga classes in Bristol with Gary Osborn-Clarke (yogabristol.co.uk)
2020: New year’s resolutions | Yoga classes in Bristol with Gary Osborn-Clarke (yogabristol.co.uk)
2019: Too much of everything | Yoga classes in Bristol with Gary Osborn-Clarke (yogabristol.co.uk)
2018: Happy New Year | Yoga classes in Bristol with Gary Osborn-Clarke (yogabristol.co.uk)
2017: Savouring the moment | Yoga classes in Bristol with Gary Osborn-Clarke (yogabristol.co.uk)
2016: New Year resolutions | Yoga classes in Bristol with Gary Osborn-Clarke (yogabristol.co.uk)
2014: Happy new year | Yoga classes in Bristol with Gary Osborn-Clarke (yogabristol.co.uk)
