We're ready for a new year... who isn't?

Thoughts from Amanda:

“Sometimes you have to stop, reboot, and take a bit of a loss in order to move forward.”

-Actual excerpt from my annual New Year’s Journaling Session January 1, 2020.

Bryana and I love the new year. For years we’ve done a little journaling exercise together to mark the end of one year and look forward to the new one. I love the promise of a new year- a blank slate. But what is a blank slate exactly without the knowledge, lessons, growth, and inner wisdom collected? We are our own greatest teacher, if we can only just tune in and listen.

There is momentum with a new year, anticipation of what could be and the opportunity to shed things that no longer feel right. And the energy of the new year only happens once each year! That’s it. It’s a rare moment to reset and imagine what you’d like your year to look like.

I know, some of you out there are thinking, “I never keep my resolutions” or “New Year’s is just a big disappointment year after year.” I hear ya. If you want to let the new year pass like any other day, I totally get it.

But for me, I love the opportunity to reflect and reset. It’s a powerful process.

Journaling over the new year annually provides a vision for my year and consistency over time

After several years of committing to this activity, I can now see how consistency over time helps me move toward alignment with my core values. I try to prioritize the people and activities that make me feel alive throughout the year. Even amidst the COVID crisis, my vision for 2020 was largely realized- take a walk every day, be present with Drew and Oslo, designate screen free time, make time for adventure, maintain boundaries, communicate clearly. Dedicated time to reflect and get intentional allows me to make conscious decisions that inform the direction of my life.

One of the questions in our New Years Reflection writing activity is “What are you most proud of this year and why?”

My answer surprised me. Without hesitation I wrote down that I’m proud of the way we (Boreal Bliss) navigated the COVID crisis. From cancelling retreats, figuring out refunds, navigating how to offer yoga online, recording classes, and everything in between, it has been an emotionally arduous year for small business owners. There have been highs and lows. In the end, we made it through. We got creative and forged a new path. We learned a lot about our own resilience. We learned to trust one another and to lean on one another. Our friendship is stronger for having gone through this. For those of you that have been along for the ride, we cannot thank you enough. We certainly aren’t “through” it, but we’ve learned and grown a lot. We have a new appreciation and gratitude for this work.

Fireside Series

In November, Bry and I launched the Lakeside series, a gentle yoga series class package with three live workshops. We loved it! We then started to discuss our next idea for recording classes. We thought a series of classes filmed by the fire would be perfect for January. We also decided to incorporate some strength work and faster-paced vinyasa style classes to the package to harness the energy and enthusiasm of building strength in the new year. Strength in a holistic sense of course: emotionally, spiritually, physically, mentally.

I’m also looking forward to Fireside because it offers some structure to my life. It’ll provide something to look forward to and in these COVID times, I need things to look forward to. Connecting for the workshops on Zoom is also something I’m really excitedly anticipating.

So, I hope you’ll join us friends!.

In this blog below we cover everything you may need to know about The Fireside Series: Click here to read more about the Fireside Series. Early bird rate until Dec. 31st!

If you’d like to join us for the New Year’s live workshops, but prefer allll gentle yoga classes, we are also offering a limited time deal on The Lakeside Series - until Dec. 31st! You can purchase the series now to practice with the pre-recorded classes as many times as you like, and also join us for our three live workshops on zoom in January.

Thoughts from Bryana:

Inner Wisdom

In closing, we love this annual tradition because it allows each individual to tap into their inner wisdom and life lessons from the year. Your lessons, growth, and teachings are going to be completely different from my aha moments from the year. Each year I journal on these same questions I find myself surprised by something that was important that year. If you don’t purposefully carve out time to sit down and unpack the teachings there’s an opportunity missed. It might seem like a small exercise, or one that you’re unsure of even. I do believe the smallest realizations can lead to great transformation if you take the time to listen.

Discoveries

Something that came out in my annual New Years reflection writing was the importance of maintaining my more newly established morning routine through 2021.  During this time I think it’s important to continue to reflect on what I want to keep, and what I want to let go of. 

In the past when people asked me if I practiced yoga everyday I said no, because I knew it wasn’t in the way they were thinking. I think people assume that when you’re a yoga teacher you have an extensive daily personal practice that includes 1-hour asana (physical postures) on a yoga mat.  I assure you my daily practice probably isn’t what you think it is.

For years I intermittently practiced poses at different times/locations/days throughout the week. I more consistently took to the woods for mindful meditation walks - breathing, noticing, appreciating.

Since the fall I’ve committed to a more structured and tangible daily practice. This has brought abundant positives in my direction. Most importantly a feeling of inner connection.

Each morning I wake up, square away a few baby and morning related things, and head to my little meditation corner.  I turn on my space heater, salt lamp, and diffuser. I have my blankets, books, and journal close. Same location and same time of day (morning before the sunrise). The contents and length  of my morning practice have some variation but a general pattern remains consistent. A few yoga postures with a focus on pranayama (breathing) and meditation, followed by reading (currently Meditations from the Mat by Rolf Gates and Katrina Kenison), and then journaling. 

Sometimes a baby bangs on the door and comes in at the end to show off his down dog. 

Recognizing ordinary moments can lead to extraordinary transformation or acknowledgment

Without my annual New Year’s intentional reflection process, it’s the ordinary moments that I may not recognize as extraordinary, transformational, and important. With life flying at me in all directions, I know I have to guard what’s important to me and make space for it. In order to do that I also have to let go of things that don’t allow me the time for what’s important. It’s a careful awareness process. Whether you sit down with us on January 1st, take part in the workshop recording, or you have your own ritual, we hope that you do give yourself the important gift of reflection and dreaming.

Happy New Year to YOU!

We hope to see you in 2021, whether it’s virtually with The Fireside Series or at one of our in-person adventures:

• Technically this is 2020… Dec. 29, 6:00-6:30pm Full Moon Flow on Facebook Live

• January or February Winter Wonderland Day Retreat

  • Deep Portage in Hackensack

• June Luxurious lake life retreat

  • Madden’s Resort on Gull Lake

• August adventure awaits retreat

  • Birchwood Wilderness Camp at the end of the Gunflint Trail - BWCA