Intuitively And Intently Moving Through The (New) Year
Happy New Year!
Why it’s good to forget about your New Year’s Resolutions
Did you know that the end of December is a really bad time to create goals? There's a very logical reason why New Year's resolutions are only maintained 9% of the time.
It's to do with the cycle of nature.
Knowing that life is cyclical for all creatures great and small and all matter, it makes sense.
If you- like me, had been feeling like hibernating and turning inward in January, not reaaaallly... doing… a.n.y.t.h.i.n.g. and eking out the holiday break for longer, then that is because the seasonal energy of January is hibernation! If we don't hibernate (for humans that is spending a bit more time in your own company, down time, sleeping longer, curling up with a good book, dinners by the fire and nurturing conversation, making less plans and commitments) then we miss out on the natural energy serge for creation that begins in February and comes into full fruition from late March.
New Year's resolutions may have not quite started to fall into place yet or are beginning to wane. I cannot stress how important it is to be okay with that. When we make new year's resolutions in the middle of a time, when energetically we aren't ready to begin (because we should be 'hibernating'), we often jump to something that doesn't quite feel right or we don't feel ready for.
Instead, if we embrace the call to replace our energy stores and release the pressure to create and start new years resolutions, it means we can actually have more success by the years end because we allow time for our 'battery packs' to fill completely. As a fatigue researcher and practitioner, I'm all about filling up that battery pack and avoiding burnout!
Resting helps you to achieve more
There are different parts of the month and year that we are better wired for creating, problem solving and achieving.
You may have noticed a shift over the last week where you are starting to consider what next, and where you would like to put your energy. That is because you are in sync with the natural cycle of things. So well done if this is you!
This has been the basis of my research for the latter part of 2021. Ladies, if this is already resonating with you then I suggest reading ‘Do Less’ by Kate Northrup.
Living a cyclical life will end burnout and fatigue
You may have noticed that I have had some time off from creating content. I believe in honouring your own personal energy and do not agree with pushing through and have been having some real breakthroughs since practicing this way of living. Type A people are the ones who usually burn out first and hardest. Having had a 10 year experience of fatigue in varying forms I have taken a huge (and initially alien leap) into living life in a more cyclical pattern and believe this is the final part of my healing. This is due to the positive effect that factoring in true rest does to your nervous system (anyone with fatigue will need some nervous system healing).
Men have cycles too!
We think of women, having an obvious 28 day cycle (on average) but even after menopause women still experience a cycle of hormonal change, it is just slightly different.
Men experience a 24 hour cycle and our working lives have been set up to honour the 24 hour cycle, as traditionally men were the main business workers.
This doesn't take into account another cycle that affects everyone, and every cell in our body- The moon, and how seasons affect our ability to think clearly and create. Consider that the moon is further away at different parts of the year, in turn causing differentiating effects on its pull to the earth and everything on it.
Here is a table of energetic pulls from the moon and the seasons to help you identify the best time to achieve all of your goals:
1.Absorption WINTER and NEW MOON
(also menstrual phase for women)
When you are most intuitive
Rest/ gentle movement/ minimise social engagements
Reflect
Evaluate what is and isn’t working in life/ business. (but not make decisions yet)
Doodle/ may experience ideas that are hard to explore
2. Emergence SPRING and WAXING MOON
(follicular phase)
Planning
Make decisions
Generate new ideas
Initiate new projects
New beginnings
Things start to become clearer
Notes and ideas form
Create lists, timelines, outlines
3. Visibility SUMMER and FULL MOON (plus few days before and after)
(ovulation phase)
When you are most receptive and magnetic
Publish, launch, ship!
Best time to make a proposition, deliver, share and publish ideas, be open to collaboration
Spend time with friends, make connections, network
4. Culmination AUTUMN and WANING MOON
(luteal phase)
Our brain chemistry is supporting focus and the ability to finish things
‘Hunker down’, focus
Complete projects, wrap things up,
Detailed work
Be less social to achieve more. Turn your energy to what you would like to create/ achieve instead of being distracted or giving energy away in social situations/ other endeavours that aren’t inline with your goals.
The good news is that there is still time to catch up on this winter energy replenishment. It is really important to honour your body and tune into what your body is calling for right now. Until late March, you are predominantly in the absorption stage. It is time to really consider what is important to you and what is not. What would truly makes you happy and what are you thinking of doing because other people are doing it and can therefore take off your to do list.
How to get the best out of your year with coaching
In coaching we explore the why behind expectations which pull us away from filling up our battery packs.
Why filling up battery packs is a good long-term game plan to avoid burnout, remove current fatigue and ensure you achieve what you really want to achieve.
Uncover the real goals that set your soul on fire, fill you up and make you excited for every day.
Then we work through them together, using the cyclical patterns that pull on us to your advantage to make success achievable.
How to use Movement Therapy for a successful year
In the studio I'm seeing holding patterns where people are 'pushing through' when their body is asking to rest.
We are addressing this with:
Breath work, using the breath to drop from the head into the body and move intuitively with the breath to reconnect to our true desires.
This reconnection to the body means we are strongly connected to sensation, which is where we learn what is right and wrong for us, ensuring that the right unique goals for you are uncovered AND you can feel in your own body the most amazing benefits of success.
We are also working through resetting the body with release work, releasing the tension that comes along with pushing through.
Being kinder to the body which helps with energy manifestation and avoiding over working the systems so you have more left over for the things you really want to achieve.
