…but is it that new? I’ve always been fascinated by the enthusiasm given to the transition to the New Year. I love the tradition of celebrating and gathering to welcome the new year. What makes me think are the resolutions. How would, the passage from December 31st to January 1st, have the power to transform people and their daily life?
Of course, I understand that changing year is a big enough event to decide to start something new and fresh. In fact, I have a lot of respect for people who decide to change and make resolutions. This decision is much more difficult than it seems. It requires a lot of awareness and demands to pay attention to one’s body and mind to be able to detect what prevents us from becoming a better version of ourselves. But why take this initiative only on January 1st?
According to me, the problem with the resolutions is the same as the one with the diets. Most of us are making too drastic changes and most of the time too many of them. Hence, it becomes extremely challenging to keep up with these for we feel forced and somewhat punished.

Rather, what is close to my heart is a process of reflection and intention. Taking the time to reflect in an objective way on the year that has passed. The joyful moments as much as the challenging ones; observe them the same way. In our frenzy lives, most of us let things go without really digesting or analyzing them. And yet, this introspective process is fundamental if we want to move on.
My meditation practice is helping me a lot with this work. I also find putting things into perspective, by taking a trip for instance, another efficient tool.
Once the step of reflection is done, then set an intention for this new year thanks to visualization. This could be mental, or written or by creating a vision board with pictures and words we find inspiring. What are the things, people, feelings…we’d like to attract in our life?
My advice is to stay very simple in our intention and very clear. The clearer our intention, the greater the potential to manifest itself.

2015 brought me many joys and successes but also a good amount of sad and challenging situations. But before everything, it kept showing me what I aspire to do in my life. And for that, I say thank you to this past year.

The feeling of gratitude is another very powerful tool to stay concentrated on our intention. I realize it more and more everyday. Our mind has this unfortunate tendency to focus on the negative or at least, to highlight the negative much more than the positive. It is fascinating to observe that during a day in which a dozen of things go very smoothly and nicely, we’ll only remember the thing or the situation that made us upset. I’m guilty of being a victim of this tendency and I become more and more aware that it is up to me to change my perspective. It’s in my hands. I have this power. I’ve been knowing this on an intellectual level for years but applying it in my daily life has been a gradual process. It’s been now a few years that I put this into practice (some days are easier than others). By noticing, by taking note of the positive things in our life and by feeling some gratitude for them, we become more at peace and more content. In other words, happier.

In December, I participated to an Instagram challenge: “25 days of gratitude” organized by the yoga school where I teach at: Yogaworks. I usually don’t take part of those Instagram yoga challenges for most of them are about physical postures. And I believe that the yoga image is already too oriented towards the physical aspect of the practice. But this challenge caught my attention for more gratitude in our world can only be beneficial and it could, I hope, inspire some to try it.
I’m sharing with you a few pictures I took during this challenge: my husband, a concert at Carnegie Hall, my meditation practice, my favorite bird spotted in Central Park: The Cardinal.
You can find my 25 pictures and comments on Instagram IG: celineantoineyoga

I wish you a wonderful and amazing New Year 2016!!!!
May your intention be clear and may we adopt an attitude of gratitude everyday.

With respect,