Deconstructing Your New Year's Resolution

At beginning of January, most of us start setting New Years resolutions or intentions to bring us into the year. And I think this can be a great thing. But often our ‘resolutions’ just amount to ideals we feel we need to live up to. We feel like we’re supposed to be ‘better’ in some way. Healthier. Thinner. More successful.

At the root of these resolutions is dissatisfaction with where we are and what we have right now.

According to the Buddhist teachings, dissatisfaction is inherent in being human. What matters is how we handle it. When dissatisfaction arises, instead of letting our thoughts wander into a fantasy about the future, the practice is to catch the dissatisfaction as it arises and try to relax with it. Staying with the discomfort.

In the asana practice, we often experience dissatisfaction when we struggle with poses. In these moments, we can be stubborn and push too hard, give up completely, or find the middle ground and enter slowly, breathing through the discomfort and annoyance.

When we choose to ‘catch dissatisfaction’ and be with it, we start to develop compassion for who we are (and what we have)- even the quirks and imperfections. This self-compassion allows us to stay present and more effectively take action that will bring us where we ultimately want to go.