New Years resolutions and why you shouldn’t have them

New Year’s resolutions are a world wide phenomena, usually themed around swiftly stopping the Christmas excess, loosing that ‘extra’ weight we have tried to loose over the last 10 New Years or give up something that gives us fantastic joy. Written down, it seems like such a horrific thing to set, yet roughly 14-15 million people in the UK were predicted to have made a New Year’s resolution this year. So why haven’t those 14-15 million people turned into perfectly moulded saints…

Well, based on previous year’s data, nearly half will break their resolutions after a few weeks or a month and return back to their pre resolution selves.

So, why is this?

1.) We can be over zealous and over commit. Can we really stop eating chocolate, exercise for 35000 hours a week, become a world class chef and juggle everything AND more over night?!
2.) Our time is finite. We often don’t think through the extra time that is needed to adopt these new resolutions. We will usually stop doing something (even if we know its good for us) if it becomes too hard, we can’t find the time or it isn’t engrained in our daily habits.
3.) Often the resolutions don’t come with practical steps or a plan of how to achieve them. Want to stop smoking? Well how will you do that? This is often the part that is missing.

All of this combined = straying away from our resolutions without meaning or purpose.

I would prefer not to add to the burden of January with another ‘failure’, on the discovery that I haven’t become an inversion queen by now or that I haven’t managed to do splits up the wall whilst teaching to 1000 online followers!

So I take a different stance to new beginnings and new opportunities. I set INTENTIONS that I hope over time will turn into habits. Rather than depriving myself, I give to myself.

Intentions are a commitment to align our actions with our values and our purpose – they reflect who we are as people and make as feel energised, fulfilled and in balance.

Some examples of intentions are:
I won’t be afraid to try difficult things. …
I intend to do my best today…
I intent to be kind to someone today…
I will believe I am beautiful and accept my flaws. …
I will drink enough water today. …
I intend to do something fun today. …
I will look for the positive side in negative situations.
I will eat food that makes me feel good for the whole day, not just the moment I eat it..

I invite you all to set just one intention that can easily be intwined into your daily life. Maybe just set a reminder or journal about the times that you have achieved that during the day. A great time to revisit your successes and intentions for the day is when you brush your teeth before bed. Why not stick a posit note on the mirror to remind yourself?

Oh and don’t wait until Monday, start now!

All the best,

Charlotte – Founder of Antara Yoga