It’s amazing that we push, push and push to get to the end of the year and then as soon as we turn the corner into the new year we heap a whole load of intentions, expectations and goals onto our weary shoulders.

December is a classic burn out month. This is why so many of us feel so run down during the holiday season. We are all trying to get things all tied off and finished before we can finally relax.

I love the energy behind the new year, it feels so fresh and inviting, no wonder so many of us get excited about the potential, thinking of all the things we want to achieve and create on the blank slate of the year ahead.

Yet, January is still in the heart of winter. Coming right after intensity and chaos of Christmas. This is not necessarily the best time for us to leap into a higher gear.

Perhaps instead, it’s a time for us to rest and reflect on the past year, quietly taking the time to understand the lessons of the year rather than forging ahead without a moment’s pause.

So, how can we ease into January, allowing us to have the time and space to slowly bloom, rather than rush headfirst into the goal-orientated culture of expectation and transformation?

Letting your body detox

This time of year, is a traditional time in the natural cycle for our bodies to detox. This comes in the form of colds, coughs and flu.

I believe colds and flu are nothing more than part of a physical detoxification. I don’t allude to germ theory, rather, I believe in terrain theory. This is based upon the understanding that our internal terrain, the health of our emotional, physical and energetic bodies, is either a breeding ground for dis-ease or a flourishing environment of wellbeing, and it is our responsibility to keep our internal environments a thriving ground for health.

When we ‘catch’ a cold, it is not a transfer of germs. The theory that germs can pass from one person to another has never been scientifically proven, merely assumed.

Instead, our aura, the electro-magnetic field of information and energy that surrounds all living organisms is responsible. If someone is detoxing near me, the process of letting go of old cellular debris, then their aura will be holding that information. If the intelligence within my aura decides this is what my body needs, it will also start the process of detoxification.

All the classic symptoms of a cold or flu aids this process. The temperature rises in our body to kill bacteria. The phlegm and mucous is all cellular discharge. At this time we need rest, hydration and support of our immune and lymphatic system to keep the release going (here’s a handy guide).

Taking responsibility for your wellbeing

It may feel very different to your traditional understanding. I also used to believe that we had no control over our health until I started tuning in to what felt true to me rather than what I was told to believe.

When we tune out of the subconscious programming that traditionally drives our thoughts, opinions and beliefs, and instead turn inward towards the quiet, internal voice that is our intuition, we can begin to form our own understanding.

The truth is, when we take responsibility for our health, rather than waiting to become a victim of dis-ease, we are so much more empowered.

If we care for our emotional, physical and energetic bodies with the abundance of divinely intelligent solutions that are available to us, we have no need for Big Pharma to keep making money off our sickness.

Our western view of health treats our bodies like these basic, unintelligent machines, yet every cell in our body is, right now, doing over a trillion things per second, driven by this force of life that keeps us alive.

Whether you want to call it Prana, Chi or Universal Energy, it is the intention of the intelligent and loving force that created you and everything in our world that drives this process.

When you align with this energy and feel gratitude, wonder and love for remarkable body, you will bloom without even trying.

Taking a radically different approach to the new year

New year is a classic time that most of us think about losing weight, going alcohol-free, changing our diet, getting back into running or starting a new regime. It carries a relentless energy that can feel overwhelming.

The thing is, most of us have pushed ourselves through to the end of 2022, burning the candle at both ends, working hard as well as indulging ourselves. Rather than taking a disciplinarian approach to ourselves in the new year, I suggest we can take gentler and more compassion one, starting from the outside in.

Rather than using January as a time to push, we can view it as a time to retreat. Now is the time to starting planting the seeds that will bloom in Spring. Springtime is the time for renewal, growth and change, not now. We are part of nature and if you look around you can notice that this is not a time of growth but a time of replenishment.

Bears are still hibernating, animals aren’t mating, the buds aren’t yet appearing, because it’s not time.

Let’s fall back into the natural flow of nature and use the time of January to nourish and support ourselves through acceptance, non-judgement and gratitude, rather than discipline, growth and strain.

The power of acceptance, gratitude and love

When we accept ourselves as we are, rather than punish ourselves, thinking we need to change, we strengthen our immunity to criticism and, in turn, radically increase our self-esteem. This can have powerful knock-on effects into every area of our lives.

Acceptance also means taking responsibility and blaming no-one, especially not ourselves.

This allows you the ability to respond, to see everything as an opportunity to create something beautiful from the situation. As you can see, it’s a far cry from the diet and workout culture that uses shame and guilt as marketing motivators.

A part of this acceptance is non-judgement. Non-judgement means letting go of all blame and judgement of ourselves and that is a very freeing thing indeed. When we let go of the internal negativity, criticism and ill thoughts towards our bodies, we can fall into a place of forgiveness, compassion, love and gratitude.

Gratitude is an extremely powerful emotional state to be in. We are all ripples of energy in a quantum field, so when we raise our frequency to gratitude, we end up attracting more things to be grateful for towards us. Love is also a powerful force that magnifies and expands the energy within us, supercharging our lives in a myriad of ways.

So, rather than pushing ourselves in January with goals, achievements and expectations, why don’t we just let go of the reins and nurture our relationship with ourselves, planting the seeds for Spring and giving our bodies the chance to retreat and rest as best they can.

If we are detoxing, let's support our body in the process rather than punish it. If we want to just rest, let’s just rest. There’s no one judging you but yourself, so let go and see how you bloom.

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Carry on exploring