Simply being you - no "new" required

Published 6 months ago • 3 min read

It won’t be long before we are met with a flurry of “new year, new you” opportunities to fix, mend, heal and otherwise tweak ourselves into the bestest, brightest, thinnest, most fit, most ebullient, most successful, most confident version we ever dreamed possible. And if that is on your BINGO card for 2025 - have at it; there is nothing wrong with taking advantage of the supportive energies that the flip of the calendar page provides to begin to consciously shape the life of your dreams.

But if you find yourself somewhere else at the moment - perhaps in a more reflective state where the encouragement to imagine and create a “new you” in these messages feels less like a source of inspiration and shiny new potential and more like an assault on your already frazzled senses and an invitation to heap a load of judgement on yourself for not being more motivated, more committed or in any other way more (or less) - then that may be an indication that you are more interested in simply being yourself and being with yourself than in remaking yourself right now.

Yep, simply being and being with yourself.

There’s a practice I love to guide where we check-in with the nature of our relationship with ourselves by simply being with what we find in our inner world. Sometimes this involves visualizing a large table where every aspect of ourselves has a seat and is an equal (no children’s table here); sometimes we go to a clearing in the woods within us and we invite all aspects of ourselves to emerge from the shadows and join us out in the open; sometimes we imagine a large open ballroom within us where all versions of ourselves are welcome to participate (or not) to the degree that honors them (shyness can settle into a chair by the wall holding a cat; creativity can manage the decorations; anxiety can watch the door; boisterousness can dance in the center of the room like she gives zero f’s) - the setting that we visualize to facilitate the process is less important than holding the central intention of being in open and honest and loving presence with all the parts of us that emerge.

Yep, all the parts.

This week, I'm dusting off some of the practices that I return to again and again - in my personal practice and in my work with other lovely souls - to support you as we make the individual and collective transition to a new calendar year. As I mentioned in my last email, there are many opportunities over the coming weeks to create meaningful intentions so there's plenty of space this week for you to simply be and be with yourself and for you to move at whatever pace and rhythm feels most true and honest and authentic for you.

I'm beginning today with a self-love practice that explores the idea of creating a safe environment for all aspects of ourselves within ourselves. It uses the imagery of a table where each bit of ourselves has a seat that I referenced above. It's about 17 minutes long; take a seat and journey with me for a moment into your inner world to be and be with yourself today.

Watch for a new practice in your inbox each day this week and plan to join me starting Monday, January 6th for 33 days of guided practices as we Sit with It.

Sending you Love,

Tawnia

PS: One week until we start our 33-day guided meditation practice together - will you be joining in? Think of it as a way to be in community as you practice consciously and intentionally being and being with yourself. I cannot think of a better way to start the new year! You'll find more information here or you can reply to this email with any questions you have.