Welcoming The Year Of The Horse: Momentum In Motion (Part 1)

In this Insight Timer Live Session (recorded January 10th, 2026), we begin the process to say goodbye to the Year of the Snake and honour a cycle of reflection, shedding, strategy, and inner transformation. This live webinar invites you to consciously shed what no longer serves you: old patterns, stagnant goals, and outdated identities, so you can step into the Year of the Horse with clarity and momentum. Through guided reflection and forward-focused intention setting, we explored how to move from quiet inner knowing into bold, aligned action. Leave feeling lighter, energized, and ready to ride forward with purpose and confidence. Have a journal and pen ready. The live session begins with a 10-minute grounding practice. *Please note that due to the format of live sessions, there may be background noises and pauses*

Transcript

Welcome to Insight Timer.

Welcome to the live sessions.

I am so excited for the next hour and I hope you're ready.

So you have arrived to a session called Welcoming the Year of the Horse Momentum in Motion and this is part one of a two-part series.

If you go to my teacher profile you will see in my live session offerings that there is a second session with the same title being offered and this is the actual start date of the Year of the Horse.

So today,

Part one,

We are talking about how do we prepare over the next few weeks to welcome the Year of the Horse based on the Lunar New Year.

And overall the theme today is that we're going to be moving from the inner transformation that we've been working through over the last year which is the Year of the Snake and really setting our intentions to set ourselves up for aligned action when that Year of the Horse begins.

So what you might need to get comfortable,

So if you have a journal or paper,

Notepad,

Grab that.

A pen,

Marker,

Pencil,

Whatever writing utensil you love,

Grab that.

It's always good to have some water to stay hydrated and just make yourself as comfortable as possible.

And as some of you may know who have followed me in the past,

I really try to facilitate from a trauma-informed approach.

So what that means is you get to choose how much or how little you want to engage in this session.

You can choose to pace yourself accordingly,

You can listen,

You can step out,

You can come back as many times as you need.

This is a non-forced group of sharing so feel free to share in the chat if you have a comment that you think would add value to the discussion.

And if you want to just observe what people are saying,

That is amazing as well.

So however you're choosing to arrive to this session is the exact right choice for you.

And then just being mindful of your own needs for self-regulation.

So some of the prompts today that I'm going to ask you to journal about or reflect on,

They might stir up some different emotions or feelings depending on where you're at in life.

And so just making sure that you've got the tools necessary to focus on your own needs and self-regulation.

So maybe you want to light a candle,

Put some comfy socks on,

Grab a blanket,

All those comfy tools that we need,

Just making it your own today.

We have a packed hour,

So get ready.

The first thing I want to do is just briefly reintroduce myself to folks,

Especially those that may have never seen me before or been on my teacher profile.

So my name is Megan Kirk-Chang,

And I'm a proud Canadian,

But I currently live in the United Kingdom.

I am a clinical researcher at the University of Oxford in the Department of Psychiatry,

And I absolutely love the work that I do.

I've been on Insight Timer since the pandemic,

So over five years now.

And for folks who don't know my content,

One of my main offerings is the 15-day trauma healing course called The Wisdom of Our Wounds.

And doing this course was a way for me to get my thoughts on how to prep my dissertation out and bring this work to the masses.

I think sometimes in academia,

We can overcomplicate things and try to sound really academic.

And a huge part of my research identity is bringing what I'm learning in academic spaces to the globe in a way that's palatable and exciting.

And so that leads me to this session.

I'm so excited to talk about the Year of the Horse,

And I just want to give you some context and background.

So my lovely in-laws honour the Lunar New Year,

And they were visiting me and my over the holiday period.

And we were around our dinner table talking about how the Gregorian New Year,

So January 1st,

Just felt like it came too soon,

And we weren't really ready to think about New Year's resolutions or New Year's intentions.

And it led to this beautiful discussion about the symbolism of the year that we've just come through,

The Year of the Snake,

The Lunar New Year,

And how we're still actually in the middle of the Year of the Snake.

It's not done yet.

And this gave me such permission to honour that I can move a little more slowly,

A little more intentionally into the new year,

As I prepare for the Year of the Horse.

And I love this conversation so much.

I've learned so much from my in-laws about honouring just different practices,

Different cultural norms.

And so this session was really inspired by them and their wisdom.

So I'm so happy to be able to share their wisdom with you.

And so as we arrive,

Let's take a moment to really settle into the space.

I know I'm just so excited.

So let's just all take a moment to ground ourselves in this session,

Remembering that everything's an invitation for you,

Not required,

And take care of yourself in whatever way feels supportive.

So what I invite you to do now is to find a comfortable seated,

Lying down position,

Whatever feels right for you.

And then just notice where the body is making contact with the surface.

Maybe it's rocking your feet from toes to heel to feel them firmly planted on the floor,

Or maybe it's feeling your seat in the chair,

Or your back leaning against the couch,

The wall,

The bed.

The invitation is to draw the eyes to a close,

But if that doesn't feel right,

You can just direct the gaze off the tip of your nose,

Just focusing inwards a little bit more,

Maybe for the most part of your day today.

And we're going to gently move into what I call a figure eight breath practice.

So if it feels right for you,

You can gently visualize a figure eight in the mind's eye.

If that doesn't come naturally,

You may wish to trace a figure eight in the palm of your hand,

Or you can draw it on your notepad or paper.

And then another option is to have a little sensory of touch.

You can choose to place one hand on your heart,

One hand on your low belly,

And then just visualizing a figure eight tracing in between both hands.

Whatever feels comfortable and natural,

Choosing that option.

And as we settle in,

Just gently tracing the breath around this figure eight shape.

So on the in-breath,

You're tracing up one half of that figure eight,

Rounding through the curves.

And on the exhale breath,

You're tracing the opposite side of that figure eight,

Remembering that there's no right or wrong here.

We're just slowly trying to smooth the breath out into this figure eight pattern,

Wave-like pattern.

And just notice what it feels like when the in-breath reaches its end point,

Just like a figure eight doesn't have a abrupt stop.

See if you can melt and roll the in-breath into the exhale breath,

Rounding and smoothing it out.

And when the exhale breath reaches its end point,

Again,

Instead of stopping the breath,

See if you can smooth the exhale,

Melt it into the in-breath.

Just like the waves of the ocean that come into shore,

There's never really a time where the sand is dry in between the waves.

And so much like the figure eight breath,

Just playing a little bit with the breath,

Smoothing the breath,

Where every inhale melts into every exhale,

And every exhale melts back into the in-breath.

And continuing at your own pace and time,

As long as you'd like,

The invitation now is to bring intention to the in-breath and the out-breath.

So in line with the session today on the in-breath,

What is a word that describes something you'd like to receive more of,

Open yourself up to,

Draw in?

And on the out-breath,

What is one word that describes something perhaps you'd like to soften,

Maybe release,

Or let go of your grip?

In-breath to receive,

Out-breath to release.

And spending as much time as you'd like in this slow wave-like breath,

Figure eight breath,

Gently repeating the words on the in-breath and out-breath.

And whenever it feels right for you,

Just making some gentle movements with the fingertips and the toes,

Maybe a big stretch overhead,

Maybe move side to side just to bring energy back to the body,

Back to the room.

And if it feels okay for you,

I would love to know in the chat what you came up with on your in-breath and out-breath.

One word to describe what you want to receive on the in-breath and one word that describes where can you soften,

Release,

Or let go.

And it's okay if you weren't sure what to pick.

This is part of the preparation as we wind down the year of the snake that we start to get a little more intentional of what are we releasing and what are we opening up to allow in.

So I'm just going to share some beautiful things in the chat.

So Amanda says she's breathing in love and she's breathing out attachments.

I love that.

Leanne is saying love is coming in and sadness is going out.

I love that.

Allison,

Inhaling flow,

Exhaling what no longer serves.

Oh,

These are amazing.

You all came to do this workshop.

I love this.

Breathing in lightness,

Breathing out heaviness.

Yes,

Jackie.

And that figure eight breath,

That visualization of really melting the in-breath into the exhale breath and back exhale into the inhale.

I love this technique.

It's probably the most common technique I use in preparation for a presentation,

A difficult conversation,

But also I usually bring those words of I need to receive calm or peace and I need to let go or release anxiety or stress,

Something like that.

So it's a great little tool to put in your back pocket whenever you need it.

All right.

Just to share a brief understanding of the lunar calendar with the caveat that the wisdom I'm sharing with you comes from the wisdom of my in-laws and the culture that they honor.

And so I'm not going to know absolutely everything.

And so if there are folks in the chat that have additional things that they'd like to add about the lunar calendar,

This is what makes these sessions so awesome is that we can co-create them together.

And I really believe that collectively we make an even greater session.

So please feel free to add wisdom,

Your golden nuggets of knowledge about the lunar calendar,

If that feels right for you.

So briefly,

The lunar calendar follows the cycles of the moon and not the Gregorian calendar that we're so used to with December 31st being the last day of the year and January 1st being the first day of the new year.

And so the lunar new year really is symbolic in that it marks a collective energetic shift.

It's a beautiful celebration and time of renewal.

It's a time of release and reorientation.

And each year is guided by one of the 12 animal archetypes of the Chinese zodiac.

So I've seen some of you say in the chat what you are in terms of the Chinese zodiac.

I am the year of the water rat.

And so I found that interesting to learn about over the years.

And each year of the lunar new year also has a predominant element.

So either wood,

Fire,

Earth,

Metal,

Or water.

In 2025,

The year that we're in,

It's the year of the snake,

But it's the year of the wood snake.

And then now we're prepping over the next few weeks to enter the year of the fire horse.

And so when you hear fire horse,

What are the first words and assumptions that come to mind when you hear of what this next year is about?

Okay,

So these words passion,

Momentum,

Energy,

Action,

Strong,

And powerful.

Yes,

The year of the fire horse represents all of these things.

But if I were to ask you in this moment,

How are you feeling about welcoming in those words,

Action,

Forwards motion,

Energy,

Strength,

Passion?

How do you feel about that?

For some of us,

We might feel really ready.

We may have come through a particularly challenging year.

And for some of us,

We might see somebody saying,

I'm still wintering.

I love that word.

Or I'm nervous or bring it on.

Peter Brooks says like I'm coming home.

Yeah,

So there can be a really big mix of emotions and feelings as we start to end and wind down one year and enter a new one.

What I think is really important and what really softened my heart was that this shift based on the Lunar New Year doesn't instantly start on January 1st.

And so we're kind of in this middle liminal space,

This threshold period where we're still integrating the outgoing year and we're in a preparation phase of what's to come.

So this really,

Really means and hopefully this normalizes maybe what a few of you are feeling that if you still feel unresolved,

Unsettled,

If you still feel unfinished or really reflective right now that you are not behind,

You are right on time.

And I know for myself,

I just energetically,

It didn't make sense for me to really think about the Gregorian New Year.

I just there was so much that I felt was unresolved within me and I still do to a certain extent.

And so I'll share one of the things that I did is starting on December 28th,

I picked one room in my house a day and I hauled out every single closet drawer,

All the contents in every single part of that room.

And you should still haven't brought the donations to the charity that I'm bringing them to,

But the amount of stuff that I either hadn't seen,

Hadn't used,

Had no use for anymore that I could donate and potentially somebody else could use it.

I couldn't believe how much stuff I was able to get rid of.

And I felt like from the 28th right to January 2nd,

It was this honoring of I'm still in the year of the snake.

I'm still gradually integrating the outgoing year.

And what was important for me was thinking about my physical space and clearing it out,

Like literally clearing the clutter to allow space for whatever was next to arrive.

And I think psychologically,

There has to be something there that sort of this idea of as your external environment reflects your internal state.

So I share that with you as potentially maybe something that you might want to think about as you're still in the year of the snake.

And we are going to talk about what that symbolism means.

So a few reflections that you might want to write in your journal.

What does it feel like to hear now that when we think of the lunar new year,

That the year shifts gradually,

Not all at once?

How does that feel for you?

Does that sound helpful?

Does that sound exciting?

Does it bring out impatience?

Yeah,

Sarah,

It takes away the pressure.

Exactly.

And that's what I really needed this year.

People are saying it sounds helpful,

Like a natural rhythm.

Yes,

Exactly.

So if this fits for you,

And you tried to set a new year's resolution on January 1st,

And it's gone out the window already,

Then maybe this is the year that you really allow and honor the lunar new year to guide you.

And then the next question I'm going to put in the chat is,

Where have you felt in between lately?

And one of the things I'm trying to do myself is be comfortable in the in between.

That's not my default.

My default is to,

You know,

Typical type A,

Have everything organized,

In control,

Structured,

I know what I'm doing.

And what I really find with the lunar new year is this feeling of being in the in between,

A little bit in the unknown and the uncertainty.

And I think that I've finally turned a new leaf.

And I'm trying to welcome that feeling as opposed to get really overwhelmed by it.

It's not perfect.

I definitely oscillate in and out.

But yeah,

Where have you felt in between lately?

And how does that feel?

Oh,

A lot of things in progress and uncompleted space between nesting at home and going back to work.

Yes,

Allison,

In between in the next phase of your career and life.

In your healing journey,

You're still shedding,

Feeling a little bit lost.

All of these.

I resonate with all of these.

I've thought all of these myself.

And yeah,

Feeling stuck feeling a bit sticky.

So beautiful reflections.

Oh my goodness,

I love this.

So okay,

So the year of the snake officially ends on February the 16th.

So we have about four to five weeks to prepare to enter the year of the horse on February 17.

And that means that there can be some work that you can get really intentional about over the next four to five weeks to prepare.

So honoring the year of the snake,

It's still with us.

And so in the chat,

What do you know the snake as,

As an archetype?

Let me know some of the words that come up to mind.

I've heard some of you say shedding.

So one of the most common symbolisms of the snake is snakes shed their skin.

So what that might mean for you is that you're going through an identity shift or an identity change.

The symbolism of the snake is about a really deep intuition and inner knowing,

But not ignoring it.

The snake really is methodical and thoughtful and drives on intuition and instinct.

The year of the snake can also reflect facing the shadow or darker parts of ourself,

Facing the unmet needs of our inner child,

Sort of curled up.

If you envision a snake,

It's usually coiled and curled up really tight.

So,

You know,

Going inwards,

Snakes symbolize strategy.

They symbolize patience and precision.

Usually when they're hunting their prey,

They are silent and quiet,

And then they are precise in that hunt.

I've seen some people in the chat talk about how they're going through a period of healing or renewal,

And the snake symbolizes healing,

Renewal,

And transformation,

Especially through that shedding.

It also reflects a quiet power,

Rather than a more loud,

In-your-face visible force.

Whereas if you think about the juxtaposition with the year of the horse,

It's not a quiet power,

It's a more visible force and strength.

But both are equally valid,

Both are equally important.

And then most importantly,

You know,

The most common is that the year of the snake really is symbolizing releasing what no longer fits.

So the snake energy that we've been in for the last year is asking us a few specific things.

Snake energy is asking us,

What must be released before movement forwards?

What must be released before movement?

So thinking through what is a block,

A barrier,

What is that inner self-saboteur?

What must be released before movement can happen?

Because you've got to get out of your own way for that horse energy,

It's going to come and move forwards,

Whether you're ready or not.

Okay,

So what must be released before movement?

Maytree says lack of trust.

Ooh,

That's like goosebump worthy.

Yeah.

Randy says anger and your anxiety.

Yeah,

If you could release some of that,

What could be possible for forwards movement?

Self-doubt,

Shame.

Yes,

House clutter,

I hear you.

Fear of the future,

Overthinking.

Oh my goodness,

Are all of you in my mind of all the things that I've made a list about?

And,

You know,

We have to bring a little humor to it too,

Because we can take ourselves so seriously.

But really thinking through together,

What are some of the ways we get in our own way and prevent our own forwards motion?

Yes,

We have a lot of external factors outside of our control,

But there's a lot of internal factors as well.

I want you to now think about shifting a bit,

Is what truth has been trying to surface beneath the noise?

What truth over this last year is trying to be revealed or has been whispering beneath the noise?

Maybe it's a career change.

Maybe it's letting go of a relationship.

Maybe it's having a bold conversation with your boss about a negotiation for a better salary or a leadership opportunity.

Maybe it's handling and navigating that health concern that you keep putting down and ignoring.

You know,

Many of us have different truths that are scary sometimes to face.

So what truth has been whispering beneath your noise?

That you are enough.

That you are capable.

Having trust in yourself in the universe.

That life sucks,

Mary.

Yeah,

That can be a truth.

It can definitely suck sometimes,

But doesn't suck all the time if we pay attention.

Reconnecting with friends and family members whom you've isolated yourself from.

Yeah,

Especially if you're going through anger or anxiety,

Randy.

It can be really hard to re-enter relationships.

I get that completely.

But I think what I've realized,

It is scary,

But it's revealing also.

And whatever happens,

Whether the relationship gets stronger or it gets further distant,

That was what needed to happen at that time.

So I just encourage you to honor,

If that's the truth whispering,

You've got the tools to work through that.

Okay,

Next question is,

What old identity no longer fits?

And I'll ask this in a different way.

What narrative do you hold about yourself that might actually be outdated?

That you might need to challenge a little bit?

Okay.

So this idea that you're not enough,

This idea that you're never going to figure it out,

This identity that you have to be the hero,

The helper,

Give everybody else your time,

And you give yourself your own breadcrumbs.

Does any of this ring true?

So what old identity is no longer fitting?

No longer serving,

Evolving to a evolved version of you?

And what narrative,

What story are you telling yourself about yourself that actually might be outdated?

Might be time to really face that and say,

You know what,

Is this serving me?

Is this helping me be the person that I want to show up as?

I really firmly believe that we don't get up in the morning and say,

I want to show up as angry,

Irritable,

Aggressive,

Annoyed.

That's not how our default mode is.

And so if that's where you're finding yourself,

If you are operating from a place of irritation,

Fear,

Anxiety,

Self-doubt,

There might be an old narrative,

A story that you have about yourself that's holding you in that pattern.

And so the snake energy is really asking us to be courageous and challenge the narrative that's holding us back.

That takes courage,

Because it means you may have to step into an identity that's unfamiliar and that you don't really know how it's going to work out.

Because sometimes it's a safety and protective mechanism when we're operating in old stories about ourself and the world that keep us in that loop or that feeling of being stuck or things aren't being different.

And so just really think about that.

What narratives,

What stories maybe need to be let go in the year of the snake so that when the year of the horse arrives,

You're ready for something new and different.

So it's really important if you think about your experience over the last year that you normalize that these years,

The year of the wood snake,

Really is about potentially feeling a bit slower,

A bit heavier,

More internal and reflective,

Which isn't always comfortable.

The year of the snake is about thinking about progress differently,

Where it's happening,

Progress is happening internally,

Underground.

Many people this year are experiencing endings.

Many people this year are experiencing never before levels of grief and loss,

Collectively,

Globally,

Also personally.

And this year is about shifting identities without immediate clarity,

Letting go of what's no longer serving our highest good without necessarily knowing what's next,

What the next step is,

What the next right choice is.

But really trusting that when you let go and you clear out what's no longer serving you,

The clarity will come.

And how hard is that?

That is hard.

That is not easy to do.

But this is what the year of the snake is calling us to think about.

So grab your journal,

Grab your pen.

We've got lots of reflections and hopefully you're taking notes,

Lots of questions for you to reflect on and you don't have to do all of them.

Maybe one really stands out for you and that's what you think about over the next few days and then you move to another one.

So journal prompt number one,

What have you been shedding this past year,

Intentionally or not?

What have you been shedding this past year,

Intentionally or not?

It just seems to be something you're noticing,

Whether you're ready for it or not.

What have you been shedding this past year,

Intentionally or not?

What version of you feels outdated or too tight now?

What version of me or you feels outdated or too tight now?

And I see,

Gee,

You put victimhood and I just want to acknowledge that because I think sometimes when we go through traumatic experiences and that's in the eye of the beholder,

What that means,

That we have been a victim,

Right?

And so it can be a sense of comfort and safety to fall into victimhood because it keeps us safe.

We shrink a little bit when we're in that space.

And there's,

I just want to share with you,

There's nothing wrong with if you've been playing the victim or I see somebody saying the people pleaser.

There's nothing wrong with that.

It's then about assessing and evaluating,

Well,

Where is that keeping me stuck?

Where is that keeping me small?

It served a purpose and it was absolutely a part of your healing journey that was necessary.

And I think we can be really quick to criticize ourselves and we can be really quick to shame ourselves for falling into unhelpful patterns of maybe being quick to anger or being in the victim mentality or people pleasing,

Fawning,

All of these things.

We're really quick to be so critical about ourselves when we fall into those patterns,

But we really have to remember from trauma science and the neuroscience of healing that those served a purpose for your survival and they absolutely had a place.

And the fact that people are naming it right now is part of the year of the snake.

It's like you are acknowledging what's starting to feel outdated or too tight now that's limiting me.

Let me question this.

Why am I overextending myself and leaving my own breadcrumbs for myself?

Let me question that or get curious about why am I doing that?

So that is a perfect example.

I'm so glad you shared that.

That's a great example of what we're thinking about as we round out the year of the snake.

So thinking about your last year,

What wisdom have you gained through stillness,

Loss,

Or reflection?

We've had periods of stillness,

Darkness,

Loss,

Grief,

Reflection over the last year.

In all of those experiences,

There is a wisdom that can occur in those situations.

Even if they're deeply painful.

And so really thinking through what wisdom.

Lisa says the wisdom is that you can only live in full integrity even if it means I lose people.

Lisa!

I can only live in full integrity even if it means I lose people.

Whew!

I am writing that down.

That is beautiful.

Katie says I have free will,

I can choose how I feel about myself,

And I choose love.

Yeah girl!

Whew!

Amazing.

Amazing.

Full body goosebumps.

All right,

Final question on the year of the snake is what am I complete with even if it was meaningful once?

So what am I now complete with even if it was meaningful once?

And maybe this is a reflection you think about over the next several weeks because maybe you're not quite complete yet.

But gee,

If I can use your example,

Maybe over the next five weeks you become complete with acknowledging and loving the part of yourself that was in the victim mindset even if it was meaningful at that time.

But now you're complete with it.

Right?

It's not about dismissing it.

Snake energy isn't about this disgust and get away from.

It's about the slow and steady shedding and that is a process.

That doesn't happen right away with a snake.

That is a very slow systematic process of completing that process because it's so meaningful for a transformation.

Okay,

So Carlotta says to stay present,

To let go of the past,

And don't become anxious about the future.

Lisa,

You are done with betraying yourself to keep the peace.

I love that.

I complete,

I don't want to say necessarily it's done with or finished,

Never to be thought of again.

But I think a better word might be what do you feel resolved with?

I think there's always opportunity for us to go back and think about things that were meaningful to us,

Whether it was a relationship,

An action,

An identity we held strongly to.

But what this question invites us to think about is can you complete the emotional hook it might have on you that's pulling you backwards,

That's limiting you?

And can you become more resolved and complete with that experience for what it was?

I don't think we ever forget it.

And I don't think we need to be,

I know a phrase sometimes I use when I'm in defensive mode,

I'm like,

I'm over it,

I'm over it.

And no,

I'm not.

I'm not over it.

But I don't want that to be the energy of the question.

Right?

So it's this idea of like,

How do we become resolved in mind,

Body,

Soul with something,

Even if it was meaningful to us at some point?

Okay,

So hopefully that makes sense.

Brittany,

You started people pleasing when you were three and a half to four years old.

That is a very early time after your brother was diagnosed with autism and everything kind of fell apart.

You tried to help your parents.

You didn't realize that you were ultimately going to end up hurting yourself in the process.

I've also been learning that I have ADHD.

I've masked so hard and so long,

Nobody really seems to notice partly because everyone was so focused on my brother.

I just want to hold space for the four year old you that took on and bared a huge responsibility that wasn't hers to have.

But for you sharing that in the chat,

I'm going to go out on a limb and say these hearts coming through are for you.

Because so many people,

Whether it could be an entirely different scenario,

Where it's not a sibling that has autism,

But maybe a parent that was ill or maybe a tragic accident that people fell into the same pattern that you related.

And look at the comments,

Brittany.

Yes,

Brittany.

Brittany,

I can so relate.

Hearts to Brittany.

Yeah.

And so the year of the snake is maybe about revisiting that younger version of you that took on responsibility that wasn't yours,

That still carries through in your adult life 20,

30,

40,

70,

80 years later.

Right?

How amazing would it feel to shed some of that sense of responsibility and open up space for joy,

For I call it soft joy because sometimes joy can feel a little too much of a leap.

Yeah.

So the year of the snake over the next four to five weeks before our second part session,

I want you to think about these questions.

What have you been shedding this year intentionally or not?

The year of the snake will throw things in your path so that you start to shed.

And maybe some of you are like,

Oh my gosh,

This whole year has been the same repeated pattern over and over.

So what is it that you are trying to shed?

What version of you now feels outdated or too tight?

That people pleaser,

Brittany.

So many people on this session are resonating with that.

So maybe that version of you that feels like you have to overextend yourself to others and almost betray your own needs.

Maybe that's outdated now.

Maybe you can say thank you so much.

It's time that I focus on me.

And that can be scary when you haven't done it for a long time.

What wisdom has surfaced through your loss,

Your stillness,

Your darkness?

And what are you complete with or what can you be resolved with even if it had meaning once?

Okay?

So those are the things that I want you to reflect on and be ready for our next session.

So now we're going to shift to how do we prepare for the arrival of the year of the horse?

Okay?

So the snake is about that internal transformation,

That internal reflection,

The shedding of the identity.

And the horse is now a more external symbolism.

It's external momentum.

It's forwards motion.

But we have to remember the softness of the lunar new year is we're not jumping into the year of the horse.

We are transitioning.

So we're moving from introspection,

That internal reflection,

And quiet strategy,

And preparing ourselves to take more bold action.

And that can be on a spectrum.

That bold action does not need to be going from 0 to 100.

Bold action for you might mean going from 0 to 2.

Okay?

We're now transitioning into expansion,

Into outward expression,

Owning our story,

Owning the truth about who we are,

Not the outdated version we're telling ourselves we are.

And it represents a journey from internal healing this past year and shedding old layers to learning to embrace momentum,

Even if it's a little bit scary,

Learning to embrace passion,

Taking a few more risks in the outer world that are going to lead to your growth.

And taking risks,

Again,

Is on a spectrum.

It doesn't have to be 0 to 100.

Okay?

We work with the inner intuition that the snake has given us over the last year,

Our own inner wisdom of what feels right with entering into the horse's fiery drive into a new energetic phase.

Okay?

So preparation over the next four to five weeks is about integrating the year of the snake.

It's not about urgency,

And it's not about giant leaps.

Okay?

So really think through what that means for you.

So in terms of how do we prepare,

I want you to consider a few different strategies,

And I'd love to hear,

I want you to put in bold action what is your action over the next four to five weeks to prepare,

To integrate the wisdom of the snake and prepare for the year of the horse.

So like I mentioned earlier,

Maybe you clear out your physical space.

Okay?

Is there,

Is that an option for you?

Is there something that you're like,

I,

This room is so cluttered,

That's going to be the way that I prepare.

Is you tackle clearing out a physical space.

Maybe you want to clear something energetically.

So a lot of folks have mentioned some emotions or mental narratives.

Maybe there is a clearing of emotion that needs to happen.

So what does that look like for you?

What grounds you in feeling the most alive,

Vital version of yourself?

For some people it's spending time in nature.

Some people it's listening to certain types of music,

Attending a movement class of some sort,

Inside time where you've got access to like millions of different audio recordings and live sessions about cleansing and clearing energy.

Okay?

Maybe it's about simplifying your goals.

Really thinking through what's realistic.

Sometimes we set goals that set us up for failure rather than being realistic.

So simplifying goals could be something.

Releasing over-strategizing or perfectionism.

Permission to not get it right.

Entering the year of the horse with permission to be guided as opposed to have to over-strategize and over-perfect things.

Maybe it's having a clearing conversation with somebody.

I know Randy you had mentioned that and that it's a little bit scary.

Maybe it's,

Yeah,

Revisiting a conversation with somebody that you had conflict with or tension with and clearing that energy.

Building your trust in forward motion and momentum.

So what are the actions that you could potentially think about over the next five weeks that prepare you for the year of the horse?

So I hear or see people saying less time on the internet,

Trying a new hobby,

Signing out of your social media,

Clearing and setting time for yourself,

Getting a planner,

Trying new books.

You've already booked mental health appointments,

Signed up for sessions.

Great!

Look at you go!

Awesome!

Taking a social media break.

Yeah,

Amazing.

So consider what preparation looks like for you and I'm asking you to come ready to share what you did in the previous four to five weeks to prepare for the arrival of the year of the horse.

I would love to know that.

Now I'm going to think through because I'm not done yet.

I'm not done the year.

Yes,

I cleared out some physical clutter,

But I think I can go deeper.

Clearing out the physical clutter felt safe for me rather than visiting some of the emotions that maybe I also need to think about.

Clearing out the physical clutter now can allow me to really sit with the grief in a more authentic way.

Who knows?

We'll open that up as a possibility.

All right,

So the horse doesn't wait for perfect certainty.

That's something really important to remember.

The energy of the horse means that it moves when alignment is felt,

Not when every answer is known.

So one of the biggest things to impart in this session is that permission to not be perfect at this.

When you sit with what's in alignment with the truth of who you are,

That's when momentum and movement move forwards,

Not when you have all the steps figured out,

Not when you have all the answers known.

And that is so hard for humans because our brains are wired to have structure and seek the answer.

And so remembering the horse doesn't wait for perfect certainty.

It moves with alignment.

And that means you might not know what the next step is,

But you are guided by that inner trust and inner knowing.

So some reflections on preparing is what feels heavy or unfinished that would slow your momentum if you carried it forwards?

What feels heavy?

And some of you have been so vulnerable and authentic and awesome in sharing this.

What feels heavy or unfinished that would actually slow your momentum if you carried it forwards?

If you brought that into the year of the horse,

How would that slow you?

What is that?

Makes me sweat to think about what feels heavy to face and what feels unfinished.

But if I don't visit those things,

If I don't get a handle,

If I don't identify those things and get honest about that,

It's going to slow my momentum if I brought that forwards.

So the past,

Overthinking,

Eating disorder,

Moving into a lighter question is what kind movement are you craving?

Is it gentle movement?

Is it bold?

Is it playful?

Is it steady?

Is it soft?

Is it energized?

We can assume that the year of the horse means that fiery,

Passionate energy,

But it could also mean gentle movement,

Gentle momentum.

It could mean softness.

It could mean consistency,

Which is maybe a nicer way of thinking through.

So Allison,

Fear of mistakes from the past coming back to haunt me.

Fear of disingenuousness in others.

Those are very real fears.

You've closed many doors in your relationships this year,

Hilary.

This year,

It would slow me down to continue holding onto those sadness,

Even though I chose to close the door for the betterment of myself.

Beautiful.

And we're still a few weeks away.

So allowing that sadness,

And maybe it's really spending time with that sadness so it can complete the cycle of what it needs to,

And then you can move forwards.

And I think it's a beautiful reflection.

Ending relationships,

Even the ones we know aren't good for us and aren't serving us,

Takes a lot of courage.

And it also comes with grief,

A complicated grief,

Because we know intuitively that we need to end the relationship,

But there was an attachment there at some point.

So there's grief there as well.

All right.

So with a few minutes left,

Thinking through the arrival of the year of the horse and our next session.

So the horse archetype represents freedom.

If you think of a horse running in the wild,

I feel it's just such a beautiful image,

Like the wind is moving the horse's mane and the tail.

There's this freedom and there's this forwards movement.

The horse archetype represents vitality and stamina and courage.

And a lot of what was shared today is a direct antithesis to our vitality,

Stamina,

And courage.

When we are operating from fear,

Anger,

Anxiety,

That doesn't equate to giving us the feeling of vitality,

Stamina,

And courage.

And so what do we need to resolve within ourselves to bring back a sense of vitality,

Energy,

Stamina?

The horse archetype represents passion,

Aligned with purpose,

Aligned with alignment,

Right?

Passion,

Purpose,

Alignment,

And visible action.

So tangible action.

And it's really about confidence that's built through motion.

So all of the steps that have been shared,

Setting up appointments,

Making a commitment to go to a class,

Reading a new book,

Having a difficult conversation.

I doubt you instantly thought that's actually confidence building,

But that's what you're doing.

The horse energy is so beautiful because it teaches us that action creates clarity.

We don't take action when we know all the answers.

We start to move and the path becomes clear.

The horse energy teaches us that movement restores our energy.

So many of us have stopped moving and we can think about that physically,

Mentally,

Energetically.

Movement restores our energy and our vital reserves.

And horse energy is going to teach us that momentum builds trust in ourselves.

One of the most difficult things that holds us back is we somehow believe that we don't have what it takes.

We're not enough.

We aren't going to do it right.

But when we start that tangible momentum forward,

We start little by little to build trust in ourselves.

I have a 12 minute audio that's the most listened to audio on my teacher profile about building trust in ourselves after trauma.

Because if you think about it logically,

Trauma is an event that we didn't choose,

We didn't cause,

We didn't control,

We couldn't control.

And then somehow we hold ourselves prisoner and we believe we can't trust ourselves.

It does.

I've been there.

I still am there in some ways,

But I'm like,

It logically doesn't make sense.

You survived something unimaginable.

That should be enough to say you can trust in yourself.

So the horse energy helps us see momentum as a way to build trust in ourselves.

So the horse energy is powerful.

Just like the snake energy,

It's just a very different type of energy.

And it's important to remember that the horse energy is not about burnout.

We don't burn the candle at both ends.

The horse energy is about aligned action,

Not frantic motion.

So we need to be intentional.

That's why the year of the snake is so important and we're still in it so that you can develop that aligned action when the year of the horse begins.

So the one question I'm going to ask you and leave you with is what is ready to move now,

Not someday?

What is ready to move now,

Not someday?

And thinking through what does that movement or what kind of momentum feels supportive to your nervous system?

Some of you are at,

We're all at different stages with our nervous system and forwards motion can either activate our nervous system and potentially shut down our nervous system.

And so the horse energy is not about shutting us down.

It's about that aligned confidence and choosing a momentum,

A pace that's forwards moving,

But it feels supportive.

So this year,

What are you ready to move towards?

So as we wrap up the year of the snake,

What are you leaving behind with gratitude?

What are you carrying forwards with intention?

And what's that one small action that you're going to take in the coming weeks to prepare,

To prepare for the arrival of the year of the horse?

And so it's been such a beautiful hour with you.

Thank you to all of you for your vulnerable,

Honest sharing.

I'm blown away by the level of readiness that you all came to,

To shed the year of the snake and prepare for the year of the horse.

But my final words to you would be,

You don't need to sprint.

You don't need to sprint into the year of the horse.

One conscious step is enough and you are enough.

So as we close together,

Let's all in community place one hand over the heart,

One hand over the belly.

Let's find that figure eight breath in between the hands.

One word,

And maybe it's different than the beginning,

One word you want to breathe into your life and one word that represents something you're going to shed.

You're going to leave behind with gratitude and let go of.

Thank you so much for your trust,

For being here.

I am going to close for January 10th and welcome to 2026.

Please move slowly and intentionally over the next few weeks.

I look forwards to hearing what you took on to prepare for the year of the horse.

And as always,

Just so much gratitude for everyone in this space.

And we collectively,

Yeah,

We collectively created a great session.

So thank you so much.

Have a beautiful rest of your weekend.

Bye for now.

Reviews

Profound. Helpful container to release the year and shed while looking forward. This resonates. Thank you.

Fabulous, such a helpful session to help release the one before moving into the next. Looking forward to the rest of these sessions. Hopefully will listen to them live. Thank you 🙏